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All 307 Melbourne Attractions »

The National Opal Collection

119 Swanston Street | Level 1, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia
03 9662 3524
Website
As featured in Melbourne off the beaten path
The largest Black Opal ever made into jewellery
Diverse range of designs
Fabulous museum displaying rare opalised fossils
Our new Kaleidoscope range designed by The National Opal Collection
10 visitor photos
Ranked #77 of 157 attractions in Melbourne
4.5 of 5 stars 12 Reviews
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Type: Museums
Owner description: The award winning National Opal Collection is amongst Australia’s most fascinating attractions, where you will discover the incredible link between... more » Owner description: 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. « less
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12 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    7
    3
    0
    2
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Date Rating
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
“Great learning!”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 24 April 2012

We loved the way we were taught about opal mining, opal types etc

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See 5 more reviews by Nandini J for Melbourne
Melbourne, Australia
Senior Contributor
41 reviews 41 reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
“Beautiful opals”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 23 March 2012
1
person found this review helpful

Love looking at opals. I have a beautiful opal necklace and earrings. Very beautiful opals to see at the opal collection

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See 37 more reviews by franny55 for Melbourne
New Milford, New Jersey
Senior Contributor
26 reviews 26 reviews
Reviews in 15 cities Reviews in 15 cities
17 helpful votes 17 helpful votes
“A testament to "an educationed consumer is the best customer"”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 18 January 2012
1
person found this review helpful

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... More

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See 3 more reviews by avy8r for Melbourne
Melbourne, Australia
2 reviews
“Good selection of opals and great service.”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 7 December 2011

This is more of a fancy salesroom than a museum, but if you are looking to purchase a genuine (although expensive) Australian souvenir then this is a good place to have a look. Staff was very helpful, friendly and informative. The museum bit was interesting to see, particularly the opalized fossils. But the real attraction was the wide variety of... More

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Stevensville, Michigan, United States
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
“Not worth the time”
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 26 October 2011

Much smaller than antipated--can gather the same information by talking with a store manager

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See 5 more reviews by Nancy K for Melbourne
WeLoveAustralia, Manager at The National Opal Collection, responded to this review
1 December 2011

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. More

Vancouver, Canada
Senior Reviewer
7 reviews 7 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
“Not worth your time”
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 10 September 2011

No one greeted us or said hello. As we were about to leave a gentleman finally started telling us about the opals and pulled some out to show us.

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See 2 more reviews by HawaiiLove1 for Melbourne
WeLoveAustralia, Manager at The National Opal Collection, responded to this review
22 September 2011

We are very sorry to hear you weren’t attended to promptly. We hope in the end you left with valuable opal information. Thank you for taking the time to post your review. Whilst we are never pleased to hear negative comments we are always grateful to receive feedback which will help us to improve our services. More

Melbourne, Australia
2 reviews
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
“Exquisite jewels and exceptional service, delivered in an atmosphere of calm professionalism”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 16 August 2011
2
people found this review helpful

We would like to thank the staff at the National Opal Collection for assisting us in choosing a magnificent pair of white opal earrings, to mark our 40th Wedding Anniversary. Whilst tradition dictates that Ruby,defines the 40th, we’ve always loved opals and as we chose a white opal for our engagement ring, selecting matching opal earrings was an obvious alternative.... More

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WeLoveAustralia, Manager at The National Opal Collection, responded to this review
25 August 2011

Thank-you so much for your beautiful worlds. You certainly are a lover of opal so we are thrilled you enjoyed shopping with us. We hope to welcome you back again soon. Happy 40th Wedding Anniversary! From all the team at The National Opal Collection. More

Melbourne, Australia
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
“exquisite jewels”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 12 August 2011
1
person found this review helpful

I did the modelling for the national opal collection and I must say the team and the jewels were amazing the work with. Some of the most exquisite pieces I have ever seen. I fell in love over and over again. Such a great company representing Australian gems.

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WeLoveAustralia, Manager at The National Opal Collection, responded to this review
25 August 2011

Thank-you so much for the wonderful review. We can't thank you enough for being our model the photos turned out beautiful. More

Singapore, Singapore
1 review
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
“RON CRINER IS A GREAT SALES PERSON”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 4 August 2011
1
person found this review helpful

Went to the National Opal Collection just to browse around. Decided to get some opals. Ron has been so helpful. He showed me all the various collection in the shop. He is not pushy at all. He gave me time to think what i wanted. He has lots of patience and i spend about 3 hours in the shop.. He... More

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WeLoveAustralia, Manager at The National Opal Collection, responded to this review
25 August 2011

Thank-you so much for your wonderful review for our staff member Ron Criner. Ron has been a very loyal staff member and has been with us for 25 years. He has a wealth of experience and even does our opal cutting. Ron expresses his gratitude for your lovely words. We hope to welcome you back in the future. Warm regards,... More

Ballarat
1 review
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
“I had no idea Opals were so beautiful”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 27 June 2011
1
person found this review helpful

I bought a ring from Sarah last year after seeing some of the rings available at the National Opal Collection Facebook page. When I visited the showroom in Swanston St I was blown away. I always thought that opals were for old ladies, but soon learned how different and beautiful they can be. I walked away with a gorgeous black... More

Was this review helpful? Yes
WeLoveAustralia, Manager at The National Opal Collection, responded to this review
12 September 2011

Thank-you for your comments. The ring you chose looked wonderful on you and you made a great choice. Thank-you for falling in love with opals so quickly. It’s touching to see other Australian’s love the beauty of the Opal as much as we do. Thank-you for spreading the word about The National Opal Collection. Warmest Regards, Sarah Cody More

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The National Opal Collection
119 Swanston Street Level 1
Melbourne, Victoria 3000
Australia
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