Lightning Ridge 2024

As usual, we used Waze for navigation around town and on the highways to Sydney, but it doesn’t handle backroads or dirt roads well. Leaving Camp Blackman, Waze suggested a 409 km route to Lightning Ridge, while Google Maps offered a 269 km option. We chose the shorter one, though it included about 30km of dirt road. It wasn’t bad, but recent rain had left two deep ruts, likely from a truck.

We decided to fly the drone and try the “follow me” feature. That’s when things went wrong. I hadn’t checked the default distance settings, and while Karen drove, I got distracted. When I looked back, the drone was hovering 400 meters behind us, out of range, with the controller warning that it had reached its max distance (1500m). To make matters worse, the battery was nearly dead. I couldn’t remember how to adjust the settings, and I didn’t want the drone either flying too far back or crashing. So, I jogged down the road, managed to land it with just 4% battery left. Lesson learned. Offending footage on youtube link below
https://youtu.be/5V3Tyg6mGro

Out here, the paddocks are massive, and the machinery matches. We passed an 8-wheel tractor and later a herd of cows being looked after by a modern-day Jackaroo—cowboy hat on, phone in hand, sitting on his horse.
https://youtu.be/Z49eu_FixUk
https://youtu.be/dT1UfmoIUHE

I expected Lightning Ridge to be similar to Coober Pedy, but so far, it’s much nicer. We had dinner at the Bowls Club and are looking forward to exploring more tomorrow.Read more