Australia So Much to See
The road divides at Ned’s Corner, and we followed the loop anticlockwise. Ned was the pastoral lease holder of Munderoo Station. Munderoo station preceded the opal discoveries.
The Glengarry Hilton is a hotel with a difference, offering meals and drinks, basic accommodation and camping.
Sheepyard Inn for meals and drinks, donga accommodation and camping. Named because prior to the opal discoveries, this was part
of a sheep station, and there was probably a mustering yard in the vicinity.
At Sheepyard Inn, we saw this unusual road sign.
Following the loop further there is a war memorial as a tribute to veterans
of the Vietnam and other wars.
Once back at Ned’s Corner, we returned along the same drive (above left) to conclude our very interesting day in the Grawin Glengarry
opal fields.
The white mullock heaps are large piles of mining scree (above right). With permission, visitors can
fossick through this scree and maybe find small fragments of opal. Ask at one of the hotels if wanting to fossick here.
Where to stay if spending longer out at these opal fields.
Grawin Club in the Scrub allows free camping with access to toilets. Enjoy a meal or a drink at the club, and meet the local opal miners.
Glengarry Hilton in the opal fields 75 kilometres
north of Walgett or 75 kilometres west of Lightning Ridge $18 per site. Basic accommodation available.
Sheepyard Inn in the
opal fields ten kilometres south of Grawin and 80 kilometres west of Lightning Ridge. Free, toilets, showers $2; use chip heaters
for hot water. Donga accommodation also available.
Further around the loop road, the road has the unusual name of “Dog’n Duck Road”. This was named after a local resident, David
“Ducky” Bath who used to live here.
Our plan to visit John Murray’s gallery was not to be. It had been burnt down two months earlier in a fire which started in
the adjoining newsagency, which resulted in both shops being burnt out. Bystanders and emergency service working ran into the
building and retrieved as many of his paintings as they could, working in darkness. The artist himself was not present at the
time of the fire and is very grateful to all who helped.
Five kilometres south of the access road into Lightning Ridge, Stanley the Emu, created and designed by John Murray from old car body
parts, stands tall, very tall. Stanley is eighteen metres tall.
Stanley was officially opened in in May 2013 by Walgett Shire Mayor, Bill Murray. A welcome dance
was performed by the Lightning Ridge Central School Aboriginal Boys Dance Group at the official opening. The Dhinawan (Emu)
is very significant to Aboriginal people.
Stanley stands tall on the site of the ridge that Lightning Ridge was named after.