5. White Cliffs

Cobar - Wilcannia

We stopped for lunch at this roadside rest area out in the middle of nowhere past Cobar. There was a fire pit with a steel plate so we prepared a small fire using fallen timber, boiled tea in our billy and cooked up a couple of sausages.

There is a stark beauty about the Outback. The never ending red soils and blue skies beckon us to stop and gaze. The long straight roads can mesmerize the inexperienced driver into a kind of trance. Beat the fatigue by getting a good rest in the night, drinking plenty of water, stop and stretch every hour, and trade driving if you get 'hypnotized'.

Sometimes when you step down from the 110 KM highway speeds, you may be treated to a miniature scene such as this one - migrating butterflies stopping for a rest. I think they found some moisture in the soil there.

Coming into Wilcannia, we knew our turnoff to White Cliffs was near. We tanked up the petrol and enjoyed an ice cream under the endless skies.

Wilcannia has a large aboriginal population.

White Cliffs - Opals

With Wilcannia behind us, we started down a very long dirt road toward White Cliffs. The road was as wide as a 4 lane highway and nicely graded so maintaining a cruising speed of about 90 kph was reasonable with the Pajero in 4WD High and the center differential unlocked (all-wheel drive mode).

White Cliffs is one of the primary opal mining areas of Australia. The other two of note are Cooper Pedy in South Australia and Lightning Ridge in Queensland.

I seem to have this fascination with wide open country roads with no traffic where the road disappears into the horizon. My only explanation is that after living in Los Angeles, London and Sydney, this kind of scene, for me, is unusual and special. This road has since been upgraded and paved to provide more access to White Cliffs, but there are more out there.

White Cliffs is pretty small and seems to be centered around a large white hill, part of which contained the hotel where we would spend the night.

We saw a number of these special mining trucks called blowers around with their large buckets decorated with humorous motifs.

They are basically very large V-8 powered vacuum cleaners, able to suck a 20 pound rock a few hundred feet from the end of a mine shaft. The large drums at the top are a low vacuum chamber where the rock is released from the air stream and is 'spit' out of the mouth when enough weight collects to release the spring mechanism. Once on the surface, the rock is processed for opals.

Smith's Hill - Underground Dugout Motel

This was a very cool hotel - about 22 degrees C (about 71 F) regardless of the outside temperatures - which made it the most comfortable place to be. It was fun exploring the 'cave' hallways where the rooms were carved out of rock. The only down side was that the mosquitoes also found the coolness of the tunnels inviting - wear mozzie repellant.

As we were leaving, I posed with the owners Peter and Joanne Pedler. Peter was about 72, but his handshake was hewn from the very rock we were standing in. I think my right hand was bruised to the bone for the next 2 weeks.

The accommodations provided us with a unique and memorable life experience. The food was great and the beer was cold. What more can you want?

We tried a bit of fossicking on our own, poking around in the river banks. Of course we had no clue what we were looking for or what it would look like when we found it in the rough. But we had fun. The kids had developed a fascination with skeletons and wanted to investigate every dead cow and kangaroo we happened across - just no 'people bones'.

On the way out of White Cliffs, we detoured through the historic fields. There were a few claims being worked, but mostly it was a very dangerous area and we didn't let the kids out of the car. Those holes you see - thousands of them - are about 30 feet deep and surrounded by loose gravel trailings. Even venturing too close to a hole to peek in may land you in the bottom with broken bones at least, Travel Tip Have a look but leave kids and pets in the car. Stay off the mounds - they're like ant lion traps. Never go there at night or alone. Stay out of active claim areas - folks are very protective of their claims.

Next Time

We had a very nice stay at the Underground Hotel. We're always looking around and found this place we may consider next time we stay.

PJs Underground B&B Hotel
Dugout 72, Turley's Hill
White CLiffs, NSW 2836
(08) 8091-6626
Peter & Joanne Pedler
Accommodation $85/double
http://www.babs.com.au/pj/index.htm

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