LIGHTNING RIDGE

 

Hooray, I've finally made it, a long and lonely 1000 kms from Broken Hill to "The Ridge". My first impression even as I headed through the Welcome Gate was that this is going to be a unique and intriguing experience. The Ridge to me had an instant feeling of an outback idiosyncratic difference to any other place that I had visited. I could describe it as a sense of lawlessness (which there isn't) or a place where all men come for only one reason, to strike it rich. Opal Miners are easy to pick either big burly blokes with long beards or old timers with their bow legs and a beaten up station wagon or ute. Most shops in only two major streets either sell food, opals, hardware and mining supplies or are closed down. I love this place already, hot, dusty and "Outback". A sign stating the population of Lightning Ridge as "?" sums up the mood and humour that I could identify with.

A Statue on the Hwy outside Lightning Ridge (The Body is a VW Beetle)



 

  I firstly needed to find somewhere to stay, deciding on Lorne Station, a 10,000 acre property on the edge of Town. 5 kms of dust later and I booked in for $10 per night without power, I will spend 2 nights here. A very basic Campground on the Station that I don't think has operated as such for many a year. I did like it though as it seemed to fit into the Towns atmosphere. I note for info that Caravan Parks in Town were generally dustbowls and expensive with only slightly better facilities than I found at Lorne.

Lorne Station

 

 



  I managed to learn that Opal contains every colour of the spectrum from deep blues to iridescent green through to golden orange, red and fuchsia. Opal can be pale and delicate or dark and brilliant. the colour can change as the observer turns the stone. Lightning Ridge is famous for the White and Black Opal and indeed produces almost all of the World's Black Opal, the rarest variety. 
  Here, Opal is mined underground with mines usually extending to a depth of 25 metres. Open cut methods are used less in Black Opal country than in other Opal mining areas. Each Claim is a maximum size of 50 x 50 metres and a miner can have up to two Claims registered in his or her name. To begin mining, a shaft of about a metre in diameter is drilled to a level thought to contain Opal. A tunnel or "Drive" is dug searching for Opal along the way. "Opal Dirt" is taken to the surface, is washed for several hours in a modified Cement Mixer. Finally, the "tailings" are sorted for any hint or trace of Opal colour.
  The uniqueness of this place really shines when I drive through the "Streets" of lightning Ridge. Really only short, dusty and potholed tracks that wind there way between Miner's Claims. This is still just a large Camp there is no building code, no houses really. Miners live in anything they can beg, borrow, steal or put together themselves. It could be an old caravan or bus, corrugated humpy or even just a tent and all dwellings are very, very basic. Amazingly almost every square metre has been mined with piles of Opal Dirt everywhere. it really is hard to describe.

An Historic Miner's Hut in Town

  A couple of strange and again unique structures must be mentioned. My favourite was Amigo's Castle. An Italian now nicknamed Amigo by the miners, came here to find opal but was not really successful. To fill in his spare time he began to hand build his dream, a castle, by hand from local stone. he began in 1983 and continued until recently, never finishing his project. Amigo, has stopped working on his dream and at age of 61 lives nearby. he now has a new project though, Amigo has found an almost complete Dinosaur skeleton under his Castle and spends his time laboriously excavating. Another strange person built the Astronomy House which is a crazy dedication to histories great astronomers, I learnt. One more was ta house built from empty bottles, $10 to look inside...I didn't.

Amigo's Amazing Castle, each stone is hand cut and a perfect fit.

 

 

The Astronomy House

 

The Bottle House

 

  I spent three days exploring lightning ridge and completed the experience with a side trip, 35 kms away at Gumborah, to the Opal Miner's "Club in the Scrub" and Golf Course buried in the bush at the end of an horrendously rough track. I understand there was a "Pub in the Scrub" nearby but the road conditions prevented a visit.

A Club in the Scrub

 

 

  In summary I very much enjoyed my time at "The Ridge" and suggest it is a must see place for any traveller in the Outback.

BOURKE NSW

 

Chipping away at the distance left to Lightning Ridge and another 175 kms from Cobar to Bourke. More scrub and many more goats later I arrived at what was an almost empty place and a pie at the Bakery (pretty good about a 7 and so I had two). Except for a few feral kids and a group around the Courthouse all was quiet so I took the opportunity to take a few photos. The Town is rather small with only a few streets in the commercial centre. Bourke has a bit of a reputation as being a bit unsafe but I didn't feel that way.
  Traditionally the home of the Ngemba Aboriginal tribe, the area was first explored by Charles Sturt in 1829.  Bourke was established on the banks of the Darling River in 1861, the Town becoming a vital link for agriculture for the West and larger Cities to the East via the many Paddle Steamers that plied the river, the first being the "Gemini" of Captain Randall who completed a 900 mile trip from the Murray Junction to reach the district in 1859. Today, Bourke is a Town of 2500, located on the floodplain at the head of the Darling. It is also situated on the edge of The Great Artesian Basin, 640,000 square miles of underground water. This helps keep a million Sheep alive on 500 Stations. Irrigation from the Darling has allowed in the past a significant Cotton industry producing up to 120,000 bales pa and there are two Gins in or close to Town. Surprisingly, fruits including Citrus, Rock and Water Melons, Jojoba and Napunya Honey are grown.
  I had been advised not to Free Camp around here so stayed at Kidman Camp a few kms away at North Bourke, a caravan park which had some welcome shade and hot showers. I passed by the "Back O Bourke" centre on the way but at $20 admission I gave it a miss this time.
  Tomorrow is a big day with the final  300 km leg to Lightning Ridge.
   

COBAR NSW

 I am here for two days so I might as well have a look a around. I have over inflated the leaking tyre and hope it will last until Monday.
 Entering Cobar the first thing that cannot be missed is the large sign (with an adjoining Rest Stop I noted), a Miner's Memorial Park and the "Great Cobar Heritage Centre".
  Cobar is now a big Town by outback standards with a population quoted as 5500 with Mining, Farming and Tourism the main commercial focus. The Cobar district was the traditional home of the Ngemba and Wongaibon Aboriginal people. Prior to the discovery of Copper in 1870, the district was made up of huge Pastoral Holdings which relied heavily on the Darling River trade.
  In 1870, three Tank Sinkers, Charles Campbell, Thomas Hartman and George Gibb accompanied by two Aboriginal guide, Boney and Frank whilst travelling from Bourke to Condobolin stopped at "Kubbur" waterhole near Cobar. The noticed the unusual colour of the water. They took ore samples and showed them to Mr and Mrs Kruge, the proprietors of Gilgunnia Pub. Mrs Kruge had worked in a Copper Mine in the UK and identified the ore as Copper. This discovery lead to the formation of The Great Cobar Copper Mine soon to become the largest copper mine in Australia. At it's peak in 1912, The Mine had 64 Smelters, a 64 metre Chimney stack and employed 2000 people. Despite many profitable years Mine's fortunes crashed when demand for Copper dropped following WW1. and was closed in 1919. The Town's population dwindled from 10,000 at it's peak to 1000 and many small supporting small Towns almost disappeared. Other Mines of Cobar and districts included the New Occidental Gold Mine. 1934 - 1950s kms from Cobar. With new technology Peak Gold Mines has resumed mining at the old site again as well as open cutting the New Cobar site at Fort Bourke Hill; The Cornish, Scottish and Australia Mine (CSA) is a Copper Mine and has operated from 1870s - 1920 when a fire broke out underground and burned for 16 years, again from 1965 - 1998 and again fully operational today; The Endeavour Mine, 45 kms from Cobar opened in 1962 produces Silver, Lead and Zinc; Peak Gold Mines 12 kms Sth of Town opened in 1992 and continues to source Gold deposits.

 

  The Great Cobar Heritage Centre was built in 1910 as the Administration Office for the Great Cobar Copper Mine. Today it is the Town's Heritage Museum. At $10 entry too expensive for me however I did find a way to sneak into an outside area for a look at some of the exhibits.

 

 

 

Later a drive around Town to discover some good examples of Architectural Heritage, a trip to the Fort Bourke Lookout and the open Cut Mine and then the Miner's memorial completed my sightseeing.

 

Water is scarce in Cobar

The Miner's Memorial

 

 

 At $35 I cannot stay again at the Caravan Park so decided on the rest Stop at the Town entrance. As it turned out a night of B-Doubles and Road Trains coming and going with not much sleep. The Tyre was replaced next morning.