Marly's visit to Lightning Ridge

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Marly received a special invite and has now visited to explore the wonders of Australia’s brilliant new Black Opal & Fossil Expo, with “hands-on” action at Lightning Ridge in Outback NSW, just 750km North West from Sydney.

The region’s aboriginal heritage is linked in through Opalicious Opal’s new EXPO & Tag-Along Tours, to the opal fields and to search for opals and fossils from the past. Marly had a marvellous time and could not believe some of the stories he heard from the locals. He was also one of the first to view a wonderful Opal Trilogy painting of the aboriginal dreamtime story of formation of "The Ridge's" fiery opals. It was painted by Karin Thurston an aboriginal poet and artist of great talent, who was Businesswoman of the Year in 2001. Marly was so enthralled with the Trilogy that he asked for the story to be included here.

Read about the eagles and the brightly coloured parrots, the rainbow and raging thunder in one of Lightning Ridge’s true storms from which the town was named – the birds fought within the storm and a rainbow, high above this ancient land, fighting to exhaustion and eventual death, falling to mother earth to form the gorgeous black opal as we know it today.

"Opal Jim" is the heart of the Expo and an icon at “The Ridge”; he has lived there for around 40 years; he dreamed of, planned and built the Expo, along with a guy they call “The Viking” and their tame Gemmologist Barrie O’Leary - who wrote "A Field Guide to Australian Opals".

With another oldtimer, Tony, they guided Marly through a pioneering and entrepreneurial experience in all above-ground opal activities at The Ridge where fortunes are made and lost and the true entrepreneur is still king. They took him fossicking for “colour”, showed him the “play of colour” and how opals change with lighting changes; they showed him how to buy his own “opal rough” for cutting and polishing and preparing the finished gemstones for mounting into rings, pendants and other jewellery.

The Expo is just 800m from the Post Office - on a mining claim right in the minefields at the corner of the Walk-in-Mine Road, which all visitors travel on when at “The Ridge”. Join Marly and visit the new Opalicious Opals Expo at Lightning Ridge and just love the "play of colour"; witness Opal Jim’s brilliance in a opal cutting & polishing demo; try your hand at cutting and polishing under Jim’s guidance and join him on a Tag Along Tour of the minefields; also enjoy his art and craft tour to view local artists at work.

Guess the origin of his fossils on display? Spec yourown "colour" while fossicking on tour; perhaps even taste “jack fruit” ? Maybe you will find valuable opal as Opal Jim did 40 years ago when on his first day he found a $20,000 beauty, which led him into becoming a cattleman and station or ranch owner, before returning to The Ridge to show others the fun he has enjoyed with opals.

Opalicious Opals is not a jewellery shop, but a new expo & tour operation from which you can spec “colour” or purchase opal rough; you can also try your hand at cutting and polishing under the watchful eye of experts.

“The Ridge” has a fun kaleidoscope of activities - you can select from a range of specimen opals, fossils & other keepsakes to remind you of the wonderful time you had with an array of amazing multi-cultured people and attractions for all comers – you may even meet “Nudie” who works his drilling rig out on the minefields – in the nude, summer and winter!.

Marly also took a dip at the aquatic centre, but most enjoyed the artesian hot springs at “the bore baths” and visiting the other great attractions. Enjoy the dream and keep the dream alive and by the way Marly is enclosing a special invite for you, with a personal Thanks for Visiting from “Opal Jim” and “The Viking”.

For a real experience, please now go to www.opaliciousopals.com to watch the true beauty of Black Opal, just as Marly found, and enjoy a little of that which gave Marly so much fun.

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