There’s something about life in Yowah that brings an influx of winter residents and visitors. Yowah has recently been featured in the Discovery channels “Outback Opal Hunters”.
Historically Yowah has been a mining area for opals since 1875 (circa). The Yowah opal nut in particular is world famous and highly desired by collectors as it is the only place in the world that opals are found in this type of formation. Come and meet some of the miners at the Saturday morning opal stalls and pick up a bargain. You can do some fossicking for opals in the fossicking area, being sure not to trespass onto any of the private opal claims. Try to sink a ball at the 9-hole desert golf course, wind down at the thermal bore baths and then take a drive up to The Bluff to get a great view of the landscape – especially at sunset (please note that The Bluff is a working farm, please respect the owners land and stock).
There is also a game of bingo going on at the Rural Transaction Centre (RTC) on Friday mornings during tourist season. The RTC is open seven days a week April to October, from 9:00am to 4:00pm, and is as close to a mall as you will find in Yowah. The Centre has tourist information, local crafts for sale, a laundromat and is the home of the library, which is open Wednesday mornings. You can also hire gear here for fossicking. The RTC also houses a café in town called the Yowah Cafe. Call in and see Lyn at the cafe and enjoy one of her fresh homemade cakes or hamburgers.
One of the appealing aspects of Yowah is its shopping style. There are so many little shops hidden in among houses and sheds. You can just wander around town following signs (or flags) to little retail outlets in and among the houses. It’s all a bit higgledy piggledy which just adds to the fun and sense of adventure. You could spend the whole day walking around town gift shopping and find yourself in a blue or red bus, the back of a shed, a room in a house or in a train carriage as you browse among opals, jewellery, carved wood, paintings and pottery.
For opal enthusiasts and those just wishing to browse, Yowah’s annual opal festival will be held on the 17th-19th July 2026. Spend the weekend browsing the market stalls held in the local hall on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Discover sparkling opals, handcrafted jewellery and a variety of unique goods, along with captivating displays from talented local artists and photographers.
In true keeping with a festival, there will be live entertainment on the Friday and Saturday evenings, along with food stalls and a licensed bar throughout the three days. With a professional chef at the YOMCSI bar you won’t be disappointed with the three course meals served on Friday and Saturday night. The music for the festival will be provided by the very popular Kerry Kennedy and his band and the MC for the festival will be the resident poet, Bushy. There will also be a display of rare opal.
Other activities run by YOMCSI (Town Committee) are the opal markets, which are run during the tourist season on Saturdays at 10:00am, indoor bowls on Wednesday afternoons and a craft day on Tuesday mornings. Meals are served at the YOMCSI bar every Wednesday and Saturday night.
Thanks to the generous donations, new toilets and showers, valued at approximately $30,000, have been installed at the free (donation) camping area for travellers convenience.
There is a general store and caravan park in town offering unleaded and diesel fuel as well as gas refills. The store also doubles as the local post office, making it a handy one-stop shop for travellers and locals.
The Yowah community looks forward to welcoming you to their wonderful town!
Cunnamulla Fella Centre
Phone (within Australia) 07 4655 8470
