NSW - Lightning Ridge

[Wwoofa]

November's location is Lightning Ridge.

You may wish to change your "Next Location of the Month" vote now that this one has been covered ... http://aussielapidaryforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=5028.0

Lightning Ridge is located in north-western NSW between Walgett and the QLD border. Many types of Opal can be found in the area. It is reported as being the largest known deposit of Black Opals in the world. The name Lightning Ridge is said to have originated in the 1870s when the bodies of a farmer, his dog and 200 sheep were found dead, struck by lightning.

There's lots of good info (including videos) about Opal and Lightning Ridge here ...
http://lightningridgeinfo.com.au/

If you want to get serious about fossicking for Opal then you can get a mining lease and some heavy duty mining equipment and spend a year or two trying your luck. Or, as most casual fossickers do, you can scratch around in the mine dumps ... after getting permission from the mine owner (of course). This is known as "noodling". The best place to noodle is in freshly processed mine tailings that are regularly dumped by trucks. Some people actually earn a living this way.

Link to Andrew's trip report ...
http://aussielapidaryforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=27.msg58#msg58

Link to Frosty's Adventure ...
http://www.frostysaussieadventures.com/Trip2012/12dd02.htm#day9

Link to Tripadvisor ...
http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Tourism-g528986-Lightning_Ridge_New_South_Wales-Vacations.html

and finally a Youtube video ... 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN_9WYkHLd8

[Plutonium]

An aerial video of the place if you're interested.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aTZ1qLhHDw