Lightning Ridge

State :	Australia Australia
State :	New South Wales

Coordinates :	29 ° 25 ′ S , 147 ° 44 ′ E Coordinates: 29 ° 25 ′ S , 147 ° 44 ′ E-29.416666666667 147.73333333333 170
Height :	170 m

Residents :

1,437 (2016)

Time zone :	AEST (UTC + 10)
Postal code :	2438

LGA :

Walgett Shire Council

Lightning Ridge

Aerial view of the mine area

Post-mining landscape

Lightning Ridge is a city in northern New South Wales in Australia with 2602 inhabitants. It is located in the Walgett Shire about 75 kilometers north of Walgett and six kilometers east of the Castlereagh Highway . Sydney is about 770 kilometers away.

Economy and Transport

Mining

Besides Coober Pedy and White Cliffs , Lightning Ridge has the largest deposit of opals . This is where the rare black opals and the so-called crystal opals are found. A license is required to search for opals and there are numerous treasure hunters in the area. Finds on the earth's surface are rare because they have been searched, so the opal search takes place in underground mines. The place is not only a place of discovery of opals, but also numerous and important fossils such as steropodon and kollikodon , which exist in opalized form. The Sterophon considered as predecessor of the Platypus, the platypus . The finds are very early mammals.

There is the Australian Opal Center , a national museum that deals with historical opal construction and has the largest opal collection with 4000 opalized fossils and is open to the public.

Agriculture

The area around Lightning Ridge is used to farm, grow wheat, produce wool, and raise sheep and cattle.

tourism

There are numerous caravan parks, campsites, bars and restaurants. Lightning Ridge holds a goat race on Main Street annually and a rodeo on the Easter weekend. Horse races, pistol shooting competitions, bowling and golf competitions, and exhibitions of opals and gems also take place. There are swimming pools in the village that operate during the summer. Hot springs are taken in two thermal baths and the mineral-rich water is also suitable for cures. Public hot spring water to drink is available on Harlequin Street. There are numerous artisans in the village who grind and shape the opals. The place can be reached by plane.