New South Wales - Australia 2004 - page 226

opal-mining town stuck out in the arid far northern reaches of New South
Wales—where summer temperatures hover around the 113°F (45°C) mark.
Lightning Ridge thrives off the largest deposit of black opal in the world. Good
quality opals can fetch a miner around A$8,000 (US$5,200) per carat, and
stones worth upward of A$500,000 (US$325,000) each are not unheard of.
Tourists come here to get a taste of life in Australia's “Wild West.” A popular
tourist activity in the opal fields is to pick over the old heaps of mine tailings.
Stories (perhaps tall tales) abound of tourists finding overlooked opals worth
thousands.
I strongly recommend you visit the Grawin and Glengarry opal fields ,
both about an hour or so from Lightning Ridge on a dirt track suitable for two-
wheel-drive cars in dry weather only. (Check with the Tourist Information Cen-
tre before you go.) These full-on frontier townships are bristling with drills and
hoists pulling out bucket-loads of dirt and buzzing with news of the latest opal
rush. If you can convince a local to take you there, all the better, as the tracks
can be misleading. Ando's Outback Tours (see “Byron Bay: A Beach Bohemia,”
earlier in this chapter) takes in Glengarry and Lightning Ridge on its 5-day trip.
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE From Sydney it takes about 9 hours to drive to Lightning
Ridge, via Bathurst, Dubbo, and the fascinating town of Walgett. Airlink
( & 02/6884 2435 ) flies to Lightning Ridge from Sydney via Dubbo.
VISITOR INFORMATION The Lightning Ridge Tourist Information
Centre on Morilla Street, P.O. Box 1779, Lightning Ridge, NSW 2834 ( & 02/
6829 0565; fax [phone]), is open Monday through Friday from 8:30am
to 4pm. On weekends call & 02/6829 0429, or e-mail [e-mail].
SPECIAL EVENTS If you're in Australia around Easter, make sure you come
to Lightning Ridge for the Great Goat Race and the rodeo. A decent website
for information is www.lightningridge.net.au.
SEEING THE TOWN
Any visit to Lightning Ridge should start with an orientation trip with Black
Opal Tours ( & 02/6829 0368; fax [phone]). The company offers a 5-
hour tour of the opal fields for A$70 (US$46) per person. Three-hour morning
tours cost A$35 (US$23), and slightly shorter afternoon tours A$30 (US$20).
Among the many points of interest is the 15m (49-ft.) tall homemade
Amigo's Castle, which dominates the worked-out opal fields surrounding the
modern township of Lightning Ridge. Complete with turrets, battlements, dun-
geons, and a wishing well, the castle has been rising out of these arid lands for
the past 17 years, with every rock scavenged from the surrounding area and
lugged in a wheelbarrow or in a rucksack on Amigo's back. The wonderful
Amigo hasn't taken out insurance on the property, so there are no official tours,
though if he feels like a bit of company he'll show you around.
The Artesian Bore Baths, 2km (1 1 ⁄ 4 mile) from the post office on Pandora
Street, are free, open 24 hours a day, and said to have therapeutic value. The
water temperature hovers between 104°F and 122°F (40°C-50°C). A visit at
night when the stars are out is amazing.
The Bevan's Black Opal & Cactus Nursery ( & 02/6829 0429 ) contains
more than 2,000 species of cactus and succulent plants, including rare speci-
mens. Betty Bevan cuts opals from the family's mine, and many are on display.
Admission is A$4 (US$2.60) to the cactus nursery, but free to see her opals.