outback opal tours - private tour

On a hot and sunny afternoon, my wife and I were the only guests on the tour, which was scheduled for three hours. The pick-up time of 2pm was missed by 20 minutes. We drove around some of the mining areas and were offered a chance to go down a mine - 133 steps down a circular staircase, or a lift. Except that Eddy advised as we approached the mine that the lift was out of order. So we had to miss out (my wife has asthma, and would try just about anything, but the possibility of not being able to get back up very easily was too off-putting).Our guide, Eddy (or Eddie) tried to amuse us with his funny stories but he had obviously told them all dozens of times before so they sounded like he was reading a script - they lost all of their humour.We went to Amigo's Castle - don't bother. It's a folly that has no place in anyone's world. Eddy kept us there for about 25-30 minutes, seemingly just to stretch the time out. Regardless of his strategy, we arrived back in town just after 4pm: only just over half of the time the tour should take. Admittedly, had we been able to go down the mine, we would have been out longer. Then again, if we had known in advance that the lift wasn't working, would we have taken the tour? No - we'd already seen most of the areas covered simply by driving the Car Door tours ourselves, although with less info available to us.Make sure you really want to do this tour and not one of the others.

Some of these reviews refer to Black Opal tours ( Not Outback Opal Tours) eg guides Dave, John.Also morning and afternoon tea provided by Black Opal tours is Fresh Scones, tea and coffee.

We booked this tour on our last day in Lightning Ridge and I wish we had done it the first day. Our tour guide was Dave who was an opal miner. The tour was enjoyable and very informative. It gave you a bit of history and some great stories of the many of the miners who came for a visit and have never left. He showed us how to fossick for opal and what to look for which would of helped us in the days prior to this tour. We also did the Chambers of the Black Hand tour after this tour which was excellant as well. I would definitely recommend both these tours whilst in Lightning Ridge.

We went on the OPAL TOUR with a group so we all knew each other. Dave was our driver who spoke in a very loud and clear voice which was most appreciated. The tour took in most of the town and some camps around the town. Dave gave us lots of info including some history, he explained how they dig for opal, how it was discovered, without it being a boring monologue. We had morning tea back at their depot including a talk on the different values of opal. Highly recommend this tour especially when you first arrive.

Dave took us around the local sites on this day and it was an excellent insight in local characters and history. I really recommend this rather than trying to drive around yourself. We heard so many great stories. Worth every cent. We did the Black hand with this tour. Don't miss it. Sensational.

My wife & i were sitting outside the tourist office discussing the two tours available when a gent who was the rotary BBQ cook at the ajoining markets sujjested the black opel {he was a relief driver} and a local who was excellent John was his name. We spent the whole afternoon on this tour taking in most of the towns sights including finishing up with a fasinating underground mine tour. The afternoon tea with fresh scones jam & cream were great especially as we had not eaten lunch the bbq run out of all they were cooking.bob

We did this tour this arvo and it was very informative & Peter the driver/tour guide was very knowledgable about opals and the local area. The mine tour was quite interesting & you had to walk down this spiral stairway to get down into the mine. We got to go thru Amigo's castle built by a crazy Italian guy all by myself and its still not finished, it's a working progress. It's a worthwhile tour!

The tour guide was great very friendly and informative with lots of local information facts and a bit of fiction great morning tea scones