The Opal Desert (11 page)

He shrugged. ‘Yep, there's a pub, a small motel and a B&B. Not as much as here.'

‘That sounds fine. Could you give me details, please, and I'll call them.'

‘Did I mention I won't be back for a week?' said Davo with a smugness that annoyed Kerrie.

‘No. You didn't. But that's fine, too. Pick me up in a week then.'

‘Cost you extra, if I have to make a special run out there.'

‘I'll pay. Now, shall we get going?'

There were a couple of surprised looks in Kerrie's direction when Davo announced that there would be a detour to Opal Lake to drop her off. Most of the passengers seemed happy enough to have an extended trip, even if they weren't staying more than ten minutes.

‘What's out there? It is an interesting place?' the Danish girl asked Kerrie.

Kerrie shrugged. ‘I don't know. I've never been there. But I'm about to find out.'

The girl smiled. ‘It sounds very romantic.'

Kerrie leant back in her seat, wondering about her sudden decision. What on earth was she doing? Had it just been Davo's complete lack of co-operation that had irritated her, or was she finally doing what Murray and Fiona had suggested – listening to her heart and following whim as it took her fancy? She pulled out her phone to ring the B&B and make a reservation only to discover that there was no mobile reception.

The ground was flat and red but occasionally it looked like sparks glinting in the afternoon light.

‘It's the gypsum fragments,' said Davo when someone asked about the sparkles. He pointed out a dry gully lined with wild orange trees and for the first time expounded at length. ‘They say trees are an indicator of opal because they grow where there's water along the fault lines. You seen the lines of trees along gullies and creeks. What's called wild orange is more of a shrubby tree, has fruit kinda like a plum, generally full of ants. But it has a pretty orchidy sort of flower. Box trees, leopardwood, gidgee trees, every area has its speciality. 'Cept for Coober Pedy where there aren't any trees so they built one of steel.'

‘Apart from the trees, how can you tell where you should dig for opal?' asked one of the Danes.

Davo gave a hard laugh. ‘Opal is where you find it, mate. Miners all have their theories about why opal is in one spot and not over there a few yards away. It's anyone's guess. Opals are a mystery.'

‘Sounds like they can be hard to find,' commented the retired man. ‘Are you looking for opals?' he asked Kerrie.

His wife looked at Kerrie's casual but groomed appearance and manicured nails. ‘Does she look like she's going to take up digging?' She smiled at Kerrie. ‘I hear you're an artist.'

Kerrie returned the smile, adding, ‘I have been known to get my hands dirty.'

‘This looks similar to White Cliffs. But smaller,' said the Danish girl as they drove into the small town.

Davo pulled up in front of the Opal Lake Hotel, which Kerrie thought looked like every other pub she'd seen since she'd left Sydney.

‘Time for a cold drink, use the toilets, pop into the souvenir shop or walk down the street. Fifteen minutes and we're off,' he said to the group. Then to Kerrie, ‘Well, here we are. Opal Lake. See you in a week.'

One of the men sitting outside the pub said, ‘You leaving her here? Give you a bit of trouble, did she, Davo?'

Davo shrugged. ‘Her choice. Don't ask me what she'll do with herself here for a week. Not my problem.'

Kerrie heard the exchange but ignored it. The man behind the bar was polishing a glass with a torn cloth. ‘Good afternoon. I've just arrived with the tour bus and —'

‘What can I get you?'

‘Actually I want to know where the B&B is. I'm staying in town for the week.'

‘No car then? Hmm, probably the best place is the Golden Dome. Up on Sampson's Hill.' He pointed towards one of the small hills at the far end of the street.

‘I hope they have a room, though it doesn't seem too busy around here.' Kerrie smiled, trying to sound cheerful.

‘There are a few people around. Everything's underground so it's hard to tell how many tourists are about. A private plane came in yesterday with a party of four. The caravan park is fairly full, too. We've got rooms, but I don't think it would suit you. Not sure about the Shincracker. That's the motel.'

‘Do you have the number for the Golden Dome?'

‘Here, use my phone. Mobiles don't work too well around here unless you have a sat phone.' He pushed his phone towards her.

Kerrie was starting to regret her impetuous decision until she heard the woman's voice at the end of the phone. It was friendly and welcoming.

‘Of course we can put you up. Do you want a double room or a large family double? No ensuites, plumbing is too difficult, but the bathrooms are central.'

‘It's all underground, isn't it? Maybe I'd better have the big room. I don't think I get claustrophobia, but just in case,' said Kerrie.

‘You'll be surprised! Just drive up Sampson's Hill and swing around to the right at the top . . .'

‘Actually I don't have a car, I came on the tour bus and decided to stay on.'

‘No worries, I'll pop down and get you. I have to pick up the mail anyway. You're at the pub, you said?'

Kerrie waved goodbye to the other tourists as they got back into Davo's small bus. Davo gave her a nod and a cocky grin as he closed the doors and the bus drove off, leaving her standing there with her carry-all slung over her shoulder and her sunglasses shading her eyes.

‘Sit down, miss, if you like,' called out the publican. ‘Pam will be along in a minute. She'll look after you.'

‘I hope I don't look like I need too much looking after,' replied Kerrie.

‘You'll like the Dome, and Pammie's a good sort. They've done a marvellous job on that place. Doug's done it all himself, too,' said one of the customers.

‘Are you a local? Are you a miner?' asked Kerrie.

‘I reckon everyone's a miner who comes to stay here,' said the publican. ‘We all walk around with our eyes down, just in case we kick over a floater.' He grinned.

‘And it's happened,' said another man. ‘Mick here picked up a beauty in the creek behind town a few years back.'

‘An opal?' asked Kerrie. ‘A valuable one?'

‘You bet. He gave it to one of the girls working behind the bar. She left town the following week. Silly dill.'

‘Here's Pam.'

A small red car drew up and a woman got out. ‘I'm Pamela James.' She smiled at Kerrie. ‘How you going, fellas?' She nodded to the men sitting outside the pub. ‘Where's your luggage?' She opened the passenger door for Kerrie.

‘I decided to stay here on the spur of the moment, so I hope I'll be able to pick up a few necessities. Davo said he'll come for me next week,' said Kerrie as she got in beside Pam.

‘No worries. How about you pop into the general store while I go to the post office and you can get a toothbrush at least.'

While Pam collected her mail, Kerrie looked around the small general store. ‘Well,' she thought. ‘I've got myself here, so I'll just have to rough it.' With that she bought some toiletries and a couple of souvenir T-shirts with ‘Opal Lake' embroidered across them.

As Pam drove up the hill to the Golden Dome, Kerrie was surprised at the expansive view of the flat country. There was the occasional tree and mounds of mullock, as well as mine shafts and machinery. A far line of hills broke the horizon and a cloud of dust trailing behind a vehicle seemed to follow a road scratched into the dirt.

Kerrie noticed that some places had vegetable gardens that were fenced and shaded. Some of the entrances to the underground dwellings were partially visible, while others were fully screened by slabs of corrugated iron and tarpaulins. In one garden rusting machinery and an old-fashioned caravan had been turned into garden ornaments, making it look messy and cluttered.

‘Some places look a little abandoned. Is that because most of it is underground?' asked Kerrie.

‘No, not entirely. A lot are empty. People might only come here for a couple of months a year. But Doug and me hardly ever get away. It's good to be busy. This is us.'

Kerrie was pleasantly surprised when Pam drove through two red rock pillars with stone frogs sitting on top. She parked the car in a rough clearing near clumps of red flowering bushes. Behind the parking area was a shady outdoor spot containing tables and chairs. Pam opened a green doorway into a bright foyer filled with lush potted palms. The domed roof above them disappeared into the orange stony earth of the hillside.

‘How lovely,' said Kerrie.

‘Have to pick your time to sit out here. Cool evenings are best, but you have to use insect spray. Sometimes the midges and mosquitoes are bad.'

Steps descended from the entrance foyer, and Kerrie realised that she was walking into the hillside beneath the dome. The walls were bright with white limewash, which was painted over the rough surfaces where the rooms had been dug out. While electric lights blazed, wherever possible skylights had been set into the curved ceiling to let in even more light. Some skylights seemed to double as air vents.

‘It's so bright, so light. And so cool.'

‘The underground stays around twenty-three degrees all year round. Bit like living in a wine cellar,' said Pam. ‘This is the reception area. I'll get you a form to fill in. There's a bar off the kitchen if you want to help yourself to iced water or juice. There's a lounge area, reading room, dining room and laundry down there. That corridor leads to the bedrooms and the bathrooms are just up on that level near the laundry so you won't have far to walk.'

Kerrie's room was a cave scooped out of the earth. It was white and clean and, although there were no windows, it didn't feel at all claustrophobic. ‘This is so homey. It's amazing. Did your husband build all this?'

‘These hills have been cleaned out of opal, so people made homes up here. Doug still has tunnels running back into the hillside and every time we want to expand, he digs out another room.' She laughed. ‘The original mine is still back there if you want to have a look. We run tours for visitors, but they won't disturb you.'

‘I'd like to have a look around.'

‘Wait till we show you the route. You could get lost in the old maze. Now get settled in. At sunset we like to gather outside for a glass of wine and you can meet the other guests. Dinner is in the dining room at seven, or if you'd prefer there's the pub grub or Molly's Café. Bit hard to get to at night without a car, though. There are books and a bit of memorabilia in the reading room. TV in the lounge works pretty well and there are plenty of DVDs. But most people don't bother too much. They find they go to bed early out here.'

‘I'll be fine,' said Kerrie. ‘Your place is wonderful. I'm glad I decided to stay. I'd never have experienced this on Davo's lightning tour.'

‘Davo's a bit of a loose cannon for a tour guide. He either gives you a full-on tour, camping out, the works, or else races people around like he can't get rid of them fast enough. He does a bit of gouging, opal digging, on the side at his camp out in the backblocks.'

‘Pam, I've just realised that I haven't let the hotel in Broken Hill know what I'm doing. Could I ring them?'

‘I'll do it for you, if you like. Just tell me which hotel you're staying at.'

‘That's very kind of you, Pam. Is everyone here this friendly?'

‘Well, maybe not everyone in Opal Lake, but most are.'

‘Is there an opal lake? Can you tell me about it?'

‘Actually it's pretty interesting, especially during the rare times when there's enough rain to fill it up. It's very shallow and thousands of birds appear out of nowhere and it looks like an inland sea, except most of the birds are standing not floating. Talking of inland seas years and years ago this whole area from White Cliffs as far across as Lightning Ridge was under the sea. Sometimes miners dig up fossils of shells and sea creatures, even dinosaurs. Shirley knows all about that.'

‘Shirley? Is she a geologist?'

Pam laughed. ‘No, Shirley's just Shirley, but she knows a bit about everything. She's our local historian, sort of. Lovely, lovely lady. I'll take you over to meet her if you like, she loves visitors because she rarely goes out.'

‘If she doesn't mind. I'd really like to know more about this place. But don't people get cabin fever if they stay here all the time? In Lightning Ridge, my friends were telling me that they like to get away for a break.'

‘In Shirley's case it's her choice. She's been here for years, although it's a lot harder for her to get about now, even if she wanted to. Poor darling, she's nearly crippled from arthritis and her eyesight isn't too good. She is nearly eighty. But so independent. Lives by herself in her dugout, doing her research and writing.'

‘You mean she's living in a cave? At eighty? That's just amazing. I'd love to meet her,' said Kerrie.

‘Righto, we'll pop up tomorrow. Now, I'd better go and see to dinner.'

‘Can I help?' offered Kerrie.

‘Not at all, you're a guest. Go and sit outside and Doug will introduce himself and bring you a wine or anything you'd like.'

Kerrie found that there were two other couples staying at the Golden Dome, a pair of married lawyers, and a banker and his wife. Over dinner they told Kerrie about the trip they were making, flying across the inland on a chartered jet to Broome on the north-west coast.

‘It's the holiday we've promised ourselves for years. No children, no rushed overseas trip, but a month going to places in our own country,' said one of the lawyers.

‘Places we know virtually nothing about,' added the banker.

‘And it's been the best holiday we've ever had,' said his wife. ‘Our pilot's staying at the motel. He said that he didn't want to be tempted by the nice wine at the Golden Dome,' she added. ‘We're all leaving early in the morning, so we hope we don't disturb you.'