AROUND a 1000km north west of Sydney, you could be forgiven for thinking there’s not much out in the wide open brown fields.
A quirky town with a pub, a primary school, a general store and Flying Doctors clinic are the only main infrastructure, with hardly a house in sight. But around 200 people live here, you just can’t see them because they live underground.
The town was established in the late 19th century when opal was discovered. Opal has been mined ever since. The first Australian opal was found 20 years before in Queensland in 1872, when a party of kangaroo hunters were operating in the White Cliffs area. One of them, who had left the party to track down a wounded kangaroo over some low stony hills, picked up a pretty stone which appealed to him. When taking back the stone, they suspected it could be opal which the local jeweler confirmed. He advised to get as much opal as possible since this could be more profitable than kangaroo hunting. When the group filed a claim, opal had not yet been listed under gemstones, and it was decided to file the claim under the “Gold Mining Act”
You can even stay there at the Underground Motel.
The White Cliffs Underground Motel offers a unique underground experience in New South Wales. It has a 3 star AAA rating, swimming pool, restaurant and bar.
The White Cliffs Underground Motel is a huge underground complex with 30 underground rooms and 2 above ground rooms. It has been open as a Motel for over 20 years welcoming guests from all over the world for an experience that is absolutely unique, bringing together the vast outback, underground living and Opal mining.
The motel boasts a tranquility that ensures a relaxed and peaceful stay. Once you venture underground, the distractions of modern life are let behind. There is no radio or mobile phone coverage, no fridge, TV or bathroom noise. Generally facilities and amenities are located along the edge of the complex, supporting both the peace of underground living, and the stability of the soil structure.
Underground, the motel remains a constant and comfortable 22 to 23 degrees, all year.
A quirky town with a pub, a primary school, a general store and Flying Doctors clinic are the only main infrastructure, with hardly a house in sight. But around 200 people live here, you just can’t see them because they live underground.
The town was established in the late 19th century when opal was discovered. Opal has been mined ever since. The first Australian opal was found 20 years before in Queensland in 1872, when a party of kangaroo hunters were operating in the White Cliffs area. One of them, who had left the party to track down a wounded kangaroo over some low stony hills, picked up a pretty stone which appealed to him. When taking back the stone, they suspected it could be opal which the local jeweler confirmed. He advised to get as much opal as possible since this could be more profitable than kangaroo hunting. When the group filed a claim, opal had not yet been listed under gemstones, and it was decided to file the claim under the “Gold Mining Act”
You can even stay there at the Underground Motel.
The White Cliffs Underground Motel is a huge underground complex with 30 underground rooms and 2 above ground rooms. It has been open as a Motel for over 20 years welcoming guests from all over the world for an experience that is absolutely unique, bringing together the vast outback, underground living and Opal mining.
The motel boasts a tranquility that ensures a relaxed and peaceful stay. Once you venture underground, the distractions of modern life are let behind. There is no radio or mobile phone coverage, no fridge, TV or bathroom noise. Generally facilities and amenities are located along the edge of the complex, supporting both the peace of underground living, and the stability of the soil structure.
Underground, the motel remains a constant and comfortable 22 to 23 degrees, all year.
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