Location of Lightning Ridge
From
Collarenebri, 59.2kms W (124kms, 1hr 26mins driving)
From
Goodooga, 61.81kms SE (101kms, 1hr 15mins driving)
From
Walgett, 67.66kms N (78.4kms, 56mins driving)
From
Dirranbandi, 96.59kms S (134kms, 2hrs 11mins driving)
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Description of Lightning Ridge
Lightning Ridge is a famous opal mining town located in
outback New South Wales, around 70km north of Walgett and only 6km off the Castlereagh Highway. The town has a population of some 1,826 people and lies next to the world’s richest deposits of black opal - the most valuable and widely known type of opal.
Lightning Ridge offers plenty to see and do including: natural hot artesian
bore baths, artist shops, a water theme park, the interesting bottle house, and of course - trying your hand at opal fossicking!!
Lightning Ridge hosts the annual Goat Race in the town's main street and a rodeo on the Easter long weekend. What makes the goat race appealing is that the goats are harnessed and driven by children, much like harness racing in equine sports. The Goat races are accompanied by wheelie-bin races, and horse races the following day.
Lightning Ridge and its surrounds feature a diverse range of native wildlife including kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, echidnas, possums, an abundant range of reptiles, and even rare Australian birds.
Images of Lightning Ridge
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Weather & Climate for Lightning Ridge
Closest Weather Station
Lightning Ridge at 09:00 22 Nov EDT
Distance from Lightning Ridge 0.74km SW
| Temperature | Feels Like | Rel. Humidity | Dew Point | Pressure | Rainfall | Wind Direction | Wind Speed | Gusts |
|---|
| 36.0°C |
35.0°C |
33% |
17.5°C |
-hPa |
0.0mm |
NW |
19km/h
10knots |
-km/h
-knots |
Closest Climatic Station
Collarenebri (Albert St)
Distance from Lightning Ridge 59.68km E
| | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Mean Max. °C |
35.6 | 34.4 | 32.0 | 27.6 |
22.8 | 19.1 | 18.4 | 20.8 |
24.9 | 28.8 | 32.1 | 34.9 |
| Mean Min. °C |
20.5 | 20.3 | 17.4 | 12.4 |
8.4 | 5.3 | 4.1 | 5.2 |
8.7 | 13.1 | 16.4 | 19.0 |
| Mean Rain mm |
68.3 | 57.1 | 49.3 | 35.6 |
35.4 | 34.9 | 35.1 | 27.2 |
24.9 | 37.8 | 47.7 | 51.0 |
What Others Say about Lightning Ridge
Treks passing Lightning Ridge
Lightning Ridge
What brings tourists from all over the globe to Lightning Ridge in outback New South Wales? - The answer is black opals. A handful of opal mining towns attract visitors alike to Coober Pedy, Andamooka and White Cliffs, but Lightning Ridge is the only town in Australia where the precious and highly prized black opal is found.
[Feature Story]
Recommended Reading for Lightning Ridge
NSW Topo DVD
The ultimate 4WD, bushwalking, hunting & outdoor companion. NSW Topo includes a comprehensive selection of full color 3D maps and map data. Compatible with a PC, Pocket PC or WM Smartphone. Chances are you'll never need to buy another bush map of anywhere in Australia again.
Natmap Digital Maps 2008
NATMAP Digital Maps 2008 is the next generation of Geoscience Australia's popular NATMAP Raster 1:250 000 scale topographic digital maps.
NATMAP Digital Maps 2008 are exact digital copies of Geoscience Australia's NATMAP topographic maps. They cover the whole of Australia at 1:250 000 scale, and are current to 2006.
SH5507 Angledool
This 1:250K topographic paper map covers an area about 150km from east to west and 110km from north to south (1.5 degrees longitude by 1 degree latitude). The map contains natural and constructed features including road and rail infrastructure, vegetation, hydrography, contours (interval 50m), localities and some administrative boundaries.
Australia Aus Tour DVD
A must have for the long distance explorer. Here, Memory-Map teams up with Hema to bring you their acclaimed 4WD and regional maps together with 13 interactive Map Guides.The Map-Guides provide great information on each region, bushwalking, campsites and 4x4 tracks with text and photos.
Outback New South Wales
The Outback New South Wales Map features the most detailed combination of road pattern and distances ever produced for the area. The back of the map lists details on what to see, where to go, and what to do when you get there. This edition now also contains a GPS grid showing camping areas and tourist information.
New South Wales Handy Map
Hema’s State Handy Maps clearly show highways, minor and secondary roads, national and state routes and fully-indexed cities, towns and localities. Detailed road distances are also shown. All of the maps are double-sided and come in an easy-to-fold format.
New South Wales State Map
Great for travel planning, Hema’s State Maps clearly show highways, minor and secondary roads, national and state routes and fully-indexed cities, towns and localities as well as showing country campsites. Detailed road distances are also shown.
Best Bush Forestry
The Best Bush map lists hundreds of accessible recreational areas, as well as tips on the use of different areas. This information will help the reader camp, 4WD, canoe, picnic and explore the bush of NSW easily.
Important Notes
 | Whilst indicating location of water supplies, ExplorOz makes no recommendation with regard to the quality of water for drinking purposes. We strongly recommend that when travelling you take ample supplies of water from reliable drinking water sources. |
