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Number Thirteen Orange
The austere Outback landscape around Lightning Ridge is populated by rugged individuals with a sense of hope and humour. The tourism ‘office’ with its Car Door self-driving tours is clearly in on the joke.
The air pulsates with dry heat. The sky and earth vibrate with impossible colours. You are surrounded by rusted equipment, reclaimed tyres, and expensive solar panels; it is impossible to discern what is in use and what has been abandoned. Houses are fashioned from old campers and railway carriages, or lovingly created out of mud bricks and empty beer bottles and cans. These are the ultimate recyclers, but it begs the question: who drank the contents of all those containers?
Lightning Ridge, a small outback Australian town in north-western New South Wales, is like nowhere else. Legend says it was named for a farmer, who – with his dog and several hundred sheep – was killed there during a fierce electrical storm in the 1870s. While sheep (and goat) grazing still occurs on these arid lands, opals were discovered late in the year 1900, changing the landscape forever.
Today, this is still opal mining territory, where you could dig forever in the airless underground and not make much of a living, or you could find a seam of precious black opal and strike it rich. It takes a hardy creativity – and a sense of hope and humour – to live here.
I had two nights stopped in town on the long drive home from Northern Queensland (see: Back Roads in Country Queensland). We were still in the grips of Covid-19 travel bans and lockdowns, and as I was prohibited from travelling overseas, I was ticking off some of the local destinations that had long been on my list.
The already sparsely-populated settlement was as quiet as a ghost town. Transient miners come and go, and like much of the tourism industry at that time, many of the attractions in Lightning Ridge were closed. None of the advertised tours were operating. Restaurants and services were taking turns being open. In addition to Covid restrictions, it was HOT. Although technically autumn, March temperatures routinely reach 42°C (107.6°F). Overnight lows seldom drop below 19°C (66.2°F).
An impromptu visit to the local tourism ‘office’ of volunteers paid off. For gold coins, you can buy maps of the self-driving ‘Car Door Tours’ that use painted car doors scattered on the landscape to guide you through the local sights (see: Lightning Ridge Visitors Guide). A social-distancing bonanza!
Most of these ‘Tours’ are short circuits around town, but the Orange Door Tour is a suggested day trip to the Grawin Opal Fields, about 40 km (25 mi) southwest of Lightning Ridge as the crow flies. In a car, the turn off for the tour is 57 km (35 mi) out of town, and takes you onto some very bumpy and dusty corrugated dirt roads.
But, I’m not precious about the condition of my car, and I’m always up for an interesting drive. Join me in the mining fields of Grawin and Cumborah, and – of course – Lightning Ridge.
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“Watch Your Head”
After settling into my cabin at a local caravan park, I set off on foot in search of dinner – checking out some local sites along the way. Cooper’s Cottage, built in 1916 on Morilla Street, is a typical miner’s home constructed from whatever could be found lying around. (iPhone12Pro)
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Car in the Carport
My morning walk takes me past another miner’s hut – this one built in 1932. Heritage Cottage has been preserved as a museum by the local Historical Society. Thanks to Covid19, it was closed – but I was able to walk around to admire the outdoor displays. (iPhone12Pro)
Lightning Ridge ‘Rocket’
After breakfast, I set off in my vehicle to find the Orange Car Door tour. On the way to the junction of the Bill O’Brien Way (the local road) and the Castlereagh Highway, I stopped to photograph the Welcome display. This includes a giant opal agitator crafted out of the rear-end of an old cement mixer. These are used to wash the clay in order to reveal any precious gems.
Stanley the Giant Emu
My second stop was a few minutes down the highway, where a quirky 18 metre (59 foot) emu stands watch.
Volkswagen Beetle Body
Made from more than a tonne of scrap metal, Stanly is the dream-child of local artist John Murray.
Golf Course Sign
I was aiming to have lunch at Grawin’s Club in the Scrub, a registered sports club. I was grateful for the quirky signage: I would have been convinced that I’d missed a turn somewhere otherwise! (iPhone12Pro)
Welcome to the Club in the Scrub
Like many other local buildings, the club comprised a lot of corrugated iron.
To the Men’s Shed
I parked the car, and went for a short walk around the small community.
Tip Truck
Opal mining involves moving a lot of dirt. Every operator owns a tipper truck.
Equipment
Rubber tyres don’t do well in this environment.
Cactus
The climate here is classified as hot and semiarid.
Mining Rig
This is a typical small-claim opal mining set-up: a shaft is drilled into the earth and a hoist is used to bucket material up from the ground into a truck. A ventilation shaft comes up out of the depths.
Accommodation Setup
Some of the homes look more permanent than others. Solar panels are essential to off-grid living.
Home Complex
Water tanks are a necessity, and shade is at a premium.
Bedford Truck
Meet the Locals
The club was doing a good trade when I stopped in.
Glengarry Hilton
Back in the car, I drove past the rough-and-ready airstrip and opal dumps to the neighbouring community of Glengarry, where I pass what was the first pub on the Opal Fields.
Mobile Speed Camera Ahead
So much signage is ‘recovered’ that I never knew what was real. In any event, I didn’t get a ticket! (iPhone12Pro)
Another Inn
The Grawin opal fields might not have much of a population – but they do have three pubs! I stopped at the Sheepyard Inn for an early afternoon coffee. Wonderful place.
Rusty Vehicles
The locality of Sheepyards is still home to some agricultural activity, but opal mining – and tourism – have taken over in importance.
Opal Dirt Dumps
Who knows? You could get lucky fossicking in the giant dumps of opal dirt.
Another Old Truck
The Sheepyard And Community War Memorial
This quiet place is a tribute to the locals who served and fell in conflicts over the years.
Tribute to the Veterans
Built by miners, many of whom were themselves Vietnam Veterans, the ironstone boulders and their memorial plaques are a sombre sight.
Emus in the Road
A Hot Semiarid Landscape
Red Door Tour
The next morning before continuing my drive south, I took in a few more local landmarks. With all the mines and museums closed, I was restricted to ‘above ground’ sights. This is the entry to Wallangulla, or Old Town, – where the first opal rush boomed from 1906.
Safety First
There are vents and pits everywhere: it pays to watch your step!
Bottles and Tins
Some of the homes here are established and extensive, complete with solar hot water and electricity. Collected stone, glass bottles, and aluminum cans make inexpensive building supplies – and great insulators.
The Ridge Castle
Next door, Ridge Castle, also built from found materials, operates as a holiday accommodation.
Amigo’s Castle
Nearby, owner-built Amigo’s Castle usually offers tours.
Private
Not everyone wants visitors!
Shaft
The covers on open ventilation shafts are often makeshift. (iPhone12Pro)
At Home in the Junk Yard
Those beautiful old vehicles will continue to rust, until some imaginative local artist builds them into a sculpture, or a resourceful Ridge resident incorporates them into a home design.
Lightning Ridge is full of innovative and ingenious people, thriving in the harsh conditions around them.
I look forward to visiting again.
Until then!
Photos: 02-04March2021
