opal fields again

Saturday morning we left Bourke to follow the Darling to Louth and Tilpa.  The road was excellent for an outback dirt road.  In places it turned to a bit of a one lane track, but for the most, really good.  The only place we could see the river was a spot north of Louth and when we crossed at Louth and Tilpa.  We were quite disappointed that there were no places to pull off and just camp by the river.   The road actually crosses the floodplains, so nothing much to see but the low growing scrub.  Spent last night at Tilpa and watched the footy at the pub. The one thing the rains have brought is an abundance of wildflowers.  There was acres upon acres of them,  just beautiful. White, yellow, lavendar, purple, red, cerese.  We even saw some sturt desert pea this afternoon on our way to White Cliffs.  Being Sunday, Wilcannia was pretty deserted, so we just refueled and headed off.  The road to White Cliffs has some spectacular scenery.  We were very surprised as we expected more flat country.  Not so.  There are rolling hills, the occasional escarpment and then you are here.  This place is quite different to Lightning Ridge.  Lots of underground dwellings here. Plan to spend two nights here and have a look around.  We will fossick on the mullock heaps and see what we can find.  Will have to talk to the locals first as the opals may be contained in different material than at Lightning Ridge and we don't want to throw any away!  Superb weather lately and the forecast looks good.  We've actually had 4 fine days together.  Bye til next time.

road Tilpa to Wilcannia

looking forward toward Wilcannia on the goat track part of the road

wildflowers Tilpa to Wilcannia along the Darling R.

moved on from opal dust/mud

Last Friday Des had the opportunity to go and see the size of the mining area around Lightning Ridge.  It literally covers hundreds of square klms.  I had a day with Sue, our host, and she polished an opal for me. I was lucky enough to have a go myself also.  I had found it on the dump site.  It turned out absolutely beautiful and I can wear it later as a pendant.     Well we had a very cold and bleak day last Sunday on the mine site.  Drizzled ALL day, but on Saturday it was a little better so our hosts came for lunch.  It was lovely, sitting out in the open.  Sunday we did a bit of packing and on Monday morning we drove off.  It was really sad to say farewell to such lovely people.

Monday night we camped on the river bank at Brewarrina.  The Barwon R. is flooding at the moment and it was just a beautiful spot.  I managed to catch 3 fish (yellowbelly we think - beautiful cooked in alfoil on the barby), Des - nil at this point in time. This spot had flush toilets and cold showers.  It was so nice, we decided to stay two nights.  Wednesday morning there was a mass exodous from the place.  We arrived in Bourke about 11am and set about washing the mountain of clothes. Bourke hasn't changed since we were here about 5 years ago.  All the shopfronts still have the roller doors on them and those left unprotected are broken. We have checked with the Info. centre and they tell  us the Darling run is open.  So on Friday afternoon we will make another check also with the local council and if all is OK we will head off down there on Saturday morning.  Will post some more picks.  Keep in touch.

What a beauty.  Anyway, it was good eating



view from the door of van at Brewarrina



This is our campsite at Brewarrina on the Barwon R.



on the opal fields

We camped for 4 nights at the Sheepyard pub, and near this is the local war memorial.  Left on Sunday morning to camp 4klm away on a mine site.  Saturday night at the pub watched a euchre tournament.  On Sat. a bloke stopped at the van for a yarn and asked us if we wanted to watch a drilling rig in operation on his mine site, so without breakfast, off we went.  Pictures follow.  We also went underground to see the opal mine.  We were astonished to find out how large the tunnels are down there.  You could drive a small car through them. While at the mine, we were invited to camp here, again for free.  Same deal, toilet and showers and serinity.  So this is where we are.  Were invited back to his camp for a cuppa and to meet his wife.  Saw some wonderful opals.  Since we've been here we have seen them mining, how the waste is brought to the surface and carted away to a central dump site.  At the dump you can fossick for bits of opal that have been missed and some people have picked up quite substantial pieces there.  We are, however, still waiting to find ours.  Had dinner last night with our hosts and indulged in a 3 course chinese meal that she had preparred.   Just wonderful.  May leave here Monday and head for Brewarrina.  Keep you updated.

front view drill rig

left hand drive ex-army truck

drill rig in action

Sheepyard war memorial



war memorial showing plaques

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another view war memorial

this is how we got hot water- it's called a donkey

activities at Lightning Ridge

Saturday, in the rain, we took a bus trip to see some underground carvings.  These were in an old mine at a level of 40feet also included in the tour was a look at the working part of the mine at 60 feet.  An old miner explained how the opals formed and showed us how they find them in the clay layer.  The guy who did the carvings started it as a hobby.  They are quite incredible in detail and he has chosen many themes to display, even children's characters.  This was the first night that we discovered the artesian baths.  Open to the public 24/7 and free, the water is 40 deg. and mineralised so is good for all sorts of ills.  We made it a daily occurrence after this.  On Monday we visited the opal fields 70klm west of Lightning Rdg and met a bloke who runs one of the pubs, called Sheepyard Pub.  He told us we could come and camp here.  Went fossicking for a few hours and found a couple of interesting bits.  Will find our fortune later.  At this point, Des tells me I must put in, "He is really behaving himself".  We had lunch at the Glengarry Hilton out here, quite a place.  We also visited the Bowls Club for lunch and looked through the Opal Centre.  Wednesday we packed up from the caravan park and headed for the opal fields west.  This place is unreal.  Real redneck country, very interesting though. Plan to do lots of campoven cooking here and just fossick a bit.  We have flush toilets and hot showers, all for free, so what else could you want?  Check out the pickies below and you will be sooooooooooo jealous. To get a better view of the photos, double click on the photo and it should bring it up full size on your screen.

Kath with the Egyptian sculptures & paintings

Des with gold Budda sculpture

Des and his famous hero(The Phantom)

This is a painting, not a sculpture, in the mine

moonscape view from our camp in the opal fields

Glengarry Hilton on the opal fields

Hope you enjoy our tour with us.  See you in a couple of days with more happenings.

in the wet at Lightning Ridge

water view from van door at Lightning Ridge

We left Nindigully Pub after 4 nights at this great campsite.  Fed the fish a few prawns and had a few nights around the fire when the weather improved.  This is how Des spent the last evening there.  I tried to recover from a dreadful sinus infection.

tough for some

Travelled south to Thallon then west to Dirrambandi, south to Hebel and on to Lightning Ridge.  There is water lying along the roadside in lots of places.  Have had a lot of rain out here.  It has been such a contrast in temperature here.  30deg the first couple of days and today it has started to rain.  This is an incredible place with so much to see, but now that it is wet, we may have to stay put for a few more days.  Haven't had a chance to go fossicking or enjoy the natural spa baths.  Last evening we went to one of the local tourist attractions called the Black Queen.  It was a theatrical presentation of how the present owners came to buy and live in a house built by a lady who started after she was diagnosed with breast cancer at 58 and was told she had two months to live.  She sold this property at 84 years of age and is still alive today at 90, living in Sydney.   An incredible story and an incredible show.  Some pictures below.  We will add some more pictures when they get sent to us of the house after dark (lights shining through bottles in the walls).  This place has the most remarkable private collection of oil and kerosene burning lamps in the world.  Some are one offs and priceless.  Some of the crystal ones are amazing.  Personal taste I guess.

entry to house in theatre at Lightning Ridge

house showing bottles in walls

some of the lamps on display

these rare coloured lamps can never be produced again

Today we took a bus tour to several interesting places.  One of these was called Amigo's Castle, an incredible structure 26yrs in the building and still going.  This place has a network of tunnels under it and the old guy can gain access from his living room.  Another place was Astronomers monument, a wierd piece of architecture built by an astronomer, all concrete was mixed by hand in a wheelbarrow.  It is really worth seeing the incredible landscape around town, caused by all the diggings left in mounds wherever the shafts have been dug.  Humpys exist on most of the claims.  It is hard to believe people choose to live so primitavely in our country.  And then of course, there was the opals.  What a beautiful  gem, especially once you understand how they come to be.  We saw the cutting and polishing.  Didn't let our head go and buy any.  Will wait till we find one.

viewing a working mine

Astronomer's monument

Amigo's castle

That's the end for this session.  Hope you enjoy our journey.