After relaxing at the Pilliga Artesian Bore Baths, we hitched up the van and headed towards one of Australia’s most unique outback destinations – Lightning Ridge.
The drive is only 136 kilometres, but towing the caravan and stopping along the way turned it into about a three-hour trip. The roads were generally good, although once again our GPS tried convincing us to leave the highway and head off into the unknown. After a quick reality check, we turned around and stayed on the main road. We’re beginning to think our GPS enjoys creating adventures just as much as we do!
Along the drive we passed plenty of wildlife, including emus, wild goats and even a flock of sheep that brought traffic to a standstill. It’s exactly the sort of drive that reminds you why travelling through outback New South Wales is so special.
Burren Junction Bore Baths
Before reaching Lightning Ridge we made a quick stop at Burren Junction to check out its famous artesian bore baths. The recently upgraded baths are free to use and are a great place to stretch your legs after a few hours behind the wheel.
First Impressions
Lightning Ridge is unlike any other town we’ve visited.
Known as the Black Opal Capital of the World, it has a personality all of its own. Everywhere you look there’s something quirky. Old cars become artwork, rusty machinery becomes sculptures, murals brighten buildings and creativity seems to spill out onto every street.
It’s impossible not to smile as you drive around.
Follow the Car Door Tours
One of the first things we did was follow the famous Car Door Tours, and we’d highly recommend them to anyone visiting.
Instead of ordinary road signs, brightly painted car doors guide you around the opal fields, historic mining areas and hidden attractions. We found ourselves stopping every few minutes because there was always something interesting to photograph.
Underground at Chambers of the Black Hand
One attraction that completely blew us away was Chambers of the Black Hand.
Hidden around 12 metres underground inside an old opal mine are hundreds of incredible sandstone sculptures, all carved by hand into the walls of the mine. Every room revealed something different—angels, famous faces, superheroes, historical figures and fantasy characters—all carved from the sandstone itself.
The guided tour also takes you through a real opal mine where you learn how miners search for the world’s rare black opals. It was fascinating and easily one of the highlights of our visit.
Pubs With Personality
Lightning Ridge certainly knows how to build a pub.
We visited the famous Club in the Scrub, with its rustic outback charm, quirky decorations and relaxed atmosphere. Inside you’ll find everything from handcrafted timber pool tables to walls covered in decades of stories and memorabilia.
Not far away is the equally famous Glengarry Hilton, another legendary outback pub that’s well worth stopping at. These places aren’t just pubs—they’re attractions in themselves and capture the true spirit of Lightning Ridge.
Quirky Around Every Corner
One of the things we loved most was simply driving around exploring.
At the Sheepyard Inn, there’s the famous Bra Tree, covered in bras donated by visitors from all over Australia and beyond. As well as many old cars and trucks.
We found colourful murals, old mining camps, giant painted cement mixers, quirky roadside sculptures, Lightning McQueen sitting proudly beside the road, castles built from local stone, abandoned machinery turned into artwork and some of the most creative front yards you’ll ever see.
Every corner seemed to have another surprise waiting.
Opals Everywhere
Of course, no visit to Lightning Ridge would be complete without learning about opals.
We wandered through several opal shops, admired some stunning black opals and learnt about “potch”—common opal that often sits alongside precious gem-quality opal in the ground. Whether you’re looking to buy a special piece of jewellery or simply admire these beautiful gemstones, there are plenty of opportunities throughout town.
Stanley the Emu
Before leaving we made sure to stop for a photo with Stanley the Emu.
Standing around 18 metres tall, Stanley proudly welcomes visitors into Lightning Ridge and has become one of the town’s most photographed landmarks.
Our Favourite Bore Bath So Far
After a full day of exploring, there was only one place we wanted to end the day—the Lightning Ridge Artesian Bore Baths.
The naturally heated water sits between 40 and 43 degrees, making it the hottest bore bath we’ve visited so far. During our stay it even rained while we were soaking, and sitting in the steaming mineral water while cool rain fell around us made for one of our favourite moments of the trip.
If you’re wondering which bore bath has been our favourite so far…
Lightning Ridge takes the win.
Final Thoughts
We originally thought we’d spend a couple of days in Lightning Ridge, but there’s so much more here than we expected.
It’s not just an opal mining town. It’s a community full of characters, creativity, history and humour. Between the underground mines, quirky pubs, fascinating museums, colourful artwork, unusual attractions, relaxing bore baths and friendly locals, there’s enough here to keep you exploring for days.
If you’re planning an outback road trip through north-west New South Wales, don’t rush through Lightning Ridge.
Slow down, follow the car doors, chat to the locals, soak in the bore baths and embrace everything that makes this incredible little town so wonderfully different.
Sometimes the best places aren’t the ones with the biggest attractions—they’re the ones with the biggest personalities. Lightning Ridge definitely has plenty of both.
These photos are just happy snaps from our phones. For professional photo downloads or framed prints visit our home page