As we headed inland towards Lightening Ridge, we passed through some hilly, wooded lands where the air was quite cool and the leaves were beginning to change colors. We passed through Glen Innis, stayed the night in Jackadgery, and camped at Cranky Rock recreation reserve where we saw some kangaroos and chatted with a pet cockatoo named Frank. At this reserve we spotted a tawny frogmouth in a tree, a night bird. Very cool.
At Lightening Ridge, a dusty, hot opal mining town, the woman at the information centre set us up with her man, George, who led us to their private land beside the town's dusty golf course where we could try for some crayfish and search for bits of opal in the piles of rocks dumped off by the miners. We didn't catch any crayfish, but we found some lovely bits of opal. George has a tiny, old dog he carries with him, whose name is Costa, as in cost a lot of money.
We also took a break at the town's hot springs: a concrete pool the springs flow into from 1 km. underground, a hot temperature you couldn't sit in for long. It's a popular spot for locals and travellers. It's open 24/7 and free, with showers and washrooms.
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