Well, the Lightning Ridge tourism authorities happily refer to the town as ‘a wonderfully crazy place to visit’ … so you can’t say you haven’t been warned!
The famed New South Wales Outback town has the largest known deposits of black opals in the world and has attracted – and still is attracting – more than its fair share gem-hunting ‘characters’. Grey nomads are, of course, prominent among them.
Driving around town you will still see excess earth from the mines appearing from the tops of shafts as miners dig in search of their precious quarry. Black opal – a dark stone with dazzling flecks of red, blue and green – is at the heart of everything here. There are opal shops, opal mine tours and, of course, there are fossicking opportunities aplenty. Be warned though, finding just a hint of opal can have you hooked for life.
Lightning Ridge is famous for its opals ... and its quirky Outback character! PIC: Hans / Pixabay
If you do strike it rich, there is no shortage of outlets where you can get your ‘find’ cut and polished. If you don’t strike it rich, however, you can still visit the same shops to buy an opal. What you tell family and friends back home about the way the opal was discovered is entirely a matter for your own conscience! If you choose not to take defeat lying down, a mine tour will show you how the professionals do it … and perhaps you’ll pick up a tip or two.
While precious gems are Lightning Ridge’s major drawcard, it’s more than just opals that persuade grey nomads to turn off the Castlereagh Highway and keep the area’s numerous caravan parks and camping areas in business.
The town – reputedly named after a farmer, his dog and 600 sheep were killed by lightning – is also the home of renowned Outback artist John Murray, and boasts artesian bore baths, a theatre made out of 14,000 bottles, a cracking winter climate, a stack of fascinating festivals … and a lot else besides.
First port of call for many weary travellers after a hard day’s fossicking are the soothing waters of the bore baths which have an average temperature of 42 degrees … and entry is free.
A town like Lightning Ridge is a place where you quickly learn to expect the unexpected … but the daily theatrical offering at the Black Queen, performed against the backdrop of a house built from bottles, still takes visitors by surprise … and earns rave reviews.
The area around the ‘Ridge’ is also worth exploring. Grawin, some 90kms or so out of town is a popular destination. How could you miss the opportunity to visit ‘The Pub in the Scrub’, ‘The Glengarry Hilton’ and ‘Sheepyard Flat’?
If you think you’ve been somewhere like Lightning Ridge before, then think again. There is nowhere like Lightning Ridge.
