This Is How I Roll

There is a portrait gallery over a couple of walls in the mine. All carved with the same knife and fork. Politicians, celebrities, royalty. Some faces I recognise, and some I don’t. I’m going to number each of the faces and label those I know. Please let me know if I’ve got it wrong, and help to identify those who remain unnamed.

A couple of views of the walls;

Please comment below if you can identify any of these.

If you ever come to Lightning Ridge, make sure you do the tour of the Black Hands Mine. Yes, at $40 ($30 senior) it’s expensive. But you can’t take it with you when you die. And you may never get back here again. And THIS IS A HIGHLIGHT AND SHOULDN’T BE MISSED! Plus your ticket gives you access for 48 hours. You may find yourself going back again, like I did. You may find yourself not wanting to leave!

When a shaft is dug, the first layer is rocky and sharp. Once past this layer you hit sandstone. The deeper you go, the softer the sandstone gets. Below this is where the opals are found.

Ron Canlin did not have huge success with his mine. But he discovered he greatly enjoyed carving the soft sandstone. With no artistic training at all, Ron has now carved over 800 sculptures in his mine, all with a bone handled Sheffield knife and a fork. I asked how many knives he has gone through. He’s actually still on the original as the stone is so soft. But it is considerably shorter than when he began!

He used to use an old leather glove to create the smooth surfaces, but had since discovered steel wool, which he prefers.

This is a huge post, which will be mainly photos (not 800, but I may go close), and done in two parts. Enjoy them both – but be warned. Your participation is required in part 2!

Take a break from photo fatigue, then check out the quiz on Sculptures part 2

They say that all who come to Lightning Ridge love it. They say there are some who come for two weeks and 50 years later they’re still here. They say if you’re not born in Lightning Ridge once you’ve been here for 20 years you’re considered a local. Then when you’ve been here for 20 years they say if you’ve been here for 30 years you’re a local. When you reach your 30 years you’re told you’re a local when you’re dead and buried here. I’ve been to the cemetery. There are people from all over the world buries there one fellow’s headstone reads “He wasn’t a lucky Miner”.

Amigo wasn’t a lucky miner. His mind averaged about $1,000 every twelve months. Every morning Amigo would go to his mine and work his claim and every afternoon Amigo would move rocks. If he didn’t feel like mining Amigo would move rocks. Amigo the Italian was very strong. And for only the cost of the cement, Amigo built himself a castle.

Amigo did not submit plans to council, and the local council (Walgett Shire) were going to bulldoze the castle. The Lightning Ridge resources banded together, and even though it is only twent-something years old, Amigo’s castle has been heritage listed. Amigo lives in a private residence behind the castle.

Let’s face it. We’ve all gotta go. Multiple times per day, unless you’re seriously dehydrated (yes I’m almost remembering to drink enough, Donna!), and when I’m free camping there’s not always a toilet. So you do what you’ve gotta do. But there are some things which shouldn’t be left behind.

And ladies, I’m looking at you. ‘Cause let’s face it, men just shake it. And we can do better. There’s so much paper scattering the bush near free camps. Honestly, it’s not that hard to take it with you. Bag or burn it.

Here endeth the lesson.

But the toilet talk doesn’t end here. It’s been a while since I’ve used rest stop loos. You know the ones I mean, the smelly long drop type. The type you dread to visit at night, as you juggle holding your shirt over your nose while you’re trying to hold your torch in your mouth and FOR GOODNESS SAKE DON’T BREATHE, SWALLOW, OR MOVE THAT MOUTH UNTIL YOU’RE OUT OF THERE. Although some really aren’t so smelly. But it’s a problem at night to juggle the torch – there are two things you don’t want to do: put it on the ground, or drop it down the loo. If you always carry your trusty head set you’re right. If not, check out this nifty setup at the rest area near Lightning Ŕidge.

They say necessity is the mother of all invention. Now that’s what I call innovation!

Such a busy tourist destination this is. Lightning Ridge is an opal mining area in central northern NSW. Unlike Coober Pedy it’s an above-ground town. It’s a mix of old town and ‘new’. Some people live in ‘temporary’ dwellings on their 50m x 50m claims. Others live in the township, which has schools, library, hospital, huge swimming pool, arts centre etc. While there are still many individuals working their claims, and many leasing their claims out on a ‘share the spoils arrangement’, much of the mining has been commercialised and is off at Grawin to the south.
There have been, and still are, some colorful people here. It’s a really interesting place. I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

When you’re travelling as I am and it’s a long way to the next water source, washing your clothes can be the lowest priority. But the warmer weather (yes, I’m in short sleeves and sleeveless, and yes, it’s still winter!) makes for clothes that need washing! Keeping on top of it as you go is easiest. That may mean clothes, water and soap in a bucket with a lid to squish around as you drive. Or in a roll-out down waterproof bag. Or the good old hand wash in a bucket, which I do.

My girls used to do calisthenics. And so for several years I was wardrobe manager for their team. Twenty-odd girls x 7 or 8 costumes each, x five or six comps a year. I’ll leave you to do the maths. Beautifully sequinned and beaded hand-wash costumes. All to be after each competition. Or so I thought. Until a few years later when one of the other managers told me she only washed hers at the end of the year when they went into storage. What!? But they’re teenagers! They stink!!
Then she put me on to this product.

Now I wouldn’t use it for my undies, but to freshen up outerwear when there’s no time or water, it’s fantastic.

Here endeth the lesson.

The road around Walgett are shocking. So undulating and bumpy. Ladies, you need to wear a sports bra. Just sayin’.

That’s all.

I drove through Gulargambone this week. Although almost everything was closed (on a Tuesday) I loved the quirky cheekiness of this place. It’s a small country town with an abundance of colour, most of it birds. Check out the photos.

Gilgandra’s Tourist Information Centre proudly displayed a number of historical artists, including the invoice for catering for a wedding. (Tahlia and Lachlan, are you paying attention?) I should have written it down at the time, rather than rely on my memory. I think this wedding was held in 1948, and the catering cost $1.20 per head.

Along with their historical memorabilia, they are very proud of the young men of the town, in 1915 rallied for more volunteers to join the war efforts. They marched to Sydney, doing at all the town along the way, calling ‘Coo-ee, come and join us’. I’d heard this story before, but when the elderly lady at the centre explained that in those days most people walked everywhere, or some rode horses, it made me realise what a massive undertaking this was.
263 volunteers were recruited on this foot march to Sydney.

Mumbil is a small village about 20 minutes south of Wellington. One of my Roller friends, Noreen, lives there. Noreen is the font of all knowledge and guru of everything. When I sent her a message saying ‘Where can I get a piece of squares pipe around here on a Sunday’, she told me to come on over. So I left Bill and headed to Mumbil. And camped at Noreen and Tony’s place. Tony sacrificed the legs from a wobbly trestle to give me as a winder, and even bent one piece to shape. Winner!

We sat outside enjoying the mountain view and talked the day away. Then we made Gozleme for tea, a recipe learned at a Rollers camp we’d both been on. (Thankyou, Glenda)
I share the recipe below:
Finely chop a whole heap of spinach leaves.
Chop some cooked chicken or smoked chicken (you could substitute another cooked meat here.
Crumble feta into the mix
Add a heap of Harrissa (spice) and mix.

Put that aside and make the easiest and softest dough you’ll make in your life. You’ll need SR flour and yogurt. Determine your own quantities based on how much filling you’ve chopped. The ratio is 2 dry to 1 wet. We used two cups of SR flour and one cup of greek yogurt. Mix, knead, roll thinly. Cut into squares, place filling on square, fill and seal, then dry fry in pan or on BBQ plate. Squash them flat as they cook, turn as they turn golden. Yum. Great to have leftovers cold for lunch the next day. If there are any!