chambers of the black hand

JABH2013

Unbelievable and this experience will stay with youCannot believe the skill, the imagination, the quality of workmanship.These carvings are not to be missed and added to all the timeAppreciated by all the family, friends and suits all age groupsA bus service from motel or well signed roadNo wheel chair access

joyc433

An awesome experience, not to be missed. How talented is Ron Canlin. A truly gifted artist.The tour guide had personality plus. Lightening Ridge is a great place to visit. This is of course number 1 on my list. Thankyou for sharing your amazing gift with the world.

83kerynm

We did a tour of the mine on Sunday 18th January. The cost was $35.00 per person which I thought was a bit expensive until i experienced the tour. It was a truly unique experience and i would have happily paid more. The staff are friendly knowledgeable and fun. The artist is a truly talented man. We were lucky enough to meet him. There are many many carvings and each one is spectacular. I could have easily spent ally day there. The underground opal shop has some great jewellery at reasonable prices. If you go to lightning ridge you should not miss this tour. We have been travelling australia for six years and it is one of the best atractions we have seen

C3389FAmarkl

Great attraction for the whole family and the unassuming surface entry (where we wondered if we were in the right place) opens up to an amazing attraction below ground. Not cheap at $35 per adult including a mine tour (didn't charge us for our 7 year old) although everyone enjoyed the visit including our 7 year old. Few steps to go down and back up again although there is a small lift if you can't handle the stairs. All the staff were friendly and helpful and made you feel welcome.

vickib388

I'm not sure how anyone could dig out this mine and create so many intricate carvings. It is quite amazing. We were given the tour by a guide who had plenty of personality and obviously enjoyed what he did. He explained not only the background to the artist and the carvings but also about opal mining in Lightning Ridge and in general. After the tour we were left to explore the carvings for as long as we needed. Tea, coffee and water was available afterwards before we were dropped off at our accommodation by a friendly staff member.

BrianS667

We were not sure what to expect, so expectations were not high, we were stumbledd, the carvings in the rock were amazing. Caricatures, classical figures, animals, comic figures, religious figures and more. If in Lightning Ridge do not miss this Labour of love/work of art .

BatemansBayNutRoast

There must be more than a few obsessive folks in this town. The Chambers are no exception. Gosh, for 16 years, the artist worked a labour of love on this masterpiece, and I am sure, carving figurines out of sandstone and making a dollar was most probably the last thing on his mind. I was astounded by the Chamber, but I was in AWE of the Opal Mine tour, one level below.Peter, our guide was a wealth of first hand information His anecdotes made the tour all that more worth the money. His modestly owned knowledge was a breath of fresh air.If You get the chance, take the tour! It doesn't look much from the top, in typical Lightening Ridge Fashion, but, you will be pleasantly surprised by this professional outfit!

lisaskye

Loved this place, so great to get underground into the cool. The shop has some great Jewellery and the mine tour is fascinating. And the carvings, although not my thing, I can appreciate all the work that has gone into this labour of love. A great place to visi

HelenPatric

This is a must see in Lightning Ridge. The explanation of how the Opals are dug was O.K. but the artistry craved into the walls is something to really savour. Our teenage son really enjoyed the experience. The carvings are so clever.

294JustinC

At first you might think that this is just another hole in the ground, showing how miners dig and all that stuff, but when you reach the bottom of the 15 meter descent you are greeted by the lovely staff and then asked to pay an entry fee. The $80 family ticket is a bit up there in the price scale, but you do get to see alot and there's a coffee station waiting for you once you come around. As with everything in Lightning Ridge, there is a bit of eccentricity about the people who run the place, the hours of operation are flexible, and it would seem, random, and I would've preferred to see a limit to the amount of people they let in. The time we visited, there were a number of groups and some where not as patient as others. The mine corridors are narrow by design (1.2m is the maximum allowable width) and you might get either caught up by slow moving visitors, or you might get roused upon by impatient people who just want to fly past but can't!All up, it is worth a visit, but once you've seen it, there is no reason to visit the place again

Possum1953

For a man who has had no formal art or sculpting training the work he has done is simply gob smacking. Absolutely a must see. Good selection of jewellery in the shop as well. narration by guide is very informative so you also get a good background on what life was like in the early years.

SharonA811

We did both the carvings and mine tour and enjoyed it immensely. Had paid $25 for the family to do a self guided tour of another mine in town so at $5 extra per person over 8 years this was a bargain. If we had have visited this place first I wouldn't have wasted my money on the other tour!

Lightw

It was great to experience the underground mines and the artworks Ron Canlin. This is such a unique experience. The shop is fascinating and all the staff very friendly. Definitely recommend.

surprisealotw

This was our first attraction in the 'Ridge. We were cautious about going underground in a 'small mine tunnel', but were pleasantly surprised when we entered the Chambers of the Back hand. we soon forgot we were underground. The art work is amazing!! We took both tours, both levels. Each tour gives you a different insight to the Chambers. Our Mine guide was areal opal miner with loads of stories to tell us and facts about the mine that we were in. The first level is amazing, I won't spoilt it for anyone - but a must do. If you have kids they will like the search for "Where's Wally" along the way. We missed a few, but enjoyed ourselves.

JanB00

One of the must sees in LR even if there for a short time. I hesitated as im a bit claustrophobic but i was fine. Well lit and easy to exit if need be. Met the sculpture who works there most days. A real joy and surprise.