Appearance
White Cliffs is a small opal mining town in the Far West (Outback) region of the Australian state of New South Wales.
Get in
White Cliffs can be reached from Wilcannia via a good 93 km sealed road. Be extra careful of animals on this road.
It is also possible to cross from Broken Hill on an unsealed road passing by Mutawinji National Park.
Get around
See
- A Heritage Trail leads visitors around the town to sites of interest, such as the location of a "camel beer" riot in the 1800s.
- Solar Power Station. Solar concentrator array, no longer operational
- Walk/drive/ride along the trail among the small active mine workings, which look like human-scale ant nests.
- Some tours of small-scale mines or abandoned mines may be available.
- Paroo-Darling National Park, ☏ +61 8 8083 7900. Wetlands and bird life. Dirt road access. Visitor centre in White Cliffs.
Do
- Fossick. There are fossicking areas set aside for searching for opals.
Buy
White Cliffs' primary industry is opal mining, and many shops around town sell opals and opal jewellery.
Eat
The local cafe serves as a store, fuel supplier and cafe serving take-aways or eat-in.
Drink
At the Hotel/Motel
Sleep
- White Cliffs Underground Motel, 129 Smiths Hill, White Cliffs, NSW 2836 (follow signs from White Cliffs), ☏ +61 8 8091 6677, info@undergroundmotel.com.au. Sleep underground as the locals do at a steady naturally-regulated 22C. Family-style dinner provided at extra cost: don't be late. Reached along a 1km gravel road from the center of town. Swimming pool (not underground!) $105.
- White Cliffs Hotel/Motel, ☏ +61 8 8091 6606. Above-ground cement-block building in the center of White Cliffs.