The Australian Opal Centre (AOC) at Lightning Ridge last week received formal approval from Walgett Shire Council for development of its site at the Three Mile opal field, paving the way forward for the $21.6 million project.

The centre will feature the world’s greatest public collection of Australian opal and rare opalised fossils from the Age of Dinosaurs and will be a hub for tourism, education, scientific research and opal promotion.

The AOC building, designed by internationally-renowned architects Glenn Murcutt and Wendy Lewin, will be an innovative, energy-efficient, two-storey underground structure that will collect its own water and generate its own power. It will be approximately 100 metres long with a floor space of 1250 m2 on the top level and 1370 m2 on the lower level, which is to include an underground Gondwanan garden.

In its report on the AOC Development Application, Walgett Shire Council noted that landowners within a 500-metre radius of the development site had been notified of the application, and that while several submissions were received in support of the proposed development, no objections were received.

“It shows the passion the community has for the Australian Opal Centre and the great need there is for this development,” AOC project manager Jenni Brammall said this week.

“Although we are looking to the Federal Government to provide major funding for construction of the building, other supporters and investors - including Walgett Shire Council, the State Government, community, industry and private donors - are vital and have already produced assets worth about $2 million” Ms Brammall said.

“We envisage construction may start within a few months of finalising funding, which we can’t fix a firm date to yet, but work on the site will certainly begin within 12 to 18 months. We expect construction to take between 18 months and two years.”

News of the Development Application approval reached the office of the Australian Opal Centre within days of a report from the project’s quantity surveyor, David Wallace of Northcroft Pty Ltd.

Northcroft worked with the architects and structural engineer for the project, as well as Lightning Ridge contractors and suppliers, to reach a cost estimate of $21.6 million for construction of the building.

“These are important milestones in the development of the Australian Opal Centre,” the project’s chairman David Lane said this week.

“Now that we have title and development permission for the site, building designs, a sound business plan and firm costings on the building, we’re in a position to work with the Federal Government to secure funding,” he added. “It will be a fantastic addition to the community, it’s a positive change and very exciting” Lightning Ridge tourism officer Marilyn Milas said.

Anticipation is building about the project in the town and it’s believed the AOC will give a much needed boost to the local economy and the opal industry as a whole.