Opals Down Under (Scratch Patch Gem Fossicking)

Families' Pick 2026 · Sunshine Coast: picked by the Funtivities team as a standout for families in Sunshine Coast.

Last updated October 2026

Free-entry opal showroom at Glenview with a Scratch Patch where kids fill a $12 or $20 tub with gemstones to keep.

Opals Down Under is an opal showroom beside the Bruce Highway at Glenview, near Aussie World, with a Scratch Patch gem fossicking area that kids and adults can use. Visitors buy a container (small 100ml for $12 or large 200ml for $20), then fossick through thousands of semi-precious gemstones, including opals, and keep as many as fit in the container. Entry is free and there is no time limit. A rock chart is given out on each visit, and there is a 'Find the Gold Nugget' competition with a prize. Two fossicking areas are partly covered, so drizzly days are fine, while the others are in the open. Shoes must be worn in the fossicking area. No booking is needed except to reserve the tables and chairs or for birthday parties. As of October 2026 the Scratch Patch is open 7 days from 9am, closing at 4.30pm (4pm on Sundays). In the showroom families can sometimes watch opals being cut.

Facts checked against the venue's own website on 17 October 2026.