Lightning Ridge - Opal Country
Trip Start
Aug 13, 2010
1
25
42
Trip End
Ongoing
Where I stayed
Lightning Ridge Caravan Park
Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Opal is Australia's National Gemstone, we supply the world with more than 90 per cent of its precious opal. Lightning Ridge has Boulder Opal, Black Opal and Seam Opal.
Barry and I went down a couple of mines. One mine was 11.2 metres underground it contained over 400 sculptures and paintings on the walls the artist Ron Canlin is still sculpting in this mine.
We loved it! Fantastic! See photos.
Our caravan park is a bit rough and ready just like the miners camps. The loos are all interesting, I have added these to the blog.
Lightning Ridge has Artesian Baths, Baz & I dipped our legs in (40-46 deg C), we came out out of there with red legs.
It is a hot dry town that environmentally has been ruined by the old mines, but it is so interesting with lots of camps setup on the miners claims. Their abodes consists of either old buses, trams old cars, tin sheds or dug outs. We also came across a bottle house, a castle and old houses with rusty corrugated iron roofs held on by rocks on top.
In the photos you will see a cement mixer, there were lots of cement mixers. The miners put dirt boulders into the cement mixer and wash off the dirt to find the opal.
Great Experience.
