History

From March 1890-1893 White Cliffs was patrolled by Wilcannia police. December 1893 the first constable set up a Police tent camp in Kerara Road. Building plans were approved 1896 and the Station opened early 1898. Police were present in White Cliffs from 1893 to 1947 when dwindling population caused the Town to return to the Wilcannia jurisdiction. The restored building is now privately owned.

White Cliffs has the distinction of being Australia’s first commercial opal field and its story is no less distinctive.

It is known that opal was found in the region from as early as 1884 but there was little interest in the gem at that time. In 1889 while culling kangaroos on the vast Momba Station four kangaroo shooters picked up samples of opal. Specimens were sent to Adelaide to an ex surveyor colleague of one of the shooters. He quickly confirmed the find to be quality opal and made his way to White Cliffs to investigate the discovery.

Within the year White Cliffs Opal was available on markets in Britain, the Continent and the USA.

By 1890 the ‘boom’ was on as overseas manufacturers were quick to see the quality of the White Cliffs gem. The first Opal mining lease was taken out in March 1890 and as news of rich finds was advertised the rush was on and within a few months the population rose rapidly from around 30 to 500. At its height around 1898-1900, White Cliffs was home to an estimated 5000 people and in today’s terms sold millions of dollars worth of opal.

Then drought, dwindling markets, epidemics caused by bad water all took their toll and the downward slide began. By 1914 the European markets had closed, men left to enlist for World War 1 and it has been estimated that White Cliffs was left with about 30 people - the same population as at its beginnings.