Keowa Koala Welcome to Brisbane Dowa Guide coming to KONDOR OPALS SOUTHBANK MARKETS this 7th August 2026

We have started to roll out the Keowa Koala Dowa Guide - Welcome to Brisbane series. You will find it in more and more locations across a section of retailers, restaurants, cafes, attractions and places that are special to the city of Brisbane.

Today we shine the spotlight on KONOR OPALS located in Southbank Collective Markets, every Friday night (5pm-9pm), Saturday (9am-9pm) and Sunday (9am-4pm). 

This market stall has been owned and operated since 1997, by Gary who sells genuine high quality opals in silver, silver plated with gold or solid gold. 

If you do find yourself in the Southbank Markets and you are looking for genuine, valuable Australian souvenirs to take back to your home country, here are some things you should know about opals.

1) They are 50 times rarer than diamonds.

2) They are all hand-cut and every stone is unique (like you). 

3) Opals are a beautiful piece of Australia and Australia's national gemstone, as Australia has the best opals in the world. 

4) Opals with more Red colours are the most valuable, followed by opals with more Blue colours, which are also more valuable than opals that show more green colour. An opal with a mix of these colours in a dramatic display are what you're looking for. So take a close look at each stone before you pick your opals.

5) Some opals are solid but others may not be. A doublet is a thin slice of opal with a backing, and a triplet has a backing and a glass dome over the thin slice of opal. I personally recommend going for solid white or black opals.

6) You take that same opal to a shop overseas in say Japan, you will pay up to 6 times the prices Gary has marked for them. So while in Brisbane, it's worth picking up a piece of opal jewelry for your mother, girlfriend, future girlfriend, wife, future wife or even kids or best friends back in your home country. Gary sells opals Duty Free for overseas visitors.

With all that in mind, Gary has the best prices for quality of opal in silver and gold that you will find in all of Brisbane and the Gold Coast, and much of that is due to his low overheads of selling at the Southbank markets and strong industry connections.

So that's why we have included Gary's opal market stall - Kondor Opals into the Keowa Koalas' Dowa Guide Chapter 3: Southbank.

In this cabinet you will find a number of my personal recommendations, but really there is a range to suit all tastes:

The white opals are a little hard to photograph, you have to really see them in person. You will find the Dowa Guide chapters all available in the Kondor Opals store, with Chapter 2 offered as a free gift along with some iPhone wallpapers.

We will bring you more Dowa Guide news, as we highlight more of Brisbane's best attractions and places.

 

Sincerely,

- ddasuhan (Jisu Sang)