The Kedron Wavell RSL Sub Branch Volunteers, along with the Liaison students from the local secondary schools around the Chermside area, had the pleasure of visiting the Australian Army Flying Museum located Bawden Boulevard (formerly Museum Dr, Oakey QLD 4401. The Australian Army Flying Museum is about 4 kilometres north of the township of Oakey & is only a short drive from the Oakey Army Aviation Centre. The museum provides an insight into Australian military aviation from historical to contemporary perspectives & is always looking to expand its history of aviation. Scott, who is a retired Army veteran of 32 years, is now one of the museum staff provided an excellent overview of the history of the aircraft on display. I was particularly impressed with the extensive knowledge & detail that Scott provided of the history of the various wars that Australian military personnel fought in from World War 1 right through to the present time. The military aircraft on display are in pristine condition with the museum staff & volunteers putting in a lot of time to ensure people that visit are provided with the best facilitated display & information. The Australian Army Flying Museum is open to the public from Tuesday through to Saturday from 10.00 am. to 3.00 pm & is free to visit. This museum is located on the ground floor level, with wheelchair access toilets onsite. There is adequate open air parking available with disabled parking close to the front entrance to the museum. Kedron Wavell RSL Sub Branch members & students were definitely impressed with the excellent display & the thinking going forward by the RSL that it could become an annual visit.

This was a great experience. Learnt so much and our 3 year old had a blast being able to actually go inside the Chinook helicopter. Staff there were also amazing and more than helpful.

Free Entry, Easy to park with plenty of static displays. Groups (with advance notice) can have a guided tour - great for kids as they allow kids to sit in the actual aircraft! Only downside is there’s no souvenirs. Lost opportunity that could help generate revenue for the museums upkeep.

Such an informative place! Free to enter. Very friendly & helpful staff. Kids colouring in area. Nice picnic area out the front.

Can not recommend highly enough. Outside of the AWM, one of the best museums for aviation I have been to (I have been to a few..). Staff were very informative and helpful, great with the kids, and plenty of interactive things for adults and kids. Massive bonus, it's free.. should at least be a gold coin donation. Thanks guys, a bloody good job

This was our 3 visit here over a number of years, we had Scotty as a tour guide, his commentary was funny at times and full of great information. Check for operational days and hours, there are no entry fees.

Interesting place to visit, cool experience to be able to climb in the back of a Chinook. Was lucky enough to see Blackhawk flying around as well

One of the magnificent 19th Century stately home steads in the Darling Downs. Beautiful gardens and great experience.

Absolutely stunning countryside homestead with beautiful gardens

A beautiful home & surrounding gardens. A credit to the owners

It was fantastic

Well kept, natural paradise. Had teenagers, toddlers and oldies over the weekend and the flat, spacious, on the river camp we chose was fantastic for everyone

Second time around Camping down near the creek Powered sites up near amenities Great camp kitchen So peaceful Fires allowed Pets allowed

We camped on a powered site. Relaxing week. Lovely morning tea in the cafe. Great spot.

Arrived to stay for 2 nights but ended up doubling that. We camping next to the creek which was nice. It holds fish but we didnt have any luck Friendly and helpful caretakers Kids loved the farm animals and lambs in the nursery. Lucky enough to have the place just about empty so a very quiet stay Great history and displays around the woolshed complex Very clean and tidy facilities

What a fantastic place to visit and experience, also the camping is top notch, ahhhhh the serenity

Just spent the weekend here, the caretakers are lovely people, down to earth. Great camping spot! Beautiful morning sunrises with just as good sunsets, lots to see even the teenage boys had a great weekend. Will be back

We love coming here!!!! Partner and i like to come to chill and just take in the peaceful views of the country life. Well maintained and really nice caretakers Ang and Rod. They make you feel welcome thats for sure. We love this place as it allows us to have our dogs. Lots of land for them to play in off leash area, some awesome swimming areas from them too. You will not be disappointed in the showers if you stay. Great pressure and HOT. Until next time. :-D Shell

This is a great park with open spaces, picnic and barbecue areas, a playground and skate park. There is a dump point and plenty of room for children to run off excess energy.

Great place to stop. Has great play facilities for the kids. The toilets are basic but welcome. The park has large lawned area with plenty of shade. Picnic tables are available as is barbecue facilities. For the caravan and RV's there is a dump point and water filling facilities ( credit card minimum of $5.00) Well bone Goondiwindi Shire

The Inglewood Apex Lions Park is a huge park at the outskirts of town next to the bridge. It has. A driver reviver block that usually opens during school holidays to help travellers. It has a green grassy park with a covered playground with slides, swings, see saws, monkey bars and climbing fort. There are also exercise equipment available at the back part of the park next to a drinking fountain. The park has several covered seating areas, a BBQ station.and a water faucet next to the driver reviver block. There is also a toilet block available for men, women and disabled with a parent's room. It is Wheelchair friendly. There is a paid water station next to the park, $3.50 for 1000Ltrs. The park is next to the river and if you walk the trail next to it you would catch a sight of a tree of bats nesting nearby. There are also quite a few mozzies so arm yourself with a spray or just do an the slap the mozzie dance. There are several trees that give shade and also a skate in park right next to the playground.

Clean toilets tidy park with shaded benches on the eastern side of town and a great spot to stop on your way out west for a break.

Very neat park, toilets clean.

Good stop for a break, kids can let loose on the play equipment or run riot around the grounds, or use the toilet facilities

This is a nice park to have a rest and relax plenty of shelter from the weather and just relax before you continue with you trip

Went to visit this plot with my son, got there and was bloody dissapointed. Drove about 20km’s along a dirt road to come to a reservation area that you cannot even light a fire at. if you are looking for a good camp then this isn’t the spot for you. Very difficult to try and find a way to the “park” even though there probably isnt one in the first place.

Great for barbecues and a swim.

Very well-kept park with great amenities

Excellent clean and well maintained facilities, under cover picnic areas, great on these hot days. Undercover kids equipment to entertain the little ones, while mum and dad get the bbq/picnic ready. Unfortunately, there was no water in the river, totally understandable during this drought, but don't be deterred by this, a fabulous park to enjoy all the same.

Great place to spend a day by the river. Bbqs. Plenty seating. Clean toilets and showers. Well kept lawns.

Nice park. Sorry but our pooch had a 30min swim before we read the small print on a sign at the boat ramp that animals not allowed??? Please put the sign at the entrance where it can be seen.

A fenced waterpark with well kept gardens/lawn by the river. Easy to put in a boat or kayak. It does have opening/closing times. It was free when we went on a weekday for a look.

Great shaded playground, clean toilets, nice big expansive area for kids to stretch their legs and is on the river so the scenery is lovely. Lots of shaded picnic tables too.

The visitor centre is a great place to get information about the area and it also has quite a lot of local memorabilia There are many items featuring the famous local racehorse Gunsynd, winner of the Melbourne Cup

The library is amazing! Kids area is absolutely beautiful and the staff are so lovely. It’s a shame they only have limited First 5 Forever programs. The Information Centre is well displayed.

We had a wonderful time the cotton tour was amazing not mention the museum and the damper for morning tea. The town was very friendly and clean Lots of drives with in the area beautiful spots to be found. We will be back

Great information Center, nice art gallery out back, friendly staff, nice toilets, the old council chambers has some beautiful timber work, and their is a couple of small museums 😁👍 Thank you

The lady is super friendly and helpful. She showed us everything on the map. Also library inside. Would love to apply for rural library card. Also some local sculptures displayed

Very helpful and professional. Excellent modern facility that successfully blends the display of history and the provision of tourism information.

Friendly staff. Gunsyng museum very interesting.

Popped in whilst driving through town, was really interesting to see the historical stories about Goondiwindi. $5 was worthwhile assuming the entrance fees get reinvested into the museum. After finishing at the museum you can also take walk down the MacIntyre river trail.

Interesting exposition about Goondiwindies history with particular emphasis on the customs house on the NSW/Queensland border. Well kept exposition and lovely views volunteers!! Thanks a lot, all the best 😊

Excellent collection and well organised into themes, such as the well researched history of agriculture room, the war history cottage focussing on uniforms, or ... the dunnies. Well worth spending an hour or so here.

We enjoyed seeing so much of the preserved items regarding the history of the area. The volunteers do wonderful work and should be proud of what they have achieved.

This should be a must visit when in Goondiwindi. The staff were helpfull with any questions we had and the amount of items and displays was excellent. Even our kids enjoyed themselves. For the small entry fee to support this centre it's definitely worth at least 1 to 2 hours to take it all in.

This place is a treasure trove of interesting and informative memorabilia from the past. Could have stayed here all day! Printed information is concise and easily read, appealing to all ages. Would highly recommend a LONG visit to make the most of this amazing collection

A reasonably comprehensive display of local memorabilia. The war museum contains a good variety of uniforms

Beautiful building with stained glass windows

Great family business. Took the tour of Town & Farm which was very informative and interesting. We were fortunate to have Harry (founders grandson) be our tour guide. His passion and knowledge for cotton farming was infectious.

Did a tour and visited local cotton farm went through museum morning tea supplied. Mike was very informative during the tour. Love the feel of the shop and variety available for sale,well played out and ladies were helpful with sizes

What a great experience!! Learnt so much, saw so much and our tour guide, Mike, is a legend 10/10!! His wealth of local and farming knowledge and sense of humour alone, definitely made the tour what it was. And the damper morning tea was lovely. DO NOT pass Goondiwindi without doing this. 100% recommended. Thank you Goondiwindi Cotton.

Recently did a Goondiwindi Cotton Farm Tour and highly recommend! Mike picked us up at agreed time from the showgrounds. Showed us around a cotton farm, was extremely knowledgeable (being a long-time local helped!). We also had a little tour of the town, damper morning tea at the historic museum before taking us back to our accommodation. All in all, great value.

Really great experience! Lois is a first-rate guide and very friendly and informative. Morning tea delicious and Custom House museum excellent. We highly recommend this tour plus Goondiwindi itself is a beautiful town!

I thoroughly enjoyed this tour, a great guide. We were well informed about all aspects of cotton farming and the environmental issues they have managed to address making it a sustainable industry. The town tour was great and damper and golden syrup at the Customs Museum was also a win. I would definitely recommend this tour.

Commenting on the Farm and Town tour. Very informative and the damper morning tea delicious. Would totally recommend this tour.

It is not a very big museum, but a modern, nice design. AND in a lovely spot. The exhibits were interesting - Japan, with an origami station, set up for anyone to learn how to make following a video.

I love this building, and great artwork. The current exhibition is current drawn by students and well worth a visit.

It was great to see some local artist including the public schools trampoline art. We enjoyed adding fire sticks to one of the artworks of the nature. The miniature house display by refugees was also a meaningful work to show us what home meant for them.

Loved it. Saw an exposition about clay objects from a group of indigenous artists, really enjoyed the colour and shape patterns.

It was a bank, now its and art gallery. $5 entry they do eftpos. A must visit to see the arts created by locals and non locals.

If you are in Moree this place is worth a visit. The art wasn't exactly my thing, but still enjoyed it.

What a great little place.Local artist Amy Canfield is wonderful. Had a weekend market there which helped.

Only one small pool open, paid $9, walked back out, they didn’t mention that the large pools were closed. Waste of . Thank you for the reply. You have a wonderful facility, haven’t been for a few years and the new improvements will be fantastic. Yes the staff should let people know about the closure of the bigger pools so people can choose to stay. Good luck with the project

First time visitor from the coast, here to enjoy the thermal pool. Staff were highly professional and very friendly. The whole place is well kept and super clean. Looking forward to visiting again in the future.

Friendly staff, great temperature pool. Only issue - website not up to date with status of renovations - only 1 pool open, and no Wellness Centre with a sauna and massage, (but still on website). I came from Sydney especially, so a bit disappointed. Still a great experience though. I walk with a stick, and great disabled shower and toilet, plus i managed the few stairs into the pool with grab rails no problem. Great day and pensioner concession rates.

Dropped in at Moree Pools, looking to get the natural experience, yes there was some works / Improvements going on, but Service Office Jennifer guided us through that, making our experience special with limited facilities. She interacted with our young children like little adults and made us feel at home. Such a genuine person and an asset to the Moree facility. We really enjoyed our visit and will come back next time we're down this way.

Never return my money back. Been going in-store to solve the problem for at least 4 times over the past year. It’s 100 bucks, it’s not much, but it is wrongly charged. That’s why I am leaving a review after a year. And if anyone in the management team is willing to resolve the matter. Please reach out to me. Thanks.

Out of the 5 pool they only have working. There is no pool to cool down in and the pool that is open is very small so it's way too crowded. They put the price up. Crazy 15 to enter . They should have reduced it. It's like buy a ice cream that has been 3/4 eaten and they charge you double. Moree council should be ashai for this mess. Years it's been renovating. I sure the locals must want to sack the whole lot

This is our second trip to Moree Artesian Aquatic Centre coming from Western Sydney & we absolutely love it! Such a great set up for everyone to enjoy the health benefits of the artesian water. The water is amazing & all the staff are great. Although a special mention must go to Danielle the Life Guard who is friendly, very approachable, kind & caring. A credit to all Management & staff for an outstanding public health facility, however Danielle & Mr Day are notably an asset to the place. We will definitely be returning every year!

This is a super impressive play structure. Unfortunately currently it is quite dirty and full of trash and graffiti. It would be awesome to see it restored. If you’re feeling brave go anyway! Good stop for a picnic anyway

Was once a great park but local vandals have ruined it. I know the council use to try to keep on top of the vandals but it appears the vandals damage the equipment quicker than it can be repair. Also the rocket itself has a terrible stench that appears to be permanently ingrained into the inside of the rocket. I assume this is the smell of the low life's that constantly vandal the location.

Kids had a great time playing here. Plenty of equipment, fresh grass, lots of seating available and other amenities. We only stopped over here, but a great place to stretch your legs on a long drive.

It's a good park with large play area and multiple structures. The park needs maintenance to be done because both rockets needs to be restored. The large center rocket with two slides is locked probably due to vandalism. There is ample car park space and has benches.

Great park for kids and parents. Play equipment suitable up to 10 years of age or thereabouts, covered picnic tables, clean toilets and plenty of parking. Excellent for a road trip break.

Nice stop for older kids as the rocket is tall and unless the parent wants to accompany smaller ones up, it may be too difficult for them. The only public toilets in park were locked or out of order

A bit phallic in shape but a great park with toilet facilities

Great parkfor lunch during your travel

I was hesitant to go to Rocket Park due to the comment about vandalism. Although it was a bit “tried”, we truly enjoyed this little park.

A beautiful well presented facility with a lot of local Australian made products for sale. The staff were very friendly but struggled to provide much help with what to see and do in the local area. This was surprising as we actually ended up figuring out a lot of good things to see and do ourselves from the information we obtained from the brochures they had on display. Moree is a great place to explore The amenities located within the building were very clean and well maintained.

Staff member was very helpful. As a former Moree resident, who was very saddened to see how the town had deteriorated, was glad to be able to buy a Lillymans soft drink.

Got all the infos I needed. Will be back soon. The campsite has three pools and one with 40degrees. So good, indeed.

Great place to stop for information, the staff were very lovely and helpful. Also loved the quilted coat

This facility was beautifully setup with local produces. I went to see the Moree Quit that was displayed. The staff is very helpful and we are able to get the guides we need.

We have had another wonderful visit to moree as usual find the locals lovely people who can't do enough to make your stay enjoyable gwydir caravan park is a wonderful experience ❤️

Very helpful and the lady I spoke to was very helpful and well spoken

I'm not a wine snob/connoisseur but do enjoy a bottle occasionally. I bought a 2008 cab sav whilst travelling through Moree and really enjoyed it. Didn't want the bottle to finish.

The savagnin, madeira and port are beautiful. Worth a visit

Was able to access this landmark with my motorbike, and I would not try if wet or just after rain. Beautiful location and interesting history.

Short dirt drive in, small hut and some interesting history, beautiful place along the river.

So much to learn about our pioneering history and the surveying of this area

Wow what a great piece of our history I'm so glad we stopped by for a look

Most know about Cameron’s corner however the One Ton Post is the other end of the NSW, QLD border laid by Cameron. I have it on good authority the post got its name as the navvies installing the post were heard to complain “eh Guvna this post weighs a Ton!” (I made this up).

The One ton post is a sight to see, good girth and the blokes that put it there are mad lads. I took me wife’s boyfriends out to see it. 10/10

Worth the 6km detour of highway to see the historical site. Has a wind up electric audio speaker on history of area.

Clean add easy to use, indoor and outdoor showers. Temperature was a little cooler after rain, but like a hot bath, very relaxing! Guests are coming and going all night but everyone is quietly chatting or relaxing. Showers have a sulphur smell, but the scent doesn't stay on you, and the baths themselves are odourless. Free & open all hours except 10 AM to noon for cleaning.

Very hot artesian baths at Lightning Ridge, mid north NSW Australia🇦🇺🧜‍♂️🧜‍♀️🏊‍♂️🥵 very hot water. It's good for you. A must visit. Also visit the opal mines and opal shops. Great history around the place. Very remote. The old pub has long gone unfortunately. The Diggers Rest. It was a fantastic place. How sad. 😌⛏️🪏⚒️⚖️🪃🛏🚫⬇️🇦🇺🌏🛻🛣☀️🌡🧨🕯📱📲

Almost too hot but a great experience. Best at dawn. Good sunset. Hot. Best to perch yourself on the edge or a step. Guaranteed to sleep like a baby afterwards.

Fantastic FREE public hot spring /bore baths. The water here is HOT, and varies between 40°- 46°C. There is also a second, smaller pool which is a few degrees cooler, but is only about 300mm deep, as opposed to the main pool which is about 1.6m deep. The pools are open all day every day, but are closed for cleaning between 10am-noon every day. It’s particularly nice to go in when it is really cold outside and the cool breeze helps keep your face cool.

Beautiful! Hot and relaxing water, perfect way to start or finish your day in lightning ridge! We watched the sunrise and would definitely go again Bore bath is around 45-50°c definitely worth it.

We’ve been coming back every year since 2022 (8 hours drive). We just love this place—sitting in the hot water under the night sky, watching a shooting star, it feels like pure paradise.

Excellent and clean. Very warm. Showers, toilets and change area. Cleaned between 10am and midday on weekdays

One of the best experiences we had in LR. The work that amigo put in here is absolutely staggering. Well worth the $15 admission. Waynes information was helpful . Would hope that Amigo sees the reviews so he can be justifiably proud of what he has achieved.

Simple set-up but worthy of the visit. $15 each to enter but we stayed over an hour. So much to wonder over one mans life work! The size of the iron stone was a marvelous effort. Well explained by a friendly guide who had all the answers and history. Glad it will be preserved by national trust.

Amazing! Definitely worth a look! Pet friendly and people working there had lots of information. Truly fantastic what people can do when they have the creativity and skills!

Look to be honest the $15 entry fee was not really worth the entry. I mean, it was ok but nothing that great. Half built castle made from local rock. The history given after entry was not extensive and I found out more on Google. But if you like a tourist attraction then have a look.

Very interesting place to visit, yes you have to pay for the visit,but money goes towards on going costs to let you have a look and see the Castle Amigo built and learn about his life

Amazing how much one man was able to build by himself.

Super impressive craftsmanship. The metal work and the rock building. Still feels unfinished and not a lot to see inside. Massive potential. Can imagine it would be awesome to have some events in there. Price was a bit more accessible than other activities in the area.

A fascinating building with an equally fascinating history. The current custodian has done her research and the original builder's dream of becoming an astronomer has a tragic and very sad story. Well worth the visit. An extraordinary place. Thanks Silva's for the tour

Just visited the Astronomers Monument. The owner was a lovely lady. Very passionate, enthusiastic & loyal to the Polish gentleman who created this quirky/intriguing monument. I found it fascinating! When myself & my family arrived, it was closed. I walked up to the gate & she was just coming out. She'd just had a plumber onsite, so needed to close. Entry was $10 and I was given a thorough tour. I asked permission to take photos, & she also suggested photo opportunities. The Astronomers Monument does have a fence around the property but not high enough for privacy/security. There isn't really a sectioned car park at the front however, if you go up to the fence/gate & speak to her, she'll happily guide you. I must note; whilst I was there, a couple stood outside the area taking photos, and didn't seem interested in coming in. I found this completely disrespectful & rude. She became quite upset and asked them to stop. In my opinion, if you're genuinely interested in the subject, be respectful and go in, and support the person/people who are doing their best to maintain the tourist attraction for future generations. She's lovely and I believe she's been misunderstood & mistreated. She deserves support from the local area, to help preserve this Monument for future interested parties like myself.

A unique "attraction" Lady who owns it is passionate and just a little bit crazy... I was glad there was three of us in the group - i thought i at least had a 1 in 3 chance of getting out alive. :-)

Interesting place built by a man who would have been considered an "outsider". Current custodian Ivana is a little eccentric, very passionate & very authentic. She doesn't put on any airs or facades, but is kind & genuine. This is not a polished, professional tour or tourist attraction. Treat it like visiting an old friend to catchup on how they've been for the past 10 years. Looked closed when we approached. We didnt try to take a free photo, but called out to see if Ivana was home and she came out after 5 mins. $10pp which she donates to charity. We spent 1.5 hr there but recommend telling Ivana if you have less time available.

An interesting tale of a bit of a battler who built the monument, and other interesting tales of the owner of it now and her own battles and humanitarian efforts. There's more to this place than just taking the photo. It's one of the cheapest things you can do in Lightning Ridge (only $5 for adults, kids are free, just remember to bring cash). Thank you Ivana for your time, the views from the top where great.

Ivana was a beautiful host! Very detailed tour. Brad Pitt thoroughly enjoyed it.

Wow, we knew nothing about this monument and thought it would be great to go a take a picture. DON'T DO IT.... Very aggressive lady demanding that we leave immediately and got a "you people" lecture. Didn't matter how many times I apologised she was not having a bar of it. I was very respectful but got none in return. Just had to walk away so she would stop.

We really enjoyed our tour by Ivana. Definitely worth a visit. She is a fabulous custodian of the Astronomers Monument. Hope to meet again .. thank you

Two incredible human stories embodied in one beautifully unique building and tour experience. Highly recommended to anyone looking for something different and memorable!

It's cute, lots of ' Stuff' . The history is interesting. Not worth $10 each adult. The self guided tour lasts 3 mins. We went there 8 yrs ago and I think it was a gold coin donation when the old fella owned it.

The bottle house is an example of the weird but practical use of the resources available in this area Building materials were scarce but empty beer bottles were plentiful as was mine waste so it was a cheap way to build walls, just scrounge some iron sheets for a roof and a few trees for framing and you have a house Lots of interesting stuff in the museum Worth a visit

We loved visiting the Bottle House Museum. It is just like is was in the 60s, but filled with antiques. A great little piece of history. When we went to visit it was free to see the outside, and $10 an adult and $2 a child to see inside.

As part of what lightning ridge has to offer to tourists is the bottle house, a house made nearly entirely of empty glass bottles. It was an immensely impressive sight to look at, with the sheer amount of work that would have had to been put into this, and the number of bottles that would have to be saved too. It seemed that a lot of these bottles are also like the same, meaning someone must have had to drink a lot of… something. We entered through the side of the house, where there was a lady in charge of the entry and also had some opal jewellery on display for sale. The entry was about 10 dollars if I recall correctly, and we went through, and it was pretty much like a hoarders house, but arranged in a much neater manner with several items of importance in a glass display. It was cool to see all these things, but I didnt really expect it at all. The front half of the house is filled with a bunch of bits and pieces of items from the past, like there is such a random assortment of things here that I cant simply group them into one word. It was pretty cool, and believe it or not, there were even more empty bottles inside. This is probably the jankiest looking museum ive ever been to, but it was an interesting sight for sure.

This was good to see & take photos on the outside. If you are interested in old artefacts & the different opals it's good to take a walk through.

Very interesting from the outside, didn't get to go in

Museum was closed at the time it was supposed to be open. Glass house and sculptures outside look quite interesting. There is a opal forseeking area in the backyard for paid visitors.

I just love John Murray's art work! As we have travelled it's been on silos and murals in places unheard if. The gallery is worth a viewing especially take time to watch the video of John speaking how he arrived in Lightening Ridge,his home and his art work. Only a small piece purchased but I have so many photos from the places visited and sighted his brilliant work. Thanks John for such talent!

A great chance to look at a lot of fantastic art. Even the kids were amazed. Sadly just missed John himself when we popped in. Loads of great merch based on John's art. No photos inside but lots to shoot outside and all around the town. Street parking out front

Definitely a must to visit! The artwork here is absolutely fantastic! So glad we dropped in for a look, left with the cutest cow cushion and small print! Free entry to get in a bonus but good luck leaving without buying something!

Travelling Aussies 🇦🇺 Visitors to Lightning Ridge - this is a must visit local gallery 🏆 We found John’s fabulous art to combine scenes of the local outback with familiar birds & animals, along with a uniquely Australian sense of humour ❤️ The gallery has a wide range of thoughtful merchandise available for every budget Highly recommended ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Great gallery. Well played out and John’s artwork is unique, finely detailed and very Australian outback. Staff are friendly and welcoming. If you are looking to purchase something to take home, there is a wide variety on offer affordable to everyone. A must see when you visit Lightning Ridge.

Amazing place to visit A must if you in Lightning Ridge No photos to be taken inside, only outside Great humorous art pieces Prints and original drawings available

This is a must if your in Lightening Ridge. A very talented artist.

Great place. Good set-up, interesting and informative. Friendly staff. Only improvements needed would be to provide a way more tourist friendly carpark and put big signs on their building to say that's them. There are 2 flags but they were hanging straight down and couldn't be seen. Use the GPS and it will land you right there anyway.

Do it! Go and see it! I had heard about the place from people and when we decided to visit lightning ridge we finally made it! We did the tour of the carvings and had a guided tour on the mine level learning from a local Opal miner! Just fantastic! The photos and videos just dont do the place justice! Its something you need to see to appreciate. Could easily go back multiple times and still not see everything!

This mine is absolutely amazing! The sculptures are brilliant and every turn brings a new surprise. The staff are very friendly and helpful and the shop is well set up. This is a definite stop if you are visiting Lightning Ridge. 10/10 folks!

Fantastic visit, well worth every penny, lovely tour guide on entering, self guided afterwards. Enjoyed the video on the process. Amazing sculptures

The black Hand Mine is a must see attraction when in lightning ridge. This attraction exceeded our expectations. Don't be afraid to take children into the mine the safety measures are excellent. There is a lift for those of us with mobility issues. Make sure you go you will not be disappointed. L&M. Brisbane July 2025

Learnt many things about the creation and locating of opals and the conditions needed to produce them. The massive amount of work that goes into digging tem out. The sculptures here were incredible to see. Really worth the time to see them. To do justice it would take several hours.

Lots of things to look at, welcoming tour guides, lovely selection of jewellery and opals in the gift shop. Lots of stairs to climb.

What a cool metal statue, it's ginormous!!! How the hell did they even construct it! Excellent😍

Great free camp about 11ks from Lightning Ridge , one toilet, better to be self contained, Stanley the big emu across the road, gets busy, first in best dressed, but still a great place to stop.

Pretty cool Big Thing made out of VW parts by local artist John Murray. In town there are a lot art works by this artist. He is definately talented. Stanley the Big Emu is located on the highway just past the Lightning Ridge turn off and on the way to Moree. You cannot miss him. Hi is huge! Well worth a stop for a photo.

Well, you just have to stop and look hey? Such an unusual piece of art, on the side of the Highway by Lightning Ridge, ‘Stanley’ the Emu. So quirky and definitely depicting Lightening Ridge. Made from a bit of this and a bit of that, I think I saw a VW Beetle!!! There’s a convenient rest stop opposite

Nice little spot just outside Lightening Ridge. Can pull up in either direction. Northbound has a small seating area.

Pretty cool giant sculpture in the middle of nowhere!!!

A must-stop photo opps on the way to Lightning Ridge! And it's got a great story, too. This was commissioned by a nearby town, but when they discovered the cost of transport, they changed their minds. So it stayed in Lightning Ridge where artist John Murray (who worked on it) lives. 📷 Aim for the evening, if you can, whole the sun is facing Stanley from the rest area, not behind it.

Our kids (6&3) enjoyed tearing around on the trikes available and the mini playground. Lots of space to sit outside, we had a nice cold beverage here and the food looked good that was being served. Middle of nowhere but very quirky and some great photos. Very friendly manager and a great experience! Dirt road to get out was a bit bumpy in our van but not for too long.

Best pub crawl in a long time, A must do experience, the locals are wonderful real people,always have story to tell.

A very rough and ready bush pub built from scratch out of bush timber and junkyard materials It has a unique look and feel about it There is a golf course and free camping Good beer and food

Staff was friendly and helpful. You can do a bit of noodling if you want to find opals. Meals were great.

The best atmosphere, friendly travellers, regulars, staff and locals. Simple meals and fair choice. Hamburgers superb, loved the Gold coin tea and coffee. Really clean nice loos. Not to hard to find with the map from tourists information. Definitely a must see. Xx

Great drive out, true outback feel! Loved the vibe, visited a sunday afternoon, sadly we just missed lunch but the beer was cold and the environment was awesome. The pool table has to be the coolest I have ever seen! Lots to look at and really loved the humor! Amazing bathrooms! Pet friendly on lead!

Lovely visit, great host that took us around and told us all about how it works in the bush.