Somewhere I have always wanted to visit so to actually be here is exciting.

Lightning Ridge. We have been staying in the Opal Caravan Park for two nights. This place is quite new and is quite impressive. The amenities are amazing. Toilet cubicles are bigger than normal and the showers have glass shower screens in them with plenty of shelving to sit stuff or hang things. There are even blow dryers near the vanities.

The laundry has four machines and two dryers, all Speedqueen. Of course the washing is once again up to date and we have had our heater on in the camper to keep warm at night. Temperatures throughout the day have been 19 on average and the night temps have been down to around 5.

Today, Tuesday, after doing the washing and taking it easy we spent some time at the information centre with free wifi so that I could post the last three blogs I had ready. Then we set off for lunch with our friends Jo and John and his brother Jeff and wife Jane. We had a really lovely lunch at the local Bowling Club and relaxed chatting after.

We all headed to the Black Hand Opal Mine for a tour at 3pm. This was awesome, a tour of an underground mine and it’s workings. Also in the mine caverns were all these beautiful carvings done into the sandstone by a local, self taught artist. Very clever. I did pick out a beautiful necklace but very expensive.

All of us then headed back into town to the baths again and had a relaxing soak. After saying farewell for now to our new found friends we headed back to our park for a drink and dinner.

Tomorrow we head off to Parkes.

Cheers, xo.