Letter to Mummy & Daddy - 31 May 1973

A letter handwritten by Christopher to his parents on route from Mungandi to Lightning Ridge explaining the process of hunting for opals

Dear Mummy & Daddy,

George, Don, and I left Brisbane yesterday. We travelled past Warwick, over the ranges at Cunningham’s Gap and down in to the dry flat country beyond, arriving in the late afternoon at Mungindi. We camped by the Barwon river, with a view to doing some sketching before moving onto Lightning Ridge tomorrow morning. Don works hard at his painting; his progress is slow. Perspective, he finds hard, but this is compensated by use of clean lines and colour. George painted in oils, doing several pictures rather hurriedly, I think. I did a few water colour sketches. I might be losing interest in painting. Gardening may be a better past-time for me in future. The nights are much cooler inland. Unless you have several blankets, you would not get to sleep. There is one thing about the winter months – there are no mosquitoes, ants and half the other creatures about that can make sleeping on the ground hazardous, cooking by lamp light a battle and measuring ones stores impossible. In the day, the sun rises over the scrub and bleached grass rises into a clear blue sky. After it reaches a certain height, it becomes pleasantly warm. A slight breeze at any time of the day can be chilly. Don likes to do the cooking. We are camped by the river’s edge. Here, Yellowbelly, Jewfish, Perch, Bream, Redfin and Murray Cod are caught. The river is about twenty yards wide, looks deep. Tall gum trees are reflected in its calm. George may throw a line in.

I have seen a few Parrots – the red and green ones that swoop among the eucalyptus in small bunches, the grey, blue, and yellow Cockatiels; and pink and grey Galahs that you see feeding on the ground. There are the white Cockatoos that like to watch out from the tall river side gums. Very few butterflies, for its winter – the small yellow ones with black tips – for its winter now.

We plan to travel onto Lightning Ridge tomorrow morning. Since its not far away we should get there in the morning. I expect the business of building a camp will take the rest of the day.

You might pass on your new address and give the day you intend to move over there. I might find something to do, so as not to get in the way of your move. George and I should arrive in England at the end of June. Hope all goes well.

On page 2 are sketches made on the river bank at Mungindi. It did not take long to set up camp at 9 Mile Lightning Ridge. I looked around and observed the hole that might be worked. Two holes were being worked nearby. The place is pegged and claimed – No one appears to be working it though. Will plan to get down when no one is around. I notice this can be done as the two who are working their wholes in the proximity are underground early in the morning. George will take the rope out when I and the tools have been lowered. I will clear a lot of dirt and prepare the place.

Then the ideas is we start gauging. I will hopefully find an alternative entrance out. Shafts in the well dug areas join up. This is a safety measure. I will check the roof for cracks. It appears to me; this is the only chance of finding opal here. It’s a very dry but the digging to be done is on the floor. On an earlier occasion George and I found opal low. Other has dug over it. There is about a week’s work.

Saw a swag man on the road, could not pick him up as the car was too loaded.  Miles of country stood before him. There are not many of these people nowadays. 

With love,
from Christopher