The good news was that the main road from Goondiwindi through Dirranbandi to lightning Ridge was clear of water though somewhat potholed.
A hill was a rare sight until approaching Lightning Ridge (hence the name I guess). We saw plenty of cotton fields in bloom, long and lush grazing lands, swollen rivers and creeks and birds everywhere - even terns. In parts it felt as if we were driving through Kakadu wetlands.
Wildlife was abundant too with 2 goannas, several good foxes (roadkill) and 8 emus.
We arrived at our caravan, the Opal, in Lightning Ridge yesterday. It is definitely the best one in town and is only a couple of years old. We were lucky enough to be upgraded to an ensuite site for free.
Today was spent touring around town. There certainly are characters in this part of the world and the tour guides and drivers know how to spin a good yarn. The beauty of taking a tour was that we got into places you couldn't see if you weren't on tour such as an old opal miner's tin shanty and the astronomers monument (a cement and steel folly built by a polish immigrant with too much time on his hands). We heard funny and sad stories about the people working the opal claims.
The final stop for the day was the Chamber of the Black Hand where a very talented amateur sculptor has carved out images in the sandstone layer above the actual opal mine.
We plan to do some exploting on our own tomorrow as well as visit a few shops. Those that know Chris will be pleased to hear that she resisted the temptation to buy - most likely because designs weren't to her taste. Those that know Barbara won't be surprised to know she looked but didn't buy.
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