It may be a long way from where they live, but Lightning Ridge has become a home away from home for opal enthusiasts Graeme and Louella Gardiner.
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The Newcastle couple, now aged 72 and 71, stumbled upon the dusty destination for opal mining 34 years ago.
"We sat in an old caravan while we built our camp, which was basically a corrugated iron shed. It didn't have any windows, it just had a shade cloth on one side and down the front," Louella said.
"We basically lived outside - learnt to use a camp oven. Of a night we'd sit around the fire. It was really nice and we've formed some really good friendships with some of the people out there."
Their three children also grew up regularly visiting the mines, which the couple say taught them valuable lessons such as self sufficiency and how to disengage from technology. These days their grandchildren are learning the same lessons.
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Louella and Graeme had just returned from travelling and were between jobs when they met a couple of holidaymakers from the Walgett area.
Their new friends invited them to visit their farm and ended up taking them out to their opal mine. They would visit a few more times before they decided to purchase a claim of their own.
They said it was not the prospect of money that captivated them, so much as the lifestyle and thrill of the hunt.
"The opal fields were very busy and there was quite a good social atmosphere. Everyone was having a drink at the pub after a day's work, or around the camp fire," Graeme said.
"It was probably one of the most relaxing places you could be. There were no real big decisions of the day, you'd just go mining and come home and have a beer."
That's not to say it was easy. It took a year or two for them to find their first opal, and it was a fairly modest haul. In those early years, they would sometimes go three or four years without finding anything.
While there are still lean times, they have grown more successful over time, and have also managed to acquire much better equipment.
They started out with just a jackhammer and a windless - which operates in the same fashion as a well bucket. They now have a mechanical digger, a loader to help move dirt, as well as a truck and hoist to help move it.
So, what is their secret to success?
"You hear stories of people starting out and finding some riches straight away, but as a general rule, most people have to get a feel for the place," Graeme said.
"I think the strategy I would employ now is to get to know some people in the area you're thinking of going to. Try to get an idea of where the opal has been found.... there are still opals to find in many of those mines."
As for how much they have earnt over the years, that will have to remain a secret. The Gardiners themselves can't say for sure, as they have often invested it straight back into new equipment.
"I don't think you'll find an opal miner who will tell you what they make. It's just one of those things," Louella said with a laugh.
