Lightning Ridge- Black Opal country! 

Steve and I started to get a sense of the true outback when we spent 2 nights at the Outback Caravan Park in Lightning Ridge. 

After setting up we checked out the only pub in town which also happened to be part of the caravan park. It had a bistro as well but unfortunately it was closed for the night!

  
The following morning we went for a walk around town. It’s a very small town with lots of Opal shops and the basics-supermarket, hardware/everything you need shop, a couple of cafes, doctors, dentists etc. On our walk we found an art gallery of  local artist John Murray. His paintings were fantastic and funny. We bought a small mounted print of a clothes line of cosies with budgies hanging in them. The title was ‘Budgie Smugglers’! 

  
In the afternoon we went on a tour with Black Opal Tours. 

  
It was great! We went to Fred Bodel’s shack who was one of the well known miners from the area. 

  

 
His shack wasn’t much but quite comfortable compared to some of the others around. 

   
    
   

On the tour we were shown some of the houses people lived in. There are some very quirky and eccentric people!!

  We drove by Amigo’s Castle.  It was built by a prospector whose claim gave him nothing so he built a castle out of the local rocks instead. He doesn’t have a plan, he just keeps adding to it. He almost lost it because you’re not allowed to build on claim land. It ended up being left standing because it became a tourist attraction. 

 

  
 
   

 

 
 

 

We learnt a lot about Opal mining along the way. The equipment they use now is a lot easier. The mining shafts of the olden days looked very unsafe! The miners had to climb down on foot holds cut into the side of the shaft. We even got to have a fossick. 

  

 

        

We

went to an open cut mine known as Lunatic Hill. It’s called lunatic hill because the miners on the hill had to go up to 100 feet deep vs only 15 on the flat. They did find the largest uncut Opal there though – Hayley’s comet. It is now closed and being rehabilitated with plants. Any claim that has finished must be rehabilitated by the owners or they get black banned by the mining authorities. 

    

   

Finally we visited the Chambers of the Black Hand. Apparently it is the second most unmissable attraction in outback Australia. We haven’t found the first yet. 

  

We descended 12m down a mineshaft to chambers full of amazing carvings done by local artis Ron Canlin. He tried Opal mining himself with not much luck so he decided to build stairs down to the mine for anyone to access because he was always being asked if he could take people down to see a mine in action. However, he ended up using his artistic, self taught talent to create a mine  with chambers full of  his art and carvings. It is 18 years of passion. It also has an underground Opal shop and a 100 year old mine. We had a guided tour down into a mine with a professional miner. It was all totally amazing and well worth a visit. 

   
    

   
    
   
There are too many photos to include!!! 

Steve had a go with the pick in the mine. 

  

It was a fantastic tour and a great way to see the town and learn about mining and its history. 

Lightning Ridge was a fascinating town but I couldn’t live there!!!