Open Ground
Lightning Ridge
Black opal country ยท Lightning Ridge, NSW, Australia
Open groundThe prize. Black opal, the rarest opal on earth
Where. Lightning Ridge, NSW, Australia
Status. Open ground
Where. Lightning Ridge, NSW, Australia
Status. Open ground
The account
A town of shafts and tailing heaps in country so hot the miners live underground. The black opal that comes out of this ridge burns green and electric blue against dark potch, and nothing else in the world looks like it. Fossickers work the designated fields and the public heaps, and now and then the ridge hands somebody a stone that ends their working life.
Leads, where the trail points now
- What you can keep: Black opal, the rarest opal on earth. Confirm the site's current rules and any day fee before you go.
- Where: Lightning Ridge, NSW, Australia. NSW fossicking permitted with licence in designated areas, steer wide of registered claims.
- Best practice: record anything notable, leave the ground as you found it, and check the latest access notices before you travel.
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