We had an early start and headed for home via Glen Innes, Tenterfield, Woodenbong and Beaudesert. A more beautiful drive you could not imagine, especially the road east from Tenterfield along the Bruxner Highway. The scenery was spectacular and it is in our own back yard.....how come no one ever tells you this stuff.
The eucalypt forests between Woodenbong and the Queensland Border are unbelievable. So tall, so straight, so dense. Equally surprising are the huge tree plantations that have been planted on the old dairy country.
Mt Lindsay, so ruggered and majestic; like a sentry guarding the border crossing.
Twenty days on the road. I guess it had to end some time. But we could get used to this freedom very easily. We quickly settled into a comfortable routine which let us deal with the chores (like packing and unpacking) with a military like organisation. Teamwork and organisation is the secret to a happy traveling party.
We traveled 4805km in 20 days (about 240km per day) this is a good pace for sustained traveling. Our car used 448.71L of petrol at an average of 9.35L/100km. Very economical even considering the engine problem we had to endure. The average price we paid for petrol was just $1.28. I had thought it would have been much higher than that considering the remoteness of our destinations.
We learnt a few skills along the way and developed some ideas and strategies to use in future on our travels.
The Art was amazing and so much more than we had expected to find. Whoever thinks that because a city has the most population you will find the best Art to view or buy is very wrong. The outback produces some incredible talent. It is a real surprise to walk into a gallery in the middle of no where and see some of the best work you have ever seen. These Artist's have to go to the city to show their work but their inspiration comes undoubtedly from the colours and atmosphere of the Australian outback.
See you on the road sometime.....
Glen Innes
As I said Inverell is the middle of a drought so we can't begrudge the rain that fell today. Instead of fossicking we took a drive to Glen Innes which is about 70km away. What an absolute treasure. The whole town is even more Old World then its big sister Inverell. The photos say it all....
The Post Office....
Pubs and former pubs on almost every corner. I don't know who was doing the drinking at the pubs because the Methodists and Presbyterians were teetotalers....
The Town Hall...
Blocks of shops from the turn of the 20th century. This one built by a Chinese Merchant...
The old Shire Council Chambers....
The Catholics in Glen Innes have a bigger presence than in Inverell, as marked by this large dark brick church with it's copper clad steeple.
As was generally the way in large country towns, the Catholic church was part of a larger complex that included the Parish school and the Convent. In Glen Innis the St Joseph Convent is closed and according to the sign outside, for lease. Oh yeah we could live here....
Not to be out done even the State Girl's School has very grand architecture....
After all that, the Court House seems a little austere.....but it made a good photo...
After our exciting stroll around the centre of town we took a random drive around the rest of Glen Innes. On top of a hill overlooking the town we came across the Australian Standing Stones. These stones, huge blocks of granite are arranged according to the Celtic tradition, not unlike Stonehenge. The Standing Stones cover an area of about 2 hectares. The project was designed to honour the Australian Scottish Heritage. Each year on the weekend after Anzac day there is a great Scottish festival held at the Standing Stones. Another reason to come back to Glen Innes and Inverell.
Very Stonehenge in appearance and atmosphere...
The things we have discovered on this trip have been incredible. We had no idea. So much to see, so little time!
The Post Office....
Pubs and former pubs on almost every corner. I don't know who was doing the drinking at the pubs because the Methodists and Presbyterians were teetotalers....
The Town Hall...
Blocks of shops from the turn of the 20th century. This one built by a Chinese Merchant...
The old Shire Council Chambers....
The Catholics in Glen Innes have a bigger presence than in Inverell, as marked by this large dark brick church with it's copper clad steeple.
As was generally the way in large country towns, the Catholic church was part of a larger complex that included the Parish school and the Convent. In Glen Innis the St Joseph Convent is closed and according to the sign outside, for lease. Oh yeah we could live here....
Not to be out done even the State Girl's School has very grand architecture....
After all that, the Court House seems a little austere.....but it made a good photo...
After our exciting stroll around the centre of town we took a random drive around the rest of Glen Innes. On top of a hill overlooking the town we came across the Australian Standing Stones. These stones, huge blocks of granite are arranged according to the Celtic tradition, not unlike Stonehenge. The Standing Stones cover an area of about 2 hectares. The project was designed to honour the Australian Scottish Heritage. Each year on the weekend after Anzac day there is a great Scottish festival held at the Standing Stones. Another reason to come back to Glen Innes and Inverell.
Very Stonehenge in appearance and atmosphere...
The things we have discovered on this trip have been incredible. We had no idea. So much to see, so little time!
Inverell
The trip from Lightning Ridge was long but uneventful. We were at our wits end with the car in Broken Hill Pearce suggested we do a carby clean. Three quarters of a $7.50 can of carby clean into the throttle body and the car is running like a dream. It isn't until we get into Inverell that it begins to play up again.
There were heaps of big old man Emus along the road sides coming across the Moree Plains...
An this stunning tromp le'oil on the front of a CWA hall. The hall was literally in the middle of nowhere...
Lightning Ridge and Inverell are like chalk and cheese. Inverell is so classically conservative protestant and pastoral. The churches reflect the strong Protestant foundation of the town, this is the Uniting Church.
Jenelle thinks this church, the Presbyterian, should be on top a wedding cake it is so cute...
Inverell is in the foot hills of the New England Tableland with it old world charm especially in the parks and gardens. The autumn colours were just about finished...
The locals say the autumn colours are best in late April and early May. We still found some magic vista though..
The Inverell Court House dates from 1886...
The Town Hall is from a similar era...
The main street is very very cute...
The next morning after a bit of rain the day before we woke to a heavy fog. Down on Lake Inverell the fog made a very ethereal photo opportunity...
Inverell supposedly produces 80% of the world's Sapphires. We set out to find our share..
Inverell was founded predominately by Scottish settlers and this heritages is reflected in many monuments including this Cairn made of stone.
One of the advantages of wandering in the bush early in the morning is that you come across some wonderful wildlife...
We were in Inverell for 3 nights. On our second day it bucketed down rain. We couldn't complain because it was the first really rainy day we had had on our trip and Inverell was in the middle of long drought. Our plans for fossicking thwarted by the rain we took a drive to Glen Innes instead and discovered a gem of another kind.
There were heaps of big old man Emus along the road sides coming across the Moree Plains...
,An this stunning tromp le'oil on the front of a CWA hall. The hall was literally in the middle of nowhere...
Lightning Ridge and Inverell are like chalk and cheese. Inverell is so classically conservative protestant and pastoral. The churches reflect the strong Protestant foundation of the town, this is the Uniting Church.
Jenelle thinks this church, the Presbyterian, should be on top a wedding cake it is so cute...
Inverell is in the foot hills of the New England Tableland with it old world charm especially in the parks and gardens. The autumn colours were just about finished...
The locals say the autumn colours are best in late April and early May. We still found some magic vista though..
The Inverell Court House dates from 1886...
The Town Hall is from a similar era...
The main street is very very cute...
The next morning after a bit of rain the day before we woke to a heavy fog. Down on Lake Inverell the fog made a very ethereal photo opportunity...
Inverell supposedly produces 80% of the world's Sapphires. We set out to find our share..
Inverell was founded predominately by Scottish settlers and this heritages is reflected in many monuments including this Cairn made of stone.
One of the advantages of wandering in the bush early in the morning is that you come across some wonderful wildlife...
We were in Inverell for 3 nights. On our second day it bucketed down rain. We couldn't complain because it was the first really rainy day we had had on our trip and Inverell was in the middle of long drought. Our plans for fossicking thwarted by the rain we took a drive to Glen Innes instead and discovered a gem of another kind.
Lightning Ridge
When we meet people along the road, they would ask, "Where are you going?". "To Lightning Ridge", we answered. "Why?" was always their next question. Why indeed! After 4 days in Lightning Ridge we can assure you that we know of no other place in Australia quite like this and probably nowhere else in the world.
Our accommodation in Lightning Ridge is a cute little 2 bedroom cottage called "Harlequin". You know you've been on the road awhile when your wife's first response when we step through the front is "Wow it's got a full fridge" (admiring pause) "and an oven". As we explored we found a separate lounge and two large bedrooms. Further excitement for the domestic goddess when she discovered the full size laundry. Needless to say this place is bliss after some of the cramped cabins we have been in. The last place in Bourke didn't even have running hot water in the kitchen plus the ensuite was outside.
We were so excited at our recent good fortune on the accommodation front we headed into town to buy the makings of a slap up mid afternoon lunch. By the way the cost of food, grog and fuel in Lightning Ridge is the same as you would pay in Brisbane. Go figure.
With the vegetables left from our lucky door prize in Broken Hill, two big T-bone steaks, a loaf of fresh baked bread and a bottle of red wine, we dined exquisitely. Oh the joy of the smell of sizzling BBQing steaks(the cottage has a outdoor gas BBQ; it just keeps getting better).
The next morning we headed out to the opal fields.
The standard mining claim on the Ridge is 50m by 50m. Most miners (the majority of the population) live in camps on their claims. In the opal field camps there is no electricity, no town water, no underground sewage, no formed roads, no street signs and almost no name signs or absolutely no letterboxes. It would be impossible for an outsider to find anybody if they did not want to be found. There appears to be a lot of people around Lightning Ridge who do not want to be found.
This a few examples of the camps....
a nice touch of stone masonary....
something cobbled together from what was around .....
While most of the opal fields are hand mining, there are a few open cut mines. This one is on the Lunatic Hill field.....
This "church" was built for some weird art house film called "Goddess of 1967"....
This is the first shaft dug by Charles Nettleton in 1902. While he did not find opal in this mine it encouraged his belief in the presence of black opal at Lightning Ridge. He was proved right and he sold his first parcel of black opal in 1903. Nettleton is considered to be the founder of the Black Opal industry.
The countryside is littered with thousands of abandon shafts. All shafts are supposed to be filled in as part of the conditions attached to the mining lease. Very few ever are and the mines department has no chance of finding the offenders. It is like a land mine field. The recent fields are bare and the shafts are still visible if you take care and look. The old fields are overgrown with grass and trees; anyone wandering though there is sure to disappear down a very very deep hole (most shafts are 50 to 60 feet straight down). This shaft entrance is fairly well protected....
this one a little less so....
and this one the miner has just use a car door and seat to cover the entrance to his mine.......
Claim jumping (rattling) has been and continues to be a big big problem on the opal fields. The rats (those who rattle) sneak into the mines overnight and do a little mining for themselves. Everywhere you see signs warning against entry to a mine site and the fate that is likely to befall any trespasser. The first thing to say is that any "Rat" game enough to down into an unknown mine, after dark, unaware of the traps and pitfalls that may have been prepared by the miner for protection of his bouty, is either very very brave or very very foolhardy. There was an article in the local paper while we were here, warning that rattlers were active and asking anyone who has seen a suspicious white commodore around the fields over the last few weeks to let police know. The article went on to say that if the informant didn't want to talk to police directly (no prizes for guessing why some people would not wish to talk to the police) then they could give the information to the miners associations anonymously.
One of the revelations of our time in Lightning Ridge was a tour through an old mine. After you hear and see what the miners have to do, how hard they have to work, the risks they take and the uncertainty of a successful outcome, you would not begrudge them a single cent of what they can get for their opal. (Jenelle looks quite fetching in a hard hat, don't you think?)
This old worked out mine has been converted into a tourist attaction supposedly fitted up for safety (note the electricty supply on the top left of this picture). Having said that, you can see the stratification in the rock; the opal lies in the top of the light band of rock, level with Jenelle's hand. This generally is 50 to 75 feet below the surface.
Oh yeah this looks safe; not. Last recorded fatal cave in was eight years ago. "Most of the time when a cave in happens, we go in and dig the miner out, no major problems" the old still active miner/tour guide tell us. "Most miners die from falling down the shaft while they are drunk" he adds. We are only 65 feet underground, nothing to worry about; "I am claustrophobic" John thinks to himself, "what the hell am I doing down here?"
What we are about to see dispels the claustrophobia!!
The upper level of this old mine has been turned into a carving gallery by a local sculptor. While he is no Michelangelo his work is ,very impressive here are some examples of his work....
the Pharaoh's tomb
the Last Supper (life size)
the Archangel Gabriel
Buddha ( note the abs, Buddha has been working out)
his Terracotta Warriors....
All carved from the sandstone walls of the mine working obviously only from the front. There were hundreds of carvings, sculptures and painted bas-relief murals. We were totally blown away.
On our drives we came across the local cemetery. We like to stop and check out cemeteries; there is a lot you can learn about a place and it people from a stroll in the cemetery. We got out of the car, walked to the fence and in the first row of recently interred was a graved marked with a simple white wooden cross with the inscription "RIP Unknown". There were dozens of unknowns. Were their identities unknown when they died or have the names of the occupants of the graves been lost? Out here it may well be the first.
One of the things you notice about Lightning Ridge is that people are not very welcoming, they seem suspicious of strangers. There is no eye contact and there is no "G'day mate" for the stranger. Maybe the tourist is considered a nuisance or maybe the locals have something to hide or protect. From conversations over heard in shops everything is kept very close to the chest and things are spoken about in generalities only.
Most people in Lightning Ridge live in camps that are pretty close to third world slum type buildings. Corrugated iron instead of cardboard. However some are very very eccentric about what they build. There is no explanation for why!
This is Amigo's Castle, Amigo has been building it since 1981. It is still nowhere near finished.
The Astronomers' Monument; another private project complete with inscription in memory of famous astronomers. The sign at the front gate says "Universe Observatory"
Sometimes you just can't seem to drink enough cans of beer or bottles of plonk to finish the walls of your dream home; close but no cigar...
Lightning Ridge has a unique way of guiding tourist around a self drive tour; there are 4 self drive tours in all. They are called the "Car Door Tours" , because the tour markers are car doors. Each tour colour coded; red, blue, green and yellow. In case you don't believe us here is an example from the "Red Car Tour". Most of the people out here are very eccentric.
Some members of the family were keen to fossick for opal, the other member was not so keen. "There is no opal in those piles, it's just to suck the tourists into staying a little longer and spending a little more money" he said grumpily, like there was anything else he could be doing. Well Jenelle fossicked for a few minutes and found her opal and he ended up with egg on his face.
One of the places we were told not to miss in the Ridge was a place called the Black Queen. It is part storytelling, part home visit and part light (lamp lights) show. It is run by a eccentric, entrepreneurial, middle aged couple of refugees from Sydney. She, former Yank, is the star. He, former Qantas exec, is the roadie. The house (three cottages) were built by hand, by a lady from bottles. She started in her sixities, sold out to these people at the age of 85 and is still going in her early 90s in retirement. She was still building to the day she moved out. The story is very new agey, mystic, motivational, psychological, self promotional based around the house, its builder and a lamp collection of world renown. Needless to say John was a bit less than impressed with the experience. Jenelle said "my negative aura was quite obvious" during the show. She fully expected me to "spit the dummy" at any moment and especially when she asked me to take some photos of the lamps being presented.
The lamps were very impressive (although John is still not convinced about some of the wild claims made by the owner as to their origin or value).
Part of the room full of lamps....
A rare Versace model.....
a storytelling french lamp from around 1850....
As an example of the craftswomanship of the lady who built the house, below is a photo of a memorial she built for her pet dog. The Memorial stands about 9 feet high and is a hollow cylinder about 3 feet in diameter, made of bottles mortared with cement. I think the shape suggests a beer glass; "cheers old fella".
Lightning Ridge is littered with old machinery; cars, trucks, earthmoving equipment, compressors, cranes, drilling rigs, winches, you name it. The place is just one giant junk yard. We took some photos of old rusting cars as source material for paintings, but this will give you some idea that Lightning Ridge is "where old machinery goes to die" just like that valley in Africa where the elephants go to die.
and
and over here...
Well that's Lightning Ridge. Interesting eh! My father 'Hec' would have loved this place, he would have been completely in his element, old clapped out gear to pretend it is great, great day dreams and expectations, much drinking, much story telling (tall tales and lies), a man's world full of nutters and eccentrics. Only problem he would have had was that he was totally, utterly, claustrophobic (he couldn't even go in a lift), so no mining for him.
If you want to write a book, come to the Ridge. There is a best seller in every camp; truth is stranger than fiction. Only problem is they won't talk to you, because you might be working for the police, rattlers or the "Mrs" they ran away from.
We had just the best time in Lightning Ridge and we are just a little sad to leave.
See you in Inverell in a few days.
Our accommodation in Lightning Ridge is a cute little 2 bedroom cottage called "Harlequin". You know you've been on the road awhile when your wife's first response when we step through the front is "Wow it's got a full fridge" (admiring pause) "and an oven". As we explored we found a separate lounge and two large bedrooms. Further excitement for the domestic goddess when she discovered the full size laundry. Needless to say this place is bliss after some of the cramped cabins we have been in. The last place in Bourke didn't even have running hot water in the kitchen plus the ensuite was outside.
We were so excited at our recent good fortune on the accommodation front we headed into town to buy the makings of a slap up mid afternoon lunch. By the way the cost of food, grog and fuel in Lightning Ridge is the same as you would pay in Brisbane. Go figure.
With the vegetables left from our lucky door prize in Broken Hill, two big T-bone steaks, a loaf of fresh baked bread and a bottle of red wine, we dined exquisitely. Oh the joy of the smell of sizzling BBQing steaks(the cottage has a outdoor gas BBQ; it just keeps getting better).
The next morning we headed out to the opal fields.
The standard mining claim on the Ridge is 50m by 50m. Most miners (the majority of the population) live in camps on their claims. In the opal field camps there is no electricity, no town water, no underground sewage, no formed roads, no street signs and almost no name signs or absolutely no letterboxes. It would be impossible for an outsider to find anybody if they did not want to be found. There appears to be a lot of people around Lightning Ridge who do not want to be found.
This a few examples of the camps....
a nice touch of stone masonary....
something cobbled together from what was around .....
While most of the opal fields are hand mining, there are a few open cut mines. This one is on the Lunatic Hill field.....
This "church" was built for some weird art house film called "Goddess of 1967"....
This is the first shaft dug by Charles Nettleton in 1902. While he did not find opal in this mine it encouraged his belief in the presence of black opal at Lightning Ridge. He was proved right and he sold his first parcel of black opal in 1903. Nettleton is considered to be the founder of the Black Opal industry.
The countryside is littered with thousands of abandon shafts. All shafts are supposed to be filled in as part of the conditions attached to the mining lease. Very few ever are and the mines department has no chance of finding the offenders. It is like a land mine field. The recent fields are bare and the shafts are still visible if you take care and look. The old fields are overgrown with grass and trees; anyone wandering though there is sure to disappear down a very very deep hole (most shafts are 50 to 60 feet straight down). This shaft entrance is fairly well protected....
this one a little less so....
and this one the miner has just use a car door and seat to cover the entrance to his mine.......
Claim jumping (rattling) has been and continues to be a big big problem on the opal fields. The rats (those who rattle) sneak into the mines overnight and do a little mining for themselves. Everywhere you see signs warning against entry to a mine site and the fate that is likely to befall any trespasser. The first thing to say is that any "Rat" game enough to down into an unknown mine, after dark, unaware of the traps and pitfalls that may have been prepared by the miner for protection of his bouty, is either very very brave or very very foolhardy. There was an article in the local paper while we were here, warning that rattlers were active and asking anyone who has seen a suspicious white commodore around the fields over the last few weeks to let police know. The article went on to say that if the informant didn't want to talk to police directly (no prizes for guessing why some people would not wish to talk to the police) then they could give the information to the miners associations anonymously.
One of the revelations of our time in Lightning Ridge was a tour through an old mine. After you hear and see what the miners have to do, how hard they have to work, the risks they take and the uncertainty of a successful outcome, you would not begrudge them a single cent of what they can get for their opal. (Jenelle looks quite fetching in a hard hat, don't you think?)
This old worked out mine has been converted into a tourist attaction supposedly fitted up for safety (note the electricty supply on the top left of this picture). Having said that, you can see the stratification in the rock; the opal lies in the top of the light band of rock, level with Jenelle's hand. This generally is 50 to 75 feet below the surface.
Oh yeah this looks safe; not. Last recorded fatal cave in was eight years ago. "Most of the time when a cave in happens, we go in and dig the miner out, no major problems" the old still active miner/tour guide tell us. "Most miners die from falling down the shaft while they are drunk" he adds. We are only 65 feet underground, nothing to worry about; "I am claustrophobic" John thinks to himself, "what the hell am I doing down here?"
What we are about to see dispels the claustrophobia!!
The upper level of this old mine has been turned into a carving gallery by a local sculptor. While he is no Michelangelo his work is ,very impressive here are some examples of his work....
the Pharaoh's tomb
the Last Supper (life size)
the Archangel Gabriel
Buddha ( note the abs, Buddha has been working out)
his Terracotta Warriors....
On our drives we came across the local cemetery. We like to stop and check out cemeteries; there is a lot you can learn about a place and it people from a stroll in the cemetery. We got out of the car, walked to the fence and in the first row of recently interred was a graved marked with a simple white wooden cross with the inscription "RIP Unknown". There were dozens of unknowns. Were their identities unknown when they died or have the names of the occupants of the graves been lost? Out here it may well be the first.
Most people in Lightning Ridge live in camps that are pretty close to third world slum type buildings. Corrugated iron instead of cardboard. However some are very very eccentric about what they build. There is no explanation for why!
This is Amigo's Castle, Amigo has been building it since 1981. It is still nowhere near finished.
The Astronomers' Monument; another private project complete with inscription in memory of famous astronomers. The sign at the front gate says "Universe Observatory"
Sometimes you just can't seem to drink enough cans of beer or bottles of plonk to finish the walls of your dream home; close but no cigar...
Lightning Ridge has a unique way of guiding tourist around a self drive tour; there are 4 self drive tours in all. They are called the "Car Door Tours" , because the tour markers are car doors. Each tour colour coded; red, blue, green and yellow. In case you don't believe us here is an example from the "Red Car Tour". Most of the people out here are very eccentric.
Some members of the family were keen to fossick for opal, the other member was not so keen. "There is no opal in those piles, it's just to suck the tourists into staying a little longer and spending a little more money" he said grumpily, like there was anything else he could be doing. Well Jenelle fossicked for a few minutes and found her opal and he ended up with egg on his face.
One of the places we were told not to miss in the Ridge was a place called the Black Queen. It is part storytelling, part home visit and part light (lamp lights) show. It is run by a eccentric, entrepreneurial, middle aged couple of refugees from Sydney. She, former Yank, is the star. He, former Qantas exec, is the roadie. The house (three cottages) were built by hand, by a lady from bottles. She started in her sixities, sold out to these people at the age of 85 and is still going in her early 90s in retirement. She was still building to the day she moved out. The story is very new agey, mystic, motivational, psychological, self promotional based around the house, its builder and a lamp collection of world renown. Needless to say John was a bit less than impressed with the experience. Jenelle said "my negative aura was quite obvious" during the show. She fully expected me to "spit the dummy" at any moment and especially when she asked me to take some photos of the lamps being presented.
The lamps were very impressive (although John is still not convinced about some of the wild claims made by the owner as to their origin or value).
Part of the room full of lamps....
A rare Versace model.....
a storytelling french lamp from around 1850....
As an example of the craftswomanship of the lady who built the house, below is a photo of a memorial she built for her pet dog. The Memorial stands about 9 feet high and is a hollow cylinder about 3 feet in diameter, made of bottles mortared with cement. I think the shape suggests a beer glass; "cheers old fella".
Lightning Ridge is littered with old machinery; cars, trucks, earthmoving equipment, compressors, cranes, drilling rigs, winches, you name it. The place is just one giant junk yard. We took some photos of old rusting cars as source material for paintings, but this will give you some idea that Lightning Ridge is "where old machinery goes to die" just like that valley in Africa where the elephants go to die.
and
and over here...
Well that's Lightning Ridge. Interesting eh! My father 'Hec' would have loved this place, he would have been completely in his element, old clapped out gear to pretend it is great, great day dreams and expectations, much drinking, much story telling (tall tales and lies), a man's world full of nutters and eccentrics. Only problem he would have had was that he was totally, utterly, claustrophobic (he couldn't even go in a lift), so no mining for him.
If you want to write a book, come to the Ridge. There is a best seller in every camp; truth is stranger than fiction. Only problem is they won't talk to you, because you might be working for the police, rattlers or the "Mrs" they ran away from.
We had just the best time in Lightning Ridge and we are just a little sad to leave.
See you in Inverell in a few days.
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