Lightning Ridge: The Seductive Underground Treasure Trove
Lightning Ridge is 8 hours from both Brisbane and Sydney out of the way of everything.
If you head centre south, just over the New South Wales border, you’ll encounter a baron rockscape incapable of growing crops, supporting agriculture, or living comfortably. The iron rock and abundance of sandstone don't create the most inviting location. The area wasn’t always this way, in fact, 145 million years ago during the mid-Cretaceous period, Warrangulla was home to Australia’s inland sea. The waters receded well before any of the first Australians arrived and far earlier than the colonial era but the receding waters had a dramatic effect on both groups, leaving behind a beautiful, highly sort after mineral formation known as Black Opal.
A 5.46ct black opal worth $45,000 (as of Feb 2023) (source: https://blackopaldirect.com)
Black opal is the rarest variation of Opal, fetching between $10,000 and $30,000 a carat. Its price directly reflects what is coming out of the ground, with most of the opals being sold immediately after being cut. The Black Opal has only been found in Lightning Ridge and very rarely in the Mintabie Opal Fields in South Australia and this rarity has made it highly sought after. Black opals were discovered in the area by 2 men roughly around the same time. The first was Jack Murray, a boundary rider working at Dunumbral run near the Warrangulla Area in 1901. Jack was wandering by a gravel pit on his way to repair a fence when he noticed a small, black, shiny rock. He picked it up and noted that it looked much like an opal, but extremely dark. The man was immediately intrigued by this find and began digging, looking for more of these enchanting rocks, which lead to his unceremonious firing. I suppose that’s what happens when you destroy the land you’re supposed to be looking after. But this didn’t matter to Jack. He had come down with a case of opal fever and organised himself a mineral release so he could begin mining in the area.
An example of the refuse left behind from sinking a hole
Around the same time Jack was sinking holes in Dunumbral, Charlie Nettleton who is synonymous with what is now known as Lightning Ridge, arrived in the area. Charlie, unlike Jack, was an experienced prospector. He had spent his fair share of time sifting through the dirt at White Cliffs and knew a thing or two about finding opal. Charlie decided he needed a change of scenery, had heard about the gold rush that was happening in Bathurst from a few of his White Cliff chum and headed south seeking his fortune.
A small tent setup, perfect place to rest after a hard day of mining
Charlie made his way to Bathurst and found himself walking through an area abundant with ironstone and sandstone, Warrangulla, and from his experience decided to stop and check the area out. This felt like prime, virgin opal land. Much like Jack, while searching the area, Charlie stumbled upon an impressive chunk of black opal and knew he had to sink a hole here. Charlie was sponsored by some local businessmen, who liked to gamble, and they helped him purchase all the supplies required to set up a camp and dig. Charlie’s first hole was a complete bust, the earth wasn’t favouring him, and he had the pressures of a massive loan sitting on his chest, no doubt adding to his struggling underground breathing. Hope was not lost however as he had heard news of a local man having some luck not too far away. Jack had been finding some promising chunks of rock and Charlie decided to join him.
Coopers Cottage, a mining shack built in 1916
The rest stop on the way into Lightning Ridge shows off the beautiful red environment
The two men worked closely and formed a great team. Jack had the find; Charlie had the skills and the contacts. After a bit of work, a lot of luck and a sizeable collection of stone nobbys, the two men made tracks for White Cliffs to visit Charlie’s opal buyer, A German man named E F Murphy. It was quite a trip for the two men, and there was no promise of a payout when they left Lightning Ridge. Mr Murphy was a little wary of the men’s new find as up until this point the market had been based solely on light Opal. There was no history of black opal being sold, but the vibrant reds and purples sitting against a black background were intriguing enough for Mr Murphy to provide them with a tiny down payment and in the event, there was interest in these samples, further compensation. Jack and Charlie returned to Lightning Ridge accompanied by an enthusiastic group of men from White Cliffs with a brand-new mineral lease in hand.
Rusted out car found in an outdoor museum in Lightning Ridge
Sherman Opals classic car found in the Lightning Ridge Historical Village
The talk of black opal and the prices it began fetching in Sydney and Adelaide attracted prospectors, both amateur and professional, to the Warrangulla area. The miners were using a watering hole located close to the Dunumbral run area where most miners were located. However, the farmers in the area weren’t too keen on sharing their water prompting the miners to request that a government tank be installed. In 1907 a new town called ‘New Town’ and a cemetery were surveyed on land that would be less likely to contain opal. The area began to establish the other important parts of a settlement, a school and post office and a hotel to quench the thirst of all the new hard-working miners.
Lunatic Hill opal shack. Wanna try your luck at finding some opal? Grab a bag of refuse and cross your fingers.
Lightning Ridge as the new settlement came to be known, takes its name from a legend that a farmer, his dog, and a massive herd of sheep had been found dead in the area in the late 1800s. It is said that all the iron in the dirt attracts lightning strikes, making the area quite dangerous in the event of a major storm. The town is infamous for its mysterious population as it often changes with miners coming and going as the seasons change or as they find the motherload.
There’s something very alluring about Lightning Ridge. There’s the potential to make a lot of money through opal mining but even for me, a photographer who experiences bouts of claustrophobia in small rooms, it offered some attraction. The area is quite heavily trafficked by grey nomads, who may just be passing through, but even then, it’s a bit out of the way. For me to get to Lightning Ridge, I had to drive 5 hours to Goondiwindi from Brisbane, and then a further 3-4 hours to Lightning Ridge. I took a shortcut offered to me by Google maps and ended up driving 2 hours, getting to a dirt road that would have been impassable even by some four-wheel drives and then driving back the 2 hours to Goondiwindi for some sleep. Having no reception on the drive and no physical map made it difficult to figure out the safest way there. I asked the owners of the caravan park I stayed at how I could get to Lightning Ridge and they told me that the safest and easiest way was to go through Moree which was south and then travel an hour west and then 2 hours north. It is extremely out of the way.
But I had my sights set on this weird remote town and kept on trucking. Driving into Lighting Ridge you are greeted by a massive, twisted metal emu created by the Ridge’s resident artist John Murray, which sets you up for the experience you’re about to have. John’s art is featured all over the town, his unique style is hard to miss and can be seen on walls of buildings, in the corner of shop windows and even on pamphlets and advertising material. The town is set up perfectly for tourists. Their town centre contains all the food and stores you need, the museums are scattered close by, and the caravan parks are all within walking distance. According to the opal sellers in town, Visiting the ridge is the best way to purchase your opals. The opals are plucked from their underground dwellings, cut, polished, and placed on the shelf. You’re essentially buying from the wholesaler and the prices reflect that. Apart from opals the town boasts a beautiful artesian bore spring, that is naturally kept at a temperature between 40 and 50 degrees. I went there but the springs were heavily populated by sparsely clothed retirees… So I went elsewhere.
Nettleton's First Shaft Lookout is a great spot to watch the sunset. The highest point in this mostly flat area.
Caravan found at Nettleton's First Shaft Lookout
Seeing all these refined opals was cool, but I wanted to see how they were mined and how they were found. Well fortunately Opal Mine Adventure provides that experience. I descended into the mines down a dusty set of carved, sandstone stairs ducking under wooden beams in place to stop the sandstone roof from caving in. I was surprised to see how well-lit the mine was, and that it had power and televisions. If that was what opal mining was actually like I would be into it. Unfortunately, it is not, and I learned from the movie playing in the underground theatre how it is. If you want an idea of opal mining and are taller than 6 foot check out the tv show Outback Opal Hunters, They do a good job of showing opal mining on a large scale quarrying with big diggers and such, as well as the more traditional hole digging. As you are walking around the mine there is information on opals and the history and there’s signage explaining certain parts of the mine. It was terrifying thinking about having to slide on your belly with a pickaxe and candle to find a hint of opal and potentially having the whole thing cave in on you, I was thinking about how the cave could cave in at any point. It probably wouldn’t since it has been in use for a long time, but still, my brain kept going back to that thought.
Lightning Ridge’s Post Office
It was cool to see what was at the bottom of all the massive holes. As you get a little further out of the main town to places like 3-mile and 6-mile you start to notice holes covered by sheets of corrugated steel and surrounded by barbed wire. You need to have your wits about you because if you decided to run off into the night on a drunk run, you’re likely to plummet at least 30 metres and end up at the bottom of an abandoned mine shaft. Seeing all these holes, I was curious how people know where to dig. I spoke to a miner who had been there for a long time.
Crocodile Caravan Park, one of Lightning Ridge’s few parks and it is right on the main strip
He was hesitant to tell me how it works at first but after I showed him my soft, delicate hands he imparted his wisdom upon me. Years ago, when the area was covered by an inland sea, water was able to seep through cracks in the Earth and rock, nestling in between sheets of sandstone and clay. These deposits over millions of years hardened into opal. Now it isn’t a guarantee, but a method that is widely used to find where these deposits are is by surveying the land with the eye and looking for lines of tees. Because most of the ground is quite solid and infertile, a line of trees indicates there is a crack in the earths surface where the tree’s roots are getting moisture from. That crack or network of cracks is more likely to carry the highly sought-after opal.
So that kind of sounds like a science, but it’s not. Finding opal is a massive gamble, and even if you follow all the ‘surefire ways’ to find opal you may still come back empty-handed. I watched an interview with a man who had been mining for 30 years and had only been able to find enough opal to pay for food and mineral lease extensions. Then others have sunk a hole, found a massive chunk and bounced. The town attracts a few sorts of people; those who love to gamble and are likely to gamble away any profits at the local pokies; those who are trying to get away from something; and those who have the funds to support a large-scale operation and are willing and able to take a loss. All these factors create a unique town vibe. There is a feeling that I got from walking around the town, but I am not sure how to describe it. Perhaps a sense of wonderment seeing as how the town and its location are so different to what I am used to. Or maybe it’s the black opal communicating to me from underground, tempting me with its siren song only I am not brave/crazy enough to take the leap down a hole.
