'The Chambers Of The Black Hand'....what a eerie name this is, and what an extraordinary place it turned out to be. We had been told that this was a 'must do' whilst in The Ridge. Sage advice indeed.
So, with our trusty Cruiser parked next to 'a local'
we wandered over to the somewhat underwhelming entrance to the chambers of wonders
and duly lined up at the entrance
where the largest sign confronting us was a salutory reminder of the fact that 'ratting' is still prevalent in this area
Well, we knew we had nothing to fear from the 'unproven rat traps'....we were about to become paying customers, and, with fees paid and the obligatory hard hats in place (which I soon found to be a boon as I donged my head more than once on the low ceilings)
we descended into the depths, watching our steps and minding our heads as we were encouraged to do!
What a world awaited us. Here in this underground wonderland retired miners greet incoming guests (needless to say at the opal shop...more of this later)
before we and others wandered off into the myriad of passages which lead to all sorts of surprises.
The Chambers of the Black Hand was a working mine for many years but not one which made its owner a fortune. Her is his story which I acknowledge I have taken directly from the relevant website.
"When Ron Canlin bought an unwanted mine in Lightning Ridge in 1982, he
dreamt of making a fortune by uncovering rich seams of precious stone. These days the 66-year-old miner's imagination is filled, not with
glittering opal but with the angels, goblins and religious figures he
carves into its sandstone walls.
As a source of opal the mine was a flop - yielding just $27,000 in 25 years of toil. But the endless supply of bare sandstone has proved to be the perfect
canvas for a form of sculpture that is attracting tourists from across
the country.
"It became pretty clear that it was going to be a bread-and-butter mine - one that just keeps giving you bits and pieces but nothing more," Canlin said. "So about 10 years ago I started thinking about turning it into an open mine for tourists. I built some stairs and carved a little welcome hand in the stone to greet the visitors.
"I just thought 'this is wonderful!' I've always been a bit arty and it just jumped out at me."
Using the tools of his trade - a jackhammer and pickaxe - and a few kitchen utensils, Canlin turned his seemingly worthless mine into an eclectic underground sculpture gallery.
The result is The Chambers of the Black Hand, a set of catacomb-like rooms where dinosaurs, goblins and wizards and figures such as Nostradamus and the Archangel Gabrielle emerge eerily from the walls.
"I just go through books, encyclopedias, newspapers looking for pictures that appeal to me," Canlin said of the inspiration behind his work. "I did the Last Supper as a bit of a challenge and an Egyptian room for a bit of a giggle and it went from there."
Having found a picture, Canlin digs out a new space in his mine with a jackhammer, renders a wall and then begins carving the relief with a small pick. The fine work is done with cutlery from his kitchen. "The sandstone is perfect for this kind of work - it's stable, but very malleable. "I really feel it was fate that it worked out this way. You could have knocked my down with a feather if you'd told me 25 years ago that this is what I'd be doing."
"It became pretty clear that it was going to be a bread-and-butter mine - one that just keeps giving you bits and pieces but nothing more," Canlin said. "So about 10 years ago I started thinking about turning it into an open mine for tourists. I built some stairs and carved a little welcome hand in the stone to greet the visitors.
"I just thought 'this is wonderful!' I've always been a bit arty and it just jumped out at me."
Using the tools of his trade - a jackhammer and pickaxe - and a few kitchen utensils, Canlin turned his seemingly worthless mine into an eclectic underground sculpture gallery.
The result is The Chambers of the Black Hand, a set of catacomb-like rooms where dinosaurs, goblins and wizards and figures such as Nostradamus and the Archangel Gabrielle emerge eerily from the walls.
"I just go through books, encyclopedias, newspapers looking for pictures that appeal to me," Canlin said of the inspiration behind his work. "I did the Last Supper as a bit of a challenge and an Egyptian room for a bit of a giggle and it went from there."
Having found a picture, Canlin digs out a new space in his mine with a jackhammer, renders a wall and then begins carving the relief with a small pick. The fine work is done with cutlery from his kitchen. "The sandstone is perfect for this kind of work - it's stable, but very malleable. "I really feel it was fate that it worked out this way. You could have knocked my down with a feather if you'd told me 25 years ago that this is what I'd be doing."
whilst here Buddah beams benignly.
The Simpsons occupy this little nook
and in another larger cranny the stars of Star Wars congregate.
This is the Egyptian Room which as Ron said, he did 'for a bit of a giggle' (Liz found something to laugh about, too)
whilst this section of the wall of one of the tunnels is host to a much more challenging work.
It just goes on and on, gallery after gallery, wall after wall, whimsy and serious sculpture. There can be no doubting this man's talent, his energy or his enterprise.
In addition to all this art, the Chambers of the Black Hand also houses a fine example of what a working opal mine is all about. We made our way through this entrance passage
which opened out into a working section of the mine
where one of the mine staff explained the methods by which the opal is formed, found and extracted from the surrounding sandstone.
This could be tough work, as a later video presentation demonstrated. Often on hands and knees, picking and prodding, chipping and chopping, ever hopeful that the gleam of raw opal would be exposed and a fortune made.
Many came to Lightning Ridge and its surrounds in the hope of making their fortunes. Like Ron, few did, but in his case he turned that disappointment into something quite special by utilising his other talents.
We even found a little reminder of home
as we made our way past more intricate examples of Ron's talents
back to the 'commercial section' where we had come in where 'the boys' were lined up ready to offer advice
and to take coin of the realm from those for whom the temptations of offerings such as these are too much.
Liz did look, intently, but her purse strings remained firmly tight.
As this display of the various types of black opal show, they are gems of marvellous
colour, quite different from the opal found at, for example, Coober Pedy. This leads to the obvious question.....what is the difference? It's quite simple really. Unlike other opal, the black opal contains carbon and iron oxide trace elements, producing a very dark stone which has hints of blue, green and red play of colour.
As was explained on a relevant website:
"Opal is non-crystalline silica, similar to quartz, but is not a mineral. Its internal structure enables unique diffraction of light to produce white, gray, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, magenta, rose, pink, slate, olive, brown, and black. Opal is formed from a solution of silica (very fine sand-like particles) and water. In some sandstone outback regions, water passes though the sandstone to form a silica-rich solution that flows to voids formed from decomposed fossils and as the water evaporates, a silica deposit is left. This is repeated over vast periods and from it, an Opal is formed."
So there you have it. Black opal is also found at White Cliffs, which was discovered and developed before The Ridge, but the opal of Lightning Ridge is prized as the best and most valuable in the world.
Our time here at The Ridge was almost at an end. But not before we were entertained right royally. We had first met Mel and Susie a number of years ago when they were performing in Winton. In fact, those of you who have a prodigious memory will recall that it was they who gave the Ship's Cat his now universally known (in caravanning circles) nickname 'The Black Panther'.
What a surprise it was to find them here and even more so to learn that they have actually moved into town on a permanent basis. Winton's loss, Lightning Ridge's gain we say. The girls are now a regular fixture at the Opal Caravan Park where they present their eclectic mix of bush poetry, songs, jokes and yarns. And believe me they are good!
We eagerly joined the gathering throng in the park 'concert hall' where Liz, who chose a purple ensemble for the occasion, was soon chatting away.
As a prelude to each of their shows, Mel will wander through the crowd asking questions and jotting notes. "What's your name and where do you hail from?" It all comes out during the show. She did have to concede that our personal connection was something out of left field for them as well as us.
With all the kids lined up at front of house (it was school holiday time) the show was underway.
And they were certainly no disappointment. These are two very talented and funny ladies.
It was not long before they had all the youngsters involved and, as could be expected, there were a few hilarious and very frank moments.
We could not have asked for a better way to end our Lightning Ridge adventure.....old mates, a glass or two of chilled bubbles, and wonderful entertainment
But tomorrow is a new day. The road through Walgett and beyond was now purportedly open and flood free. We shall find out on the morrow.
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