Unlike other paleontology digs in Australia, the work done during the Lightning Ridge Fossil Dig does not require rock hammers and jacketing. Because Lightning Ridge's underground opal mines are the source of the fossils, the miners themselves excavate the Early Cretaceous sediments, in their search for opal. The Australian Opal Centre (AOC) secures hard-to-find material that although discarded by the miners, might still produce rare opalised fossils, and saves it for Fossil Dig participants to sort through under expert guidance. The Dig is based at the AOC's Black Opal Heritage Shed, with field trips providing further eye-opening insights and opportunities for discovery.

Each day the program starts between 8.30 and 9am, with a variety of activities including:

• Learn about opalised fossils and Australia in the Age of Dinosaurs

• Learn to recognise and identify fossils and geological specimens

• Enjoy special hands-on access to opalised fossils from the AOC collection

• Search for opalised plant and animal fossils at special sites

• Hunt for opals at a tailout - the moment of truth for the opal miner

• Learn techniques for casting and moulding specimens

• Attend fascinating lectures on opals, opal mining, opalised fossils and dinosaur hunting

• Experience an underground opal mine

• Contribute to science and to the collaborative effort of opal miners and scientists to discover and preserve opalised fossils

The Australian Opal Centre will provide everything you need to search for fossils during the dig. If you have a favorite geology pick, magnifying visor or field notebook you’re welcome to bring it.

For several hours each day, you’ll be working in open areas with little shade and temperatures that can exceed 30°C (about 90°F).

You should bring:

• Sunscreen

• Hat and sunglasses

• Sturdy closed footwear

• Clothes that can get dirty including a lightweight, long-sleeved shirt

• Warm clothes for cool mornings and cold evenings

• Water bottle

• Insect repellent

• Flashlight and batteries

• Wet weather gear (just in case)

• Swimsuit – for warming up in the hot artesian baths   

• Optional: a mat or cushion to kneel or lie on while specking for fossils

The prices listed for this Austrlian fossil dig include all daytime and evening activities, morning and afternoon teas, lunches, most evening meals and a year’s membership to the Australian Opal Centre. Your fee supports scientific programs of the Australian Opal Centre and Australian Geographic Society.

Accommodation and transport are not included in the cost and you must book your own accommodations in Lightning Ridge.

1. What makes your site significant?
   Lightning Ridge is the only site in NSW and one of only a handful of localities in Australia that produces dinosaurs. It is the only place in the world that routinely preserves terrestrial animal bones - like dinosaurs - in opal.  

2. What has been most surprising about your discoveries at this location?​
   Virtually every fossil is tiny, usually less than a couple of centimetres in length, but even so, we have a remarkably detailed snapshot of the entire fauna, from fish to giant sauropod dinosaurs.

3. What are your current research objectives at your site? 
   Right now we're trying to unravel the relationship between fossils found at Lightning Ridge to those found further north at Surat (southeast Queensland). They both produce dinosaurs and other animals and come from the same rock formation but represent different ancient environments and, apparently, ecosystems.

4. What was most important or rewarding find at this site?​
   The discovery of a big carnivorous dinosaur, which we nicknamed 'Lightning Claw' in 2014, was very cool. At the time, it was one of the oldest of a group called megaraptorids that are known predominantly from Argentina and Australia. 'Lightning Claw' provided important evidence that that group actually originated in Australia, which had not been advocated for any dinosaur group at that time.

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