the opal cave

Hermann the German is a very astute business man. There is a huge array of the famous Ridge Black Opal at the shop as well as an extraordinary personal collection on display ( not for sale ).Hermann makes your trip to the Opal Cave even more enjoyable because his dialogue is both informative and entertaining. There are deals to be had but don't push the boundary's, this man is not a fool and knows the true worth of the opals he sells. Even if you don't buy anything, "betcha do" pop in and have a look see it's well worth it.

This business is worth a look even if it is only to see the opal waterfull. There is certainly a lot of opals on display and plenty to suit all budgets. The staff do a fair bit of "hard selling" but we bought our opals elsewhere.

The Opal Cave in Lightning Ridge is the biggest opal dealer in town. Its quirky appearance make it hard to miss & made us curious enough to wander in. Featuring a huge cartoonish Australiana mural painted over the whole building by outback artist John Murray, it is a shop themed as the inside of an opal mine. Poking around the corner of the entrance the interior isn't your usual K-Mart, jammed full of souvenirs, tourist maps & a large central display area with cabinets full of opals & jewelry from the small fry to expensive sparkly gemstones. Pushing my luck I asked for a closer look at the big shiny rocks, of course I was just pretending to buy!Being from the city, full of paranoid people I felt very nervous at being shown some of the most beautiful precious stones I have ever laid eyes on. The lady took out a huuuge black opal the size of my fist so glorious I almost started jibbering chinese. This thing warped light in all directions & made us stupid-crazy, instantly hypnotising us until we were snapped out of it back to reality by its price-tag. Opening our mouths in wonder like only a thing of great beauty can do it also almost opened up a black-hole in my credit card. I resisted the urge to put myself into further debt by kicking my foot against the wall, reality sure hurts.The Opal Cave also used to house the local Visitor Information Centre but you can still get free maps & travel advice here.The Opal Cave is definitely the biggest business around & had electronic facilities for all the tour buses that it brings in. Importantly for women it has clean toilets for the civilised which is worth the time to walk in & avoid the smelly petrol station alternatives. The Opal Cave also acts as a booking agent for Countrylink long-distance train tickets & tourist coach companies. Located right in the middle of town on the main street it is across the road from the Australia Post office covered in big bold writing.