We're always on the look out for stories about opals. Check out this amazing story of Mike Poben, a long time opal dealer, on one of his visits to one of the world's premier opal sites: Lightning Ridge, NSW.
Mike bought several bags of rough opal from a pair of local miners. In one of these bags was an opalised jawbone with teeth - an incredibly rare find. Curious, he had it examined by a paleontologist, which led to confirmation of something special - a new Australian dinosaur, previously undiscovered.
Photo: Robert A. Smith
The new dinosaur was named Weewarrasaurus pobeni - after the region it discovered, and his surname. And the best thing? It's on display at the Australian Opal Centre in Lightning Ridge.
Read more about this fantastic story about Mike and his opalised fossil here.