Lightning Ridge in Outback Australia - By: Bob Lord

My parents had visited Lightning Ridge and raved about the experience and after a very long drive we were nearly there. Lightning Ridge is a town in north-western New South Wales, Australia and has the largest known deposits of black opals in the world, but it wasn't the opals we were chasing - we just wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

Our first thoughts were not exactly positive, great piles of rock everywhere, dust, dust, dust everywhere and a quick drive through the town that took only five minutes had us querying our decision. We had come at the town's busy period - winter - in summer the heat is intolerable but it is hard to actually discern how many people live there as it has a very transient population. About 1100 voted in the last election but many more live there and a large proportion would not care to vote.

We dived into the experience and went to the tourist information office situated at the entrance to the town proper and had a wander around. There was a large slagheap with a few people going through the rocks and dust looking for opals. Initially this didn't look like fun but a newspaper clipping inside the office told the story of a $20,000.00 very rare red opal being found by a tourist in the same heap just a couple of months before. Opals were beginning to look a little more like fun.

The Ridge, as the locals call it, is also famous for its car door tours. Old car doors painted four different colours serve as landmarks and pointers along the various dirt tracks and lead to some spectacles you would never see anywhere else. We were lucky enough to have a four-wheel drive but the town was so dry an ordinary car would have been able to, very carefully, navigate the tracks. We selected some brochures and went to our previously booked accommodation, a caravan park a few kilometers outside town.

Facilities there were basic. No grass to be seen, a just working fridge, shower and toilet but on the bright side we were going to be able to have our very own campfire just outside our hut and that made up for everything else. The initial disappointment on my partner's face was replaced a few days later by the comment "I'm glad we stayed there."

We chose to go on a guided tour the first day and were pleased with the decision. The Ridge is known for the eccentric people who live there and our driver just happened to fit that description admirably. She explained that the two busiest buildings in town were the bowls club and the courthouse. We never went inside the courthouse but the bowls club was a marvel considering the size of the town. The people who lived in town that didn't work there certainly drank and ate there; it was a very busy place. It eventuated that the two days we had allocated for the visit wasn't long enough to see and experience everything but a few of the highlights were:

The Free Artesian Bore Baths.

At the end of a hard day fossicking and exploring, there is nothing quite as therapeutic as a long soak in the naturally heated thermal baths. The baths were extremely hot and were very popular.

Bevan's Black Opal & Cactus Nursery

Said to be the largest display of old and rare cactus in the southern hemisphere, this garden is a labour of love and well worth a look! There appeared to be hundreds of different cacti and it was well worth the $10.00 admission.

Chambers of The Black Hand

Local opal miner Ron Canlin has transformed a number of drives (tunnels) of an old opal mine into an interactive works of art. He has spent countless hours (years?) carving things as diverse as the Last Supper to Shrek. Well worth a couple of hours.

Coopers Cottage

Authentic abode of the early miner, built in 1916. Its historical setting embraces the living conditions of the mining pioneer. Free entry to what was once regarded as high-class living.

Big Opal - Underground Mine Tour

A genuine opal mine with guided tours, a DVD of the history of Lightning Ridge and a souvenir shop.

Black Queen

A truly intriquing house of bottles weaving a magical array of light.

There were many more things to see such as half built castles, a building called the Astronomer's Monument, the huge open cut mine and many jewelers showcasing the magnificent opal. And is the opal worth all the attention? Yes. Holding a fine opal and seeing the colours reflected it the light, the flashes as you twist and turn it in your fingers and you can understand why many people live a harsh life chasing it.

Lightning Ridge is a long way from anywhere else but it is certainly worth the effort.

About the Author

Bob's travel experiences can be found at Vacation Tourism Directory and if you have a quality blog then please submit to Quality Blogs or Deepyalla Free General Directory

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