Page 7 - 2018 Coober Pedy Visitor Guide

The Discovery of Opal Iron Man – Jim Shaw

In January 1915 – 100 years ago – a small Over the 100 years of European settlement
group of men named the New Colorado in Coober Pedy, there have been many
Prospecting Syndicate had unsuccessfully interesting and varied stories of how
been searching for gold just south of people came to the opal field.
Coober Pedy. Jim Shaw earned the name “Iron Man”
On February 1, they had set up camp and following his epic walk to Coober Pedy
were searching for water when the 15 from Tarcoola, a distance of about 200 kms.
year-old (William Hutchison) son of one It was in February 1920, that he arrived
of the men found pieces of surface opal. at Tarcoola after the train trip from Perth.
Eight days later, the first opal claim was He had been a gold miner in the west and
pegged. had pushed his
Due to lack of water and the extreme heat, possessions
the party left on February 18th and headed from field to
to William Creek. A few months later, the field in a wheel
O’Neill brothers & Fred Blakeley arrived and barrow. Now his
became the earliest opal mining pioneers intention was to
and introduced the unique method of living push it to Coober
underground in “dugouts”. The flies were Pedy to go opal
bad and there were no building materials. mining.
In 1917, the Trans Continental Railway was He also had
completed and a number of construction the reputation
workers came to the opal fields. They of being “the
were followed by soldiers returning from
the First World War. Conditions were harsh Human Buckjumper”. Men would put bets
and water and provisions had to be carted on being able to ride on his back while
great distances and under very trying Jim cavorted around on the floor. It was
conditions. an easy way for Jim to earn a quick quid
During the Great Depression of the late because no one lasted too long on his
1930s and 1940s, opal prices plummeted back.
and production almost came to a Though being warned that he was mad
standstill. But then, typical of Coober to set off walking to Coober Pedy at that
Pedy’s history of boom and bust cycles, time of year, Jim did just that with his
an Aboriginal woman named Tottie Bryant prospector’s outfit of pick, shovel, 2 rock
made a sensational opal find at the Eight drills and hammer, camping needs, food
Mile field in 1946 starting a new rush to and water all in his trusty wheel barrow.
the fields. During the 1960s, the mining Much to the amazement of the Coober
industry expanded rapidly as many Pedy locals who had been warned that he
European was attempting the trip, Jim made it.
migrants came But what really confounded his audience
to seek their on his arrival, was that Jim arrived fresh as
fortunes. Opal a daisy, having washed, shaved and put on
mining clean clothes at the last waterhole before
developed into town.
a multi-million
dollar industry Needless to say, his reputation and name of
and Coober “Iron man” became a legend in Coober Pedy,
Pedy became and followed him to Andamooka, where he
a modern lived out the rest of his life.
mining town. Article by: Coober Pedy Historical Society Coober Pedy
by Sue Britt
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