16 June 2021 - Lightning Ridge

 

Day 7. 16 June 2021

Lightning Ridge


The weather today was the warmest yet since leaving home, reaching a lovely 24 degrees with a few scattered showers and a late storm. Today we ventured about 70km west of Lightning Ridge to the Grawin, Glengarry and Sheepyard Opal Fields. First stop along the way was the 18m tall Stanley the Emu about 10kms towards Walgett on the Castlereagh Highway. Constructed of more than a tonne of scrap metal including 3 VW bodies and rusting satellite dishes it is an amazing sculpture created by artist John Murray. From here, we continued 36km to Cumborah, then along the Walgett to Goodooga Road past vast floodplains, an occasional farm station, many dead trees and a mob of emus grazing close to the roadside. Turning onto the Rotten Plains along a rough dirt road we arrived at the Grawin Club in the Scrub and dirt bush golf course. It was a bit early, so the beverage of choice was a coffee. From here we drove to the Glengarry Hilton pub (for a look only), Sweeney's Arts and Crafts, and passed through a very active mining area along the Dog'n Duck Road (gotta love the names) to yet another pub - the Sheepyard Inn.  This was another truly unique Aussie outback experience with a nearby gravesite of old rusting cars, trucks and machinery, and a bra tree. A few km later we stopped at the Lake Beard War Memorial. This is a well constructed and well maintained memorial originally built by opal miners, many of whom were Vietnam Veterans, but the plaques pay tribute to all veterans. 
After a short stay, we returned to Lightning Ridge and had another dip in the Artesian Bore Baths to top off another great day.

Stanley the Emu

Retired Service Station at Cumborah

Mob of Emus on the Plains

Inquisitive emus

The Club in the Scrub

Club in the Scrub


Inside the Club


Club in the Scrub

The Golf Course - its all rough.

Miners hut

The Glengarry Hilton!

Sweeney's Arts and Crafts
Opal fields

Car yard at the Sheepyard Inn




The Bra Tree



The Sheepyard Inn

 

The road out

Lake Beard War Memorial

Lake Beard War Memorial







 

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