Stunning colours, shapes and sizes are all on show, handpicked from more than 35,000 specimens in our minerals collection, making it one the largest in the country. Many of the specimens on display were originally part of private collections that have been donated or purchased by the Museum. The Museum is still actively adding to its collection and preserving the state’s mineralogical heritage.

One of the prize displays in the Minerals gallery is the Fire of Australia, which is the finest uncut opal in existence.

Valued at nearly $900,000 Australian dollars and weighing at 998 grams, the Fire of Australia still in the rough condition in which it was found.

Two faces of the Fire of Australia have been polished to reveal the gem’s exceptional quality, with its colour transitioning from green to yellow to red depending on the angle from which it is viewed.

Photo: The Fire of Australia