Make Walgett Shire your next short break destination, and you will find a place where life is easy. A place where peacefulness can almost be heard, and is embraced every day. A haven of fresh air, vast open spaces and a starry night sky hard to beat.
Gamilaraay Country where the Barwon and Namoi rivers meet, where Frederick Wolseley of Euroka Station invented the first mechanical shearing hand piece in 1885. One of the biggest producers of chickpeas in the Southern Hemisphere, and home to some of the highly sought after Hot Artesian Bore Baths.
Famous for magnificent opals, Lightning Ridge is home to the unique black opal, a rare and luminous gem. The best way to learn more about the natural, cultural and technological heritage of Lightning Ridge’s opal fields, their opal and people is to check out the cinematic celebration that is SPARK!
If that doesn’t give you the opal bug and send you off fossicking for your own piece of perfection you can enjoy the rest Lightning Ridge has to offer. John Murray’s Art Gallery is a must see; the colour and humour of life in the bush jumps out of the work with the whimsy and realism that sets John Murrays artwork apart from the pack.
Chambers of the Black Hand is a unique gallery of over 350 sandstone carvings and murals and offers a miner’s knowledge of geology and formation of opal, and how the drives and shafts were hand dug by the old timers over the past 100 years.
The Australian Opal Centre houses the world’s leading collection of opalised fossils and is building a magnificent collection of precious opal, cultural artefacts, artworks, photographs, archival and research materials.
Follow the car door signs (which replace street names) for self-drive tours of the area. The stark beauty of the area attracts many artists and photographers. The old church on the yellow car door tour was erected for the movie “Goddess of 67”. Amigo’s castle hand-built by one man over 25 years, and is a work in progress. Hop on a tour of the Grawin opal fields and chat with the miners at the Grawin Club in the Scrub and have a drink at the Glengarry Hilton.
No hustle. No traffic. No parking problems! Leave with your own out of the ordinary experience that will stay with you and bring you back to the region again and again.
Upcoming Major Events:
March – Collarenebri Mud Trials
April – Lightning Ridge Easter Festival
June – Rowena Cracker Night
July – Lightning Ridge Opal Festival
August – Walgett Bulldust to Bitumen Festival
September – Come By Chance Picnic RacesÂ
October – Let’s Dance Carinda – David Bowie Tribute Festival; Macquarie Marshes Nature Reserve Open Day
For a full list of events or for more information on the Walgett Region head to www.walgett..nsw.gov.auÂ
