edmund murphy

Edmund Murphy owned a commercial business in Wilcannia in 1889 just prior to his moving into the opal fields at White Cliffs where he started his career in opal Prior to this part of his life, Murphy had been a bushman, had prospected for gold in the north western corner of NSW in the goldfields of Tibboburra. You can read this history in his book entitled “They Struck Opal”.

Murphy established himself as an opal miner and then moving on to become a leading opal buyer in the early days of the Australian opal industry. Murphy purchased opal for Tullie Wollaston who as mentioned before is perhaps the father of the commercial opal industry in Australia.

Gwen Rowe writes of Murphy and Wollaston in her book “Saltbush Rainbow”....

Murphy spent his time, am I allowed to say in colloquial Australian, wheeling and dealing in opal for many years. An interesting event occurred in 1901 at White Cliffs. On the 13th May 1901 a Royal Commision was began into opal mining at White Cliffs. It is my belief that in the year of Federation of Australia that this is one of the first three Royal Commissions held by the newly established Australian Federal Government. Edmund Murphy gave evidence to the Commission.