Lightning Ridge is a remote, quirky town packed with interesting characters all with a story to tell.  Over 85% of residents are born overseas and have come to try their luck with the opals. A bit like gambling most find nothing of note, some find dribs and drabs of ‘colour’ and a (very) few strike it rich – and those that do make millions.  LR is the only place in the world where black opals have been found and 1 Karat yields $10k, so opal fever is a real thing.

There was loads to see in our 1 full day here . We planned our mission carefully and tried to leave no stone unturned. This was made easier by the Shire’s self guided  ‘car door routes’- four  routes covering all the local attractions – art, mining, history and sunset, signified by spray painted car doors. Some took more finding than others but we managed it – photo evidence below.

Flat and dusty, the outskirts of town (or suburbs as they call them) are full of 50x50m ‘claims’ – no permanent dwellings are allowed on claims so those trying for opals generally live in makeshift dwellings over where they sink their shafts.

Well, day 3 slipped by in an entirely  un-blogworthy way – with me spending the day in Dubbo library attending to some very historical (aka 37 years ago) work – a definitely a story for another day- however in Day 4 we’ve finally made our way to the gateway to the outback- so may the adventure begin!

Managed to roll out of Dubbo fed, watered and packed up at 8.30am, half an hour later than we had hoped but  half an hour earlier than we expected.

Then the search for coffee…  not that easy to come by in this neck of the woods. The information centre at Gilgandra offered up a great cup and we shared a table with an amazing couple Gen 3 of 5 generations of grain growers on 14000 acres in West Wyalong  (their kids and grandkids now run the farm).  Very interesting to hear the ins and outs of the industry and how it’s changed over the years. Coffee soon turned into an hour long convo before we continued our journey north. 

Our other stop was Walgett – a small historic town about an hour out of Lightning Ridge.  Many businesses were closed (not sure if that was just today or permanent, but grey nomads are clearly an important part of the economy.  Big farm equipment and quirky street art also featured.

Arrived in Lightning Ridge round 3.30 to a balmy 24 degrees- at last we’re in the land of T shirts.

We are staying in the local Big 4. Absolutely chockers (I guess because there aren’t any free camps within cooee) but pretty calm and with a bit of a vibe.  Ground here is solid clay, totally impervious to tent pegs – even drill in ones- so have ditched the awning.

Have just been listening to two self professed ‘old Sheilas’ reciting bush poetry – a mix of old faves and hilarious poems they have written themselves ( their act is called ‘The pen is mightier than the vacuum cleaner’. – they perform here at 4.30 every night during winter and then do a ‘summer circuit’ down south. We will definitely go again tomorrow night.

Had a fabulous nights sleep despite the sub-zero temperatures.  Thermals, doona,  wool  blanket and woolly  hats pulled down over our noses kept us cosy. 

We had a leisurely start, eating breaky in the sun waiting for the ice to melt on the tent.  First pack up for a while so took us nearly an hour to get on the road- we will need to lift our game in that department.

Travelled to Dubbo via Forbes and Parkes.  Being a Sunday almost everything was closed but we did manage to find excellent coffee in Forbes and to enjoy a walk through the really pretty town  full of Gillie & Marc sculptures and heritage buildings.

Next stop Parkes and of course the mandatory visit to ‘The Dish’ which was actually quite mesmerising. Buzzing with electricity so we may well glow in the dark tonight.

Elvias also features prominently in Parkes but sadly we are here at the wrong time for the annual Elvis impersonator festival.- but maybe next year?

Arrived in Dubbo late afternoon (have booked 2 nights in the caravan park here).  Arrived right on wine o’clock so we were watched by many as we set up camp.  It’s a fairly quiet park but a bit noisier than last night.

Cool weather is setting in but the upside of being in a caravan park is we we have power so we may just ‘cheat’ with our little fan heater.

Day zero: We got up bright  and early (yes really) and armed with pre-trip enthusiasm and a detailed packing/chore list we got to it. Then the knock at the door…….letting us know the gas pipes were being replaced in our street , the road would be closed and they needed to dig a pit on our nature strip. Fortunately the let us put our car on the street for packing, but the flip side of that was being dodged by a steady steam of bob cats and dump trucks. And we learned there’s nothing quite like the performance anxiety that goes with being watched by about 20 workers while you try to work out how the heck to strap a tyres and gerrys to you roof for the first time (and the second and third time by the time we got it right).

We fell into bed exhausted but with firm resolve to be on the road by 7am. and we were- at least by 8.06, so within coo -ee of our KPI.

A long leg today so we can do some exploring tomorrow. Breaky in Seymour (if you call scones with lashings of cream breaky) then with a sense of deja vu we pulled in to Strathmerton to consume our last pieces of fruit before the border. Then on to Jerrilderee, Narrandera (with note to self to visit there for longer some time), arriving in West Wyalong at about 4.30.

We are staying at the Showgrounds. Very few people here and great facilities. A gorgeous sunset and clear skies which promise a cold night- we’ve been told it’s to expect  -1.  So currently hugging our soup bowls and wrapped in blankets. It will definitely be an early night for us.