Any visit to Lightning Ridge should start with an orientation trip with Black Opal Tours (tel. 02/6829 0368; www.blackopaltours.com.au). The company offers 3-hour tours starting at 8:30am, 9:30am, and 1:30am (Mar-Oct only). Tours cost A$25 (US$23/£11) for adults and A$10 (US$9/£4.50) for kids.
Among the points of interest is the 15m-tall (49-ft.) Amigo's Castle, which dominates the worked-out opal fields surrounding the modern township of Lightning Ridge. Complete with turrets, battlements, dungeons, and a wishing well, the castle has been rising out of these arid lands for the past 18 years, with every rock scavenged from the surrounding area and lugged in a wheelbarrow or in a rucksack on Amigo's back. The wonderful Amigo hasn't taken out insurance on the property, so there are no official tours -- though if he feels like a bit of company, he'll show you around.
The Artesian Bore Baths, 2km (1 1/4 miles) from the post office on Pandora Street, are free, open 24 hours a day, and said to have therapeutic value. The water temperature hovers between 104°F and 122°F (40°C-50°C). A visit at night, when the stars are out, is amazing.
Bevan's Black Opal & Cactus Nursery (tel. 02/6829 0429) contains more than 2,000 species of cactus and succulent plants, including rare specimens. Betty Bevan cuts opals from the family's mine, and many are on display. Admission is A$5 (US$4.50/£2.25) to the cactus nursery, free to see the opals.
Lightning Ridge has plenty of opal shops, galleries, walk-in opal mines, and other unique things to see. You might want to take a look at Gemopal Pottery (tel. 02/6829 0375), on the road to the Bore Baths. The resident potter makes some nice pots out of clay mine tailings and lives in one of his five old Sydney railway carriages.
Another unusual one is the Black Queen (tel. 02/6829 0980; www.blackqueen.com.au), Australia's foremost antique lamp museum. There are some 200 magnificent lamps here, and it hosts an interactive light show daily at 9amand 1 and 3pm. Admission is A$7 (US$6.40/£3.20). Family tickets and tours are available.
The Bottle House, 60 Opal St. (tel. 02/6829 0618), is worth seeing too. Originally a miner's camp, the Bottle House now houses an astonishing collection of artifacts and other items of curious interest. It's open from 9am to 5pm daily, and entry costs A$5 (US$4.50/£2.25) for adults (free for kids).
