The National Opal Collection
The National Opal Collection
4.5
10:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:30 AM - 5:00 PM
About
The award winning National Opal Collection is amongst Australia's most fascinating attractions, where you will discover the incredible link between opal and the dinosaur. As you enter you are surrounded by dioramas of Australia's outback and then taken through time from the dinosaur age to modern day opal production. Exhibits show how bones of prehistoric creatures can become opalised. Adjoining the museum is the spectacular showroom with Australia's largest range of opals and opal jewellery. Here you can purchase tax-free from a large range of Australian opal products.
Duration: < 1 hour
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingWhat is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience nearby attractions
The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Central Business District
Full of discovery and delight, Melbourne’s laneways tease the imagination long after you’ve put your weary feet up to rest. They weave through the heart of the city: cafes, bars, restaurants and boutiques, throbbing with conversation and espresso coffee. You never quite know what you’ll find around the next corner: cobblestone alleys, old beer barrel hoists and even vats of simmering organic soup. There is the air of Berlin in the street art, a touch of Paris in the umbrella-shaded cafes and, reminiscent of Rome, eateries tucked away in the most unlikely of places. Perhaps you might want a break and cross the Yarra River to Southbank - walk along the promenade, bask in the sun at a waterside bar and decide whether to go to the nearby casino or book a ticket at the Melbourne theatre company.
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
6,075 within 5 kms
Attractions
1,647 within 10 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
59 reviews
Excellent
33
Very good
22
Average
1
Poor
3
Terrible
0
Jeffry b
Essendon, Australia13,657 contributions
July 2023 • Solo
Australian opal mines are more prolific and produce more brilliant opals than mines found elsewhere. This treasure trove has opals of all varieties. The colors are truly remarkable. The opalized fossils are marvelous to see. Opals are Australia's national gemstone; the collection is open to everyone. Entry is free.
Written 9 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
avy8r
New Milford, NJ137 contributions
Jan 2012 • Solo
This retailer on busy Swanston St in downtown Melbourne provides a "museum of the opal" in order to educate the consumer on the reasons you should buy the varied selection at this location rather than take your chances with the plethora of storefront retailers around Melbourne or pay more money than you need to at the higher-end retailers.
By way of full disclosure, I'm a Graduate Gemologist but other than buying a few opals from trade shows a few decades ago for a customer I wouldn't say that Opals are anywhere near a speciality of mine. That being said, I probably know more about Opals and how they're graded for price and quality than the typical consumer. I was not happy at all with the quality, pricing, or selection of the opals that I was seeing in my various travels throughout eastern Australia. So, wanting to buy an Australian Opal for my wife IN Australia and knowing beforehand that I could buy less expensively from my vendors in New York City, I visited the folks at NOC.
What you get at NOC is a professional and knowledgable sales force that can tell you exactly why one stone is more (or less) expensive than another stone, and a wide selection from which to choose. I wound up buying a loose stone selected by my wife in consultation with the sales lady that I will have mounted back in NYC. My wife is very happy, I got a price that is higher than I would have paid in NYC from my vendors but not higher than I would have paid in a typical retail store, and I left feeling that I was advised professionally by the sales force rather than pressured or deceived like I had felt in the other Opal stores we visited.
Both my wife and I were only interested in "white" Opals and I would highly recommend NOC as your primary store for those. If you're interested in black or matrix opals, I'd consider NOC a contender but I'd recommend that you visit Lightening Ridge Opals a few blocks away to give yourself an alternative and competitive shopping experience. Lightening Ridge Australia is where most of the black Opals come from nowadays and Jonas at LRO will give you both an education and a wide selection of those Opals that might be better priced than NOC. Even if not, you'll then have a choice between the two best shops for Opals in Melbourne.
By way of full disclosure, I'm a Graduate Gemologist but other than buying a few opals from trade shows a few decades ago for a customer I wouldn't say that Opals are anywhere near a speciality of mine. That being said, I probably know more about Opals and how they're graded for price and quality than the typical consumer. I was not happy at all with the quality, pricing, or selection of the opals that I was seeing in my various travels throughout eastern Australia. So, wanting to buy an Australian Opal for my wife IN Australia and knowing beforehand that I could buy less expensively from my vendors in New York City, I visited the folks at NOC.
What you get at NOC is a professional and knowledgable sales force that can tell you exactly why one stone is more (or less) expensive than another stone, and a wide selection from which to choose. I wound up buying a loose stone selected by my wife in consultation with the sales lady that I will have mounted back in NYC. My wife is very happy, I got a price that is higher than I would have paid in NYC from my vendors but not higher than I would have paid in a typical retail store, and I left feeling that I was advised professionally by the sales force rather than pressured or deceived like I had felt in the other Opal stores we visited.
Both my wife and I were only interested in "white" Opals and I would highly recommend NOC as your primary store for those. If you're interested in black or matrix opals, I'd consider NOC a contender but I'd recommend that you visit Lightening Ridge Opals a few blocks away to give yourself an alternative and competitive shopping experience. Lightening Ridge Australia is where most of the black Opals come from nowadays and Jonas at LRO will give you both an education and a wide selection of those Opals that might be better priced than NOC. Even if not, you'll then have a choice between the two best shops for Opals in Melbourne.
Written 18 January 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeffry b
Essendon, Australia13,657 contributions
Jan 2016 • Couples
Opals are Australia's national gemstone. The National Opal Collection has a very wide range of high quality opals. The range from black to red, with lots of greens and milky whites. The thing to look for in opals is fire. An exceptional opal will have depth, with colours switching and blending in harmony as you gaze into it. The collection is in a make-believe mine. It is in Swanston Street in the centre of Melbourne, very easy to locate.
Written 25 January 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thankyou Jeffry. we are glad you enjoyed your visit.
Written 20 June 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
karenpammy2016
San Francisco, CA1,280 contributions
July 2014 • Couples
The National Opal Collection is located right smack in the middle of busy Swanston St. It is not that noticeable as it is located in a basement level. There are plenty of excellent displays of the various types of opals found in Australia. The clerks are very informative and will give you an insight to the various types and how to select an opal that fits your needs.
If you are an international visitor, get the coupon from the Melbourne Visitor Guide for a complimentary gift when you show your passport or airline ticket for an opal koala stick pin.
If you are an international visitor, get the coupon from the Melbourne Visitor Guide for a complimentary gift when you show your passport or airline ticket for an opal koala stick pin.
Written 25 December 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nancy K
Snyderville, UT8 contributions
Oct 2011 • Couples
Much smaller than antipated--can gather the same information by talking with a store manager
Written 26 October 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We thank-you for your feedback. We are currently in the process of adding to our museum. The opalised fossil collection on display is the most important opalised fossil collection in the world. We are currently adding to our collection and improving the signage. We hope when you visit in the future you enjoy our new exhibits.
Written 1 December 2011
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Cedric Ă…
Stockholm, Sweden97 contributions
Dec 2019
Mainly a store to buy opals, but has a small museum with some excellent examples of beautiful opals and some videos to watch. Well worth to stop by if you're passing through.
Written 26 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Glad you stopped by and enjoyed your visit.
Written 27 December 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Darrin R
Newcastle, Australia971 contributions
June 2019 • Couples
A great place to purchase some rare Australian OPAL, prices can be expensive but they are rare and unique to Australia.
Written 13 June 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Louise M
Castle Rock, CO3,983 contributions
Dec 2015 • Couples
After having visited several overpriced jewelry stores specializing in opals, I was thrilled to see an opal 'museum'. I did not expect to see the nicest and most diverse opal collection I've ever seen! The fossils range from opalized seashells to the entire vertabrae of a dinosaur to air bubbles that formed in a rock, all opal. This collection truly belongs in a museum! The owner, Ron, saw my fascination with the specimens and took the time to walk with me and point out some of the coolest ones and explain how they formed. He never once tried to sell me anything, and his love for opals was evident. If you love opals and DON'T take the time to visit, you are missing out!
Written 28 December 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Louise, glad you enjoyed your visit. We look forward to seeing you again sometime.
Written 20 June 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Brandyshire
Portland, OR60 contributions
Feb 2015 • Solo
This is no ordinary opal retailer. In addition to selling opals, both loose and set, the collection includes informative displays and a very interesting video presentation. The staff at this location was very willing to explain things to me and to show me various opals, in spite of the fact that I was clear that I wasn't in the market to purchase. Ron was especially engaging and helpful. (The staff at the location in Sydney was not friendly at all. So I would opt for the Melbourne location if possible.)
Written 19 March 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Quack H
HONG KONG2,683 contributions
Feb 2015 • Solo
I got a free gift coupon from a traveller's magazine; I went to the shop, showed my passport (they have to have ID prove for some reasons), the lady at the shop gave a me nice little Koala holding opal pin. A very nice gesture to tourists, worth visiting, no matter if you have the coupon or not.
Written 1 March 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Showing results 1-1 of 1
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing