Day 4 Lightening Ridge

Have you ever wondered why they call it "Lightening Ridge"?.   Today we found out why.

The lightening is attracted to the Ironstone Ridges, and today, it was attracted to the Main Street!

First we decided to visit the cemetery.  This proved rather interesting, as all you could see was white crosses.  These crosses were erected by the Members of the Bowls Club, if the deceased was a member and had no family, but there are hundreds of RIP Unknown!

My friend's surname is Roy and I thought that this might be a relative, but it is Troy

The sky was looking a bit gloomy, and Dennis passed on a game of golf at the Lightening Ridge Golf Course.

But the whole place is rather "quirky".  This artist paints on galvanised iron.

The tourist bureau has this system of Car Door Drives, you pay $1 and get a map and route of Red, Blue, Yellow and Green car doors.  Yesterday we did Yellow, and gave Green a miss, today we followed for a while the Blue door which took us past  Bevan's Cactus gardens.  Been going since 1979.  The Euphorbia's reminded me of Dad's collection.

Then back to town and to John Murray's Art Studio.  Well done, and interesting, no photography allowed, but  his mindset suits this area and the people.

He painted a rather famous politician in his budgie smugglers, and the good sport that he was, even acknowledged his talent!  The organisers of the submissions for the Archibald Prize didn't even unwrap the painting!

My philosophy is to "ask a local".  The only way to learn about the area.  I couldn't understand the system of the mining leases.  Well they are on 99 year mining leases, held by the Government.  These residents get no services, no water, no electricity and no roads.  If they move on, someone will take over the lease.  There are no building codes, and no mining environmental rules, something that we were used to after working in a mining town.

In town there are sealed roads, and services, and some very unusual homes.  This one from 1916 is definitely a "doer-upper".  

Complete with dunney out the back

Off we strolled to check out what opals we could buy, and learnt once again a bit more information!

About 40 years ago a bright spark came to town and invented a cement mixer style tumbler which he used to tumble the tailings.  He made a fortune.  As we learnt most miners were a two person operation, one in the shaft or mine, on his stomach, digging dirt, and one on top, usually drunk, who operated the bucket hoist, pulling up the dirt.  He tipped it into a pile, and poked around for the right stone.  Very large quantities were missed.

Black opals are not black.  They might be blue or green!

Thunder clouds had rolled in, and the thunder was so loud.  Coffee in an outdoor cafe, and lightening down the Main Street.  Outside is quite dark and gloomy.

Home for an early mark, checking out the fixation that the TV channels have on Trump and Clinton.  What was happening was rather scary!

In between heavy showers we ventured out again.  This time to the fossil display and the Historical Society and the Old Photo Collection.

Can you see the opal stream in the rock?

Millions of years ago, dinosaurs roamed, Mary patted this one!

 Each mining lease is 50x 50 m and a maximum of 2 leases only issued, by the Mines Departmenst

For the wealthy, opal  filled false teeth!

For the cyclist who wants for nothing!

Next door, was the Historical Society, but it is closed between October and May.










Now how would you do the washing on the opal fields?  In a rubbish bin no less....as the description describes

Another Opal Shop and another opal, this one though is a little expensive.  The second on the right in the box was $125K

 Dodging heavy rain showers, we then visited Kangaroo Flats Museum.  $5 entry.

The elderly lady within had rooms of collectibles.  She mentioned that a lot of the stuff was from her great great grandfather who came from Wales in 1856 and was on the Bathurst goldfields.  Well that took my interest, as "so did mine, I said".  After the Bathurst fields, the miners traveled north and hers landed in Lightening Ridge.

Mine landed around these areas also.  She was in a town called Gravesend in 1871/2.

The junk was stored in an attic, and she was going to throw it out, before someone suggested a display!

So here is a little insight into how Margaret MacConnell lived in the 1870's.
     

This lace is tatting.  Amazing!

 

 

A step back in time, walk down memory lane!

Lightening Ridge - approaching storms, back to the US election, and the unbelievable result!

Tomorrow we are off to Dubbo....... getting further south.