The Quirkiest Town in Oz

 An eccentric and charming gem in the Outback

It seldom rains in Lightning Ridge, yet we arrived on that one day.  We made the most of the cool moment to head straight for the natural mineral-rich artisan bore pool, a balmy 40 degrees, with no entry fee.  We got chatting to a newcomer, just 4 weeks into his new life in Lighting Ridge.  Turns out, he was the local (only) GP, the first permanent doctor they’ve had since before Covid.  With his quaint English accent, he appeared somewhat shell-shocked, clearly still adjusting to the unique quirkiness of Lighting Ridge, and its eclectic inhabitants!  He seemed like a duck out of water (even though he was in the water 😉).  I mentioned that he reminded me of Doc Martin in an Australian setting, and he chuckled, and said I was dead right, that is exactly what he felt like, but this was no Cornwall.

The Artisan Bore Pool - always 40 degrees Celsius

The Car Doors Tours

Discovering the best activities in a new town is easy—just hit the tourist information centre. They're super friendly and offer excellent tips to enhance your trip. For a mere $1, we got self-guided tour maps marked by coloured car doors. You can start from one of 4 corners of the town and just follow these signs to uncover amazing sights in just 30 minutes.

Old car doors are used to signpost interesting locations around the town

The Yellow tour took us to Lunatic Hill, so named because "only a lunatic would attempt to mine opal in this location" Yet it turned out to be the most lucrative spot, with the miners now owning $20m mansions in Sydney – maybe not so crazy, after all.

The Green tour brought us to Lightning Ridge's highest point, offering a breathtaking view of Corcoran’s Opal Fields and a stunning sunset, with the moon rising behind us. 

View of the sunset above, and behind us, the moon shining on the car

On the Blue tour, we ventured into an open opal mine to fossick through the mullock heaps. I thought I'd struck it rich with my shiny finds, as did a lady nearby. When we proudly showed then to the landowner, my fellow fossicker had found a gem worth about $300.  Alas, whilst mine were technically opals, they were worthless ‘potch’.  Still pretty though, and I will treasure them.

Above, entrance to an open opal mine, and below, inside

My (worthless) opal treasure

The Red tour introduced us to "Amigo's Castle," the home of a once hopeful Italian immigrant who, instead of finding his fortune with opal, spent decades building a castle from local ironstone (without skills, help or machinery). Now 76, Amigo's unfinished castle is a heritage-listed site.

Above, Amigo's unfinished castle.  Below, the truck he used to collect his ironstone

So long Amigo

Curiosity piqued by Amigo's tale and his abrupt departure from his lifelong project, I asked the tour guide about Amigo's whereabouts (perhaps he was still in town, or in an old folk's home). When he replied “Dunno, I’m just a lowly-paid worker, I don't have that intel”, my HR lie-detector radar went into overdrive. Something here was really "suss". 

Back at camp, a quick Google search led me to the shocking truth.  Amigo had been sentenced to 18 years in prison for the cold-blooded murder of a local woman a few years back. He had apparently reached his breaking point after being tormented by local drug addicts for years. It's a truly sad story all round.  ABC news report here: Amigo Castle Murder

We loved our short visit to the quirky outback town of Lighting Ridge, and will definitely visit again.

If you’ve got this far, wishing everyone a safe, happy, chocolate-filled Easter.