Poverty Point

Poverty Point is an opal field located to the right of the old Baroona track, just past the Old Dry Rush turn-off from Fred Reece Way. It was discovered in 1910 by Donald Ross and Bill Wilhardt, who found two ounces of seam and received £5 from local buyer Ted Murphy.

The field produced opal at depths ranging from one to twenty feet. A handful of black stones were found early on, and in 1915, a miner named MacNaught sold a single gem quality stone for £25. Still, the majority of claims produced only trace. The field’s name reflects this disappointing outcome.

A number of White Cliffs miners attempted to work Poverty Point, to no great success. By 1967, total production from the field was estimated at £8,000.

Article: Research by Russell Gawthorpe and Leisa Carney, edited by Russell Gawthorpe. LRHS research compiled by Len Cram and Barbara Moritz. Sources: The Lightning Ridge Book, Stuart Lloyd, 1967, pp. 69-70; Lightning Ridge - The Home of the Black Opal: Unique to the World, Gan Bruce, 1983, p. 92.