 First edition | |
| Author | Ion Idriess |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre | memoir |
| Publisher | Angus and Robertson |
Publication date | 1940 |
Lightning Ridge is a 1940 book by Ion Idriess. [1] It was an autobiographical account of part of his life, in particular his time in opal mining in Lightning Ridge. [2]
Opal is a hydrated amorphous form of silica (SiO2·nH2O); its water content may range from 3 to 21% by weight, but is usually between 6 and 10%. Due to its amorphous property, it is classified as a mineraloid, unlike crystalline forms of silica, which are considered minerals. It is deposited at a relatively low temperature and may occur in the fissures of almost any kind of rock, being most commonly found with limonite, sandstone, rhyolite, marl, and basalt.
Kollikodon is an extinct species of mammal, it is usually considered to be a member of Australosphenida and closely allied with monotremes, but is alternatively suggested to be a haramiyidan. It is known only from an opalised dentary fragment, with one premolar and two molars in situ, as well as a referred maxillary fragment containing the last premolar and all four molars. The fossils were found in the Griman Creek Formation at Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia, as was Steropodon. Kollikodon lived in the Late Cretaceous period, during the Cenomanian age.
Castlereagh Highway is a 790-kilometre (490 mi) state highway located in New South Wales and Queensland, Australia. The highway's northern terminus is at a junction with Carnarvon Highway, south of St George, Queensland. Its southern terminus is at a junction with Great Western Highway at Marrangaroo, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north-west of Lithgow. From north to south the highway traverses South West Queensland and the North West Slopes, Orana, and Central West regions of New South Wales.
Lightning Ridge is a small outback town in north-western New South Wales, Australia. Part of Walgett Shire, Lightning Ridge is situated near the southern border of Queensland, about 6 km (4 mi) east of the Castlereagh Highway. The Lightning Ridge area is a centre of the mining of black opal and other opal gemstones.
John William Pilbean Goffage MBE, known professionally as Chips Rafferty, was an Australian actor. Called "the living symbol of the typical Australian", Rafferty's career stretched from the late 1930s until his death in 1971, and during this time he performed regularly in major Australian feature films as well as appearing in British and American productions, including The Overlanders and The Sundowners. He appeared in commercials in Britain during the late 1950s, encouraging British emigration to Australia.
Norman John Oswald Makin AO was an Australian politician and diplomat. He was an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1919 to 1946 for Hindmarsh, from 1954 to 1955 for Sturt, and from 1955 to 1963 for Bonython. He was Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives from 1929 to 1932 and served as Minister for the Navy, Minister for Munitions (1941–1946) and Minister for Aircraft Production (1945–1946) under John Curtin, Frank Forde and Ben Chifley. He was the first President of the United Nations Security Council in 1946, and served as Ambassador to the United States from 1946 to 1951.
Fulgurotherium is the name given to a genus of ornithischian dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Griman Creek Formation. It lived in what is now Australia.
Walgett Shire is a local government area in the Orana region of New South Wales, Australia. The northern boundary of the Shire is located adjacent to the border between New South Wales and Queensland. The town of Walgett is located on the Namoi River, nearby to its junction with the Barwon River and at the junction of the Kamilaroi Highway and the Castlereagh Highway.
Ion Llewellyn Idriess was a prolific and influential Australian author. He wrote more than 50 books over 43 years between 1927 and 1969 – an average of one book every 10 months, and twice published three books in one year. His first book was Madman's Island, published in 1927 at the age of 38, and his last was written at the age of 79. Called Challenge of the North, it told of Idriess's ideas for developing the north of Australia.
The Halley's Comet Opal is the largest uncut black opal in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. It is so named because it was unearthed in 1986, a year when Halley's Comet could be seen from Earth. It is the third largest gem grade black opal ever recorded, the largest one extant, and the largest specimen ever found in its region. It was found at Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia by the Lunatic Hill Mining Syndicate. It weighs 1,982.5 carats (396.50 g) and is about the size of a man's fist. The Halley's Comet Opal is a very fine specimen, with few flaws or blemishes and a large green and orange 1.6 cm (0.63 in) thick color bar which goes through the opal. Formed about 20 million years ago, it is an example of a nobby, which is a natural lump-shaped opal found only at Lightning Ridge. As of 2006 it was for sale at $1.2 million.
The Griman Creek Formation is a geological formation in northern New South Wales and southern Queensland, Australia whose strata date back to the Albian-Cenomanian of the Early-Late Cretaceous. It is most notable being a major source of opal, found near the town of Lightning Ridge, New South Wales. Alongside the opal opalised fossils are also found, including those of dinosaurs and primitive monotremes.
Angledool is a locality in upper western New South Wales near the southern border of Queensland, one kilometre east of the Castlereagh Highway and approximately 45 kilometres north of Lightning Ridge. At the 2016 census, Angledool had a population of 58 people.
Deep Blue Sea is a hat designed by Australian milliner, Ann-Maree Willett, which is made from Australian wool felt and set with 26 precious opals from Lightning Ridge, weighing a total of 1447.5 carats.
The Shadow of Lightning Ridge is a 1920 Australian silent film starring renowned Australian sportsman Snowy Baker. It has been called the most "Western"-like of the films Baker made in Australia.
Prospecting for Gold is a 1931 non fiction book by Ion Idriess. It is a guide on how to prospect for gold.
The District Council of Port Broughton was a local government area in South Australia from 1892 to 1997 seated at the town of Port Broughton.
Elsie "Ma" May Jenkins was an opal and mica miner who worked at Lightning Ridge and Coober Pedy in South Australia and Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Australia. She is best known as the "Opal Queen" referencing her impressive opal collection.
Weewarrasaurus is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of the Griman Creek Formation near Lightning Ridge, in New South Wales, Australia. The type and only species is W. pobeni, known from the holotype, an isolated dentary preserved in opal, as well as a secondary referred dentary. It is thought to have co-existed with multiple other ornithopods of different sizes and lineages.
Fostoria is a genus of iguanodontian ornithopod dinosaur from the Griman Creek Formation of New South Wales, Australia. The type and only species, Fostoria dhimbangunmal was described in 2019.
Sammy Lunn was a South Australian fundraiser and philanthropist who was acclaimed in his state as a fundraiser for Australian Service-men who served during World War I. Lunn was also an active member of the Port Adelaide Football Club.
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