The moment I sank into the marvellous hot mineral water of the free (yes free) artesian baths in Lightning Ridge I asked myself "why have I not driven here every single weekend?"...
Lightening Ridge is after all is only a mere 230kms from my current base in St George Queensland, and out here that distance is nothing. Locals drive twice that distance to see a chiropractor or go to their favourite supermarket!
Origin of the name:
According to Wikipedia: The name Lightning Ridge is said to have originated when in the 1870s, some passers-by found the bodies of a farmer, his dog, and 200 sheep, which had been struck by lightning.
The town's home page has everything you need to know on it (link below).
I love the thunder/lightning sounds that play in the background while you search the page for info:
I even booked a place to stay in advance (most unusual for me) from one of the locations mentioned on the webpage. I was pleased I did as I knew exactly where to head on arrival which took the pressure down as I was arriving late afternoon/early evening.
1st point of call was the artesian pools. These FREE hot mineral pools are very worth visiting and are easy to find on the edge of town.
Large circular pool with loads of steps into the pool allow you to sit partly submerged.
Large changing rooms with showers and toilets.
Shower before you enter the pool either inside the changing room or in the outside showers.
Meeting the locals around the pool
Sauntering into the pool complex I suddenly noticed I was the only female present amidst a line-up of men in and around the pools. Looking at my watch I stated out loud “have I arrived at bloke o’clock?”, this immediately brought a round of laughter and lead the way to starting conversation around the pool.
Within a few minutes other female swimmers arrived, but my opening statement had ‘broken the ice’ and I enjoyed learning about the area from the other bathers who were mostly locals.
As I left the pools the locals asked when they would see me back in the pools.... "sunrise of course" was my response, and true to my word I was back there not long after sunrise the following day, and so were they.
The pools are open 24 hours a day, are clean, hot and a great way to mix and mingle with locals and other visitors. I highly recommend them.
Farm-stay camping near Lightning Ridge
The Carinya Farmstay provides excellent bush-camping facilities on a working station and it located within a short drive from the edge of town.
Joe and Jacinda welcomed me to the farm on arrival and I was free to pick my spot for the night after signing in a the shearing shed.
The camp sites are level, with some shelter possible under trees if you require.
They have several fire pits and a generous stack of wood they encourage you to use freely,
Long-drop toilet, geese wandering by, a small farm playground and big open country skies.
Their advertisement says they are a dry weather only camp site and that is true !
The entrance to the farm can get bogged very quickly if there has been rain.
I had to laugh and Jacinda's comment about only getting 18mm of rain when the neighbours had 50mm... when I asked "how far away is your 'neighbour'" I learnt they were 20kms away! That is how big the farms are here.
With ample free firewood and a big firepit I enjoyed my evening sitting watching and listening to the flames while sitting under a big sky overflowing with stars.
I paid only $34 for two nights stay. Well worth it in my opinion.
If you want to escape the 'caravan park' style camping, want to experience a real working station & like bush camping I highly recommend staying at Carinya Farmstay. I enjoyed my time there and will stay again the next time I visit the ridge.
Touring lightning Ridge - red door, blue door, yellow door..?
I admit to not understanding what the towns webpage meant by red-car-door tour, but its really very ingenious. Spread around the town, marking points of interest are car doors, painted and numbered with directional arrows on them.
Yes, painted car doors!.
To follow the Red-Car-Door-Tour you simply self drive around town following the arrows painted on the red car doors on the side of the road!
They lead you on a 'tour' past points of interest.
Following the yellow car doors, I found my way to the "Chambers of the Black Hand" which is at yellow car door number 7.
This is an art-gallery forty feet underground with images carved into the sandstone walls by the miner Ron Canlin with his bone-handled butter knife.
Entry fee was $40 which you pay once you are down in the mine and is worth the cost.
I spent about an hour wandering tunnels admiring the sculptures. There are plenty of tour guides to answer any questions, free tea/coffee site and of course opals for sale. On entry to the underground gallery/mine you are provided an introductory history of the mines, there is also a mini cinema inside the mine showing historical footage/information.
Continuing on the yellow-car-door tour I came to Old Chum's Track and decided that even though it was nearing midday and hot outside, I would walk the trail which meandered between diggings and old shacks.
So worth doing. It provides you with an opportunity to get out of your car, and get close with what the area feels like, to see the fossickers shacks up close and get a feel for the land.
Below are some images from that walk.
Its great to see 1st hand the old mine shaft entrances which are everywhere it seems.
Can you tell from the images below that I like old cars...
Join me here in this little video (below) as I explore Chum's Track:
Lunatic Hill - why the name?
Meandering along Old Chum's you will eventually head up Lunatic Hill.
The name has to do with the fact that to find opals you have to dig about 80ft down (more or less) so the idea of beginning to dig for them from the top of a hill seemed ludicrous to the locals who assumed it would double the depth needed to dig, hence those starting to dig from the top of the hill must be lunatics.
Lightning Ridge Museum: well worth visiting
I found the museum to be well worth the visit also, its provided a good insight into the history of fossicking in the area.
Check out this set of opal dentures.
This and many other interesting things to see in the museum.
Opal Pineapples in image to left.
And opalised dinosaur teeth !!
Oh, speaking of fossicking, one of the locals soaking in the mineral baths tole me of how he was offered two fossicking sites for his Saab and of how the locals then lent him the use of one of their vehicles to drive back to Tasmania, collect his family and return to Lightning Ridge, in exchange for updating the rego on the vehicle he drove. Brilliant.
Grawin
Heading out to Grawin to the Club in the Scrub (even if you don't fancy pubs) the drive out there is worth it for the scenery,.
Driving around Grawin is an education all in its own.
Quoting from their home webpage:
If you think the Ridge is unique, head out to the Grawin; the opal fields where it all began. Full of unique welcoming characters, a landscape that often resembles a moonscape, a few places to wet the whistle along the way, and even a place to swing the clubs. The Grawin is a not to be missed experience.
Conclusion
Make time to visit Lightning Ridge, and when you do, get out of your car and walk around Chums Track.
Sit in the baths and strike up a conversation with a local fossicker, it will be an experience you won't forget
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