Lightning Ridge is well worth a visit - even if you’re not interested in opals! We took a few simple self-drive guided tours ‘Car Door Explorer Tours' - so much to see. Here are some images from our explorations.
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| This the Green Tour - number 7 |
Old and not-so-old car doors are used as markers for self-drive tours. You need to understand that around opal mining fields cars, but mainly trucks, are stripped down for their driving parts to bring excavated soil to the surface plus a myriad of other uses. The doors? Who needs them! These tour markers are perfect - very creative. The dwellings are a whacky mix of tumbled down shacks to castle-like structures amd are made from an amazing array of materials from stones and rocks to bottles and cans. And there is a Corrugated Iron church! This was purpose built for the film 'Goddess of 1967'. I think that in spite of appearances, it is occupied.
A wonderful new structure is being built ot house the Australian Opal Centre. It is an ambition concept but timely particularly given that opals are the national gemstone. The stone is famous throughout the world for its brilliant colours. According to indigenous stories, a rainbow created the colours of the opal when it touched the earth. The new AOC which will be mainly underground or at least built into the earth, is scheduled to be completed in 2025.
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| The houses are made from whatever people can drag here! |
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| Bottles and cans and stones - they are all part of the ‘village’ |
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