New Town (Lightning Ridge)

The “New Town” of Lightning Ridge, the town as we now know it, was surveyed in 1907 along with the Lightning Ridge Cemetery, both on land least likely to be opal bearing.

At that time, the population of the area was concentrated at two settlements, Wallangulla or “Old Town” situated at Sim’s Hill, and Nettleton which was located on the Three Mile Flat, below Lunatic Hill.

From the time of the surveying of the new town, pressure was put on business owners at both older settlements to relocate to the New Town. An ultimatum was delivered to the people of the Wallangulla settlement in 1911, with the Old Town wrapped up by 1913.

Businesses at the Nettleton settlement on the Three Mile Flat were advised to relocate or cease business in 1912, with no commercial contracts at Nettleton to be renewed.

The name “Lightning Ridge”, was officially gazetted in 1963, the town was declared by Western Lands in 1980.

Article: Edited by Russell Gawthorpe. LRHS research compiled by Len Cram and Barbara Moritz. Sources: Walgett Spectator, 28 September 1911; ‘Proposed Alteration of the Name of the Village of Wallangulla to Lightning Ridge’, NSW Government Gazette, 7 June 1963, p. 1657.