DINOPAL: Dinosaurs, Opals and mysteries in the Australian Outback

By Rose E Siva

Josh and his father, Steve, go to Lightning Ridge, an outback opal mining town in Australia, in the hope of making a fortune mining opals. All does not go to plan when there is a catastrophic event in the mine they enter.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rose Siva
• Release date: Jun 20, 2020
• ISBN: 9780980309898

Rose E Siva

Rose first became involved in working on dinosaur bones in Queensland in 2008. Since then she has qualified as an Honorary Technician with the Australian Age of Dinosaurs in Winton, and worked on the bones from a number of different dinosaurs found in the area. She has also extensively explored sites of dinosaur interest in Australia. This decade long interest has resulted in a number of children's books. Rose's extensive knowledge and experience in the field combined with her work experience in literary support for reading skills, particularly in the school environment, inspired her to write. This has resulted in a series of books written to engage younger readers in interesting, real life situations featuring dinosaurs. Although fiction, her books are based around actual situations with Australian dinosaurs. Rose's books are perfect for early independent readers of mid to late primary school age. More information can be found at www.rosesiva.com

Book preview

PROLOGUE

WHOOMP!

It wasn't the noise as much as the shock wave. A bone-jarring shockwave that rattled every bone in Josh’s body. He found out later that the porous nature of the earth around him probably saved his life, as it allowed some of the energy from the explosion to be absorbed in the ground. If it had been hard rock he would probably have been killed.

Then the blackness. Total lack of light. Absolutely black, so black he could not see the fingers on his hand. And silence. Total utter deafening silence. And then nothing….

As Josh regained consciousness he attempted to recreate his world. Where was he? What had happened? What was he doing? He didn't know how long he had lain there before he started to recall memories, and then began to piece them together like a jigsaw puzzle in his mind...

CHAPTER 1

Steve bounded into Josh’s room, full of energy and enthusiasm. He had just returned from his shift out in the mines. It wasn’t like Steve to act like that; normally he would saunter into the house, shout ‘gidday’, and head for the fridge to get a cold beer.

Josh was lying on his bed with his feet propped up against the wall, reading a book. He looked up in surprise.

We’re gunna be rich, mate! exclaimed Steve, grinning widely. Gunna make a fortune! Then I can give up this crazy fly-in fly-out gig. Let me grab a beer and I’ll tell you all about it.

Josh watched him stride out to the kitchen, wondering what this was all about. Steve had been doing fly-in fly-out contract work at the mines for ages, even before he and his mum split up. When Josh had moved in with him after his mum died, Steve had talked about giving it up, but the money was good. Josh didn’t mind that his father was away a lot. Mrs Thomas kept an eye on him and often stayed over, sorting out the washing and making sure there was plenty of food in the fridge. But he actually preferred it when she wasn’t there. It gave him time to do his own thing. But Steve often said he’d like to spend more time at home with his son.

Opals, Steve enthused when he returned, and plonked himself down on the end of Josh’s bed. Dan, a mate I work with, has a mate who has an opal mine that he’s not working at the moment. Says we can go and pick up a few stones if we want to. He’s already made a mint, and he’s off overseas spending it. He took a swig of his beer.

Opals? Josh asked.

Yeah. Pretty, sparkly stones that are worth a fortune.

Josh knew that. He had read about the opals, and how most of the world’s opals are found in Australia, way out west in New South Wales and South Australia.

"Where?’ he asked.

Lightning Ridge. Dan’s mate’s mine is about 100ks out of Lightning Ridge. Real rich mine apparently, and hidden away where no one knows where it is. He keeps it a secret.

So if it’s a secret, why’s he telling Dan about it? asked Josh.

Yeah, well, apparently there are people that go out there and raid mines that look abandoned. Just move in and take stuff. He wants someone to go out there and move stuff around while he’s away, so it looks like it’s being worked. And any opals we find we can keep. He swallowed another gulp of cold beer. Apparently the opals are just lying around on the ground, waiting to be picked up. So, he continued, pack your gear. It’s school holidays and I don’t have to be back at work on site at the mines for two weeks. We leave for the Ridge in the morning.

CHAPTER 2

It was a long way to Lightning Ridge from the Gold Coast - 792 kilometres, to be exact. They left early, after throwing their sleeping bags and backpacks into the boot of Steve’s Holden Commodore. That car was the love of Steve’s life. He spent most of his free time when he was home lovingly polishing and modifying it. He had lowered the suspension and fitted wider tyres. Josh’s mum had often said he loved that car more than he loved her when they were together. It was sleek, low and fast. The noisy muffler he had fitted made it growl like a race car. Not quite the car you would take to a place like Lightning Ridge, and Josh hoped there weren’t too many rough roads out there where the mate’s mate’s mine was.

This mate of Dan’s is called Gopher, said Steve. He’s been digging up opals for a few years and made heaps of money.

Josh wondered about the name; it must be his nickname. Surely no mother would name a kid Gopher. Maybe it was because he worked in a hole in the ground.

Gopher’s left instructions with Terry, one of the barmen at the Lightning Ridge Bowls Club. So we have to find Terry when we get there, Steve explained. He’s got the keys to Gopher’s mine, and he can tell us how to find it. We’ll need to pick up some stuff at the Ridge as well. Food and lights and whatever we need to collect opals. I don’t think the power is connected out there, but he might have a generator. So we should pick up some fuel as well.

Josh was beginning to wonder where Steve was going to put all this