This is a nice picnic BBQ area for anyone wanting to use the facility is welcome just please keep it tidy and pick up after yourself. It is located at our historic cottages located conveniently on the main street after the shops and accross the road from the Tuckerbox Family restaurant pictured at the head of this page. This area is aslo used by the town for major functions and partys as well as other gatherings. There is plenty of parking space here as well for caravans etc. Remember its also a dog friendly town, These are also clean toilet facilitys accross the road in front of the town hall and near the IGA shopping center and bottle shop, please keep the toilets clean, they are open 24/7.
The kids park on the left hand side of the main rd comming into town will have one of the biggest skate parks developed near it near the camping grounds. This will be one of the major developments in the town. As it stands there are plenty of future development ideas drafted up for around the park including new shelters and bbqs.
Othere new developments is the town streets have started to be sealed, This is another important asset for the town
The Pic below shows you a glims inside the Tuckerbox restaurant a feed not to be missed check out their famous (Surf&turf) Not only steak that falls across the hole plate but Barrumundi, prawns and calamri on top with veg or salad its a challenge to finish it all and is about from memory $26, It is a famialy restaruant so there's plenty for the kids two and they can play at the cottages while you enjoy your beverages out side if you like,over looking the cottages.
there has been opal even found in recent times over the main steet so try your luck noodling. Take a walk up the hill on the opposite side and check the cottages up the top of the hill to help settle that big feed.
It is not uncommon for people to find opal or specimens just looking close to the streets and on them paticuarly after a bit of rain. Other good spots to look around is near old sharts within the town (be carefull) or where the cutter set up his old bench, Also near old fires as it was where alot of sorting used to be done.
Take a step next door and check out the Bottle house and post office for gifts and a look at some top shelf Andamooka Opal, The Tuckerbox also has an opal display with jewelry for sale in a window to view while you enjoy a beverage and wait your meal.
Just a point of interest- The great Aussie movie (The last of the Knuckle Men was filmed right here in the Tuckerbox and Lerenzo was in the film briefly hes passed on now he used to live where Staffys Jewler shop is located across the creek the other side of the Opal Hotel.)
The pic above shows the out door eating area of the Tuckerbox Family Restaurant, sit on the wall and enjoy the views of the main street over looking the cottages.
The pic below show a view from the wall of the Tuckerbox looking towards the Opal Hotel wich has an out door rest area and Restaurant as well.
The Andamooka Post office has a Restaurant for functions and by appointment only unless your staying there in their accomidation apartments, They also have shower Facilitys avaliable to the public and a charge for using them as well as a launderette. The post office is gerneraly a good starting point to aquire maps of the area and land marks etc, It is run by Peter and Margot, Their pleasent to talk to and have lots of information about the town.(They also Speak fluent German) for those German travelers that need assistance.
The pic above also shows part of the area between the Tuckerbox and the Opal to the left of the pic what they used to call Chicago Square. It earnt the reputation through illegal gambling, shootings and stabbings where they all used to camp over broken partenerships and robbery or dishonour of some kind such as unpaid money. The pic below show the Dukes Bottle House and the front of the post office with its recent upgrade, they did lots of hard work here and look great it realy lifts the town front.
A lady My family know from Ballan in Victoria (Gwen) a real character and very charatable in reputation used to run this pub back in the hay days, She was well known for carring all her belongings in her bra including watts of cash and a Deringer fire arm. The Pics above shows the Opal hotel wich has alot of characters that frequent the place with the scocial club ya must meet Nugget what a funny bloke he is. Nuget is also a real full on Kangaroos football team supporter some say hes the mascot. There's Helmet, Staffy, Bill, Maeve, Julie, Grimmo, Puncho, Tazz & Tanya, Frog, Marko,Repco Steve,Joe, Sueane. The list gose on but you will get enough roumors and BS out of the few mentioned here. Nice meals and is owned By John Williams, Alfresco dinning Just like the Tuckerbox offers both have out door TVs for your favoret sports and a TAB facility at the Opal Hotel as well as sundays (Texas Holdem).
The opal used to run a male strip show for the girls and i know my missus was handcuffed down there by a stripper cop, But hey its a good event and the girls love it so much they turn up to the blokes strip shows aswell.
We used to only have one strip show each for the girls and the boys a year. I havn't heared of one for some time now.
The scocial club holds many good events thoughout the year including a car rally where it starts with a bacon and egg breaky then in the cars and off and racing (not a race) but they must answer questions and find land marks before heading to the evening BBQ and booze up with lots of games including egg and spoon races for the kids and tug a war as well as other events and prizes etc.
Victor Buzzers Opal Shop pitured Below, This is a must see and he has items from memory for even as little as $5 so there's something for everyone and age and a vast display of opal and Jewlery the skys the limit if you wish to go there. Stop and say Gidday and have a look around he also has true Aboriginal Artifacts and lots of othere interesting gifts and specimens of Gem stones.
The pic above is the IGA owned by Chris Lines it has a Thrifty Link Hardware incorperated and a Fuel station Next to that is the Bottle shop behind tree's out of view in this pic but on the main page.
The Table of Knowlege otherwise known as BS here's a few local lads all conspiering to start the next big town roumor or extend an existing one into unsizable proportion. This is a great place to meat the locals and sit down and have a chin-wag. and a drink or read a paper or have a bite to eat after doing the shopping, Its located tightly between the bottle shop and the IGA thanks to Jim and Rob for giving this to the town, their the bottle shop owners. Note the dogs as i said its a dog friendly town.
