Have you heard of the “Underground Motel” at White Cliffs, Outback New South Wales? This unique building was built for visitors to escape the scorching heat aboveground where Opal miners were in full swing in Outback Australia and worth a visit if you find yourself within cooee of the town.
(The heat was such a contrast from Coffin Bay where two days before we’d been devouring oysters sitting amongst the cool waters of oyster beds or walking among Murphy’s Haystacks outside Streaky Bay.)
SO… set your GPS to White Cliffs, enjoy a cool night’s sleep and the next day maybe snag yourself an opal at mines that resemble the surface of the moon!
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White Cliffs Underground Motel
Double bed room – photo credit www.frugalfrolicker.com
Strange to some, but the motel is only open in the cooler months of the South Australian weather. Why the cooler months you ask – well the temperatures can reach 47 degrees Celsius (116 degrees Fahrenheit) in summer and the motel is closed for business between November and March.
Only the flies and the mad people would want to walk around in that heat!”
Where is this White Cliffs Underground Oasis?
Heading home after caravanning in South Australia, we crossed to New South Wales and found ourselves in Wilcannia’s “Warrawong on the Darling Caravan Park”. Here we enjoyed a prolonged a Happy Hour (with a capital “H”) around the fire pit and next morning hit the Opal Miners Way towards White Cliffs. The 73kms of road were sealed and in excellent condition – a nice surprise as we’d expected dirt road.
- From Wilcannia – 48 min (72.6 km) via Opal Miners Way
- From Broken Hill – 2 h 48 min (268.2 km) via Barrier Hwy/A32 and Opal Miners
Town of White Cliffs –
“Blue Sky, Red Earth, White Cliffs”
White Cliffs itself is quite small. Really there’s only a pub, a general store, a few opal shops and a service station – a very expensive one! The nothingness of the location is quite humbling – especially to think that pioneers lived in the stinking hot conditions with no air conditioning. Even though the temperature was considered “mild”, we were extremely hot and keen to experience life underground.
White Cliffs Underground Motel
Luck was on our side as we’d visited on a quiet day and the friendly manager gave us a map of the Motel and let us loose to explore. The motel gets very busy and only the day before there had been three busloads of tourists staying over to experience this cool underground oasis in the Aussie Outback.
So off we went, map in hand, discovering bedrooms, bathrooms, lounge rooms, games rooms, a café, restaurant and more – all referred to as “dugouts”.
Single bedroom. Photo credit www.frugalfrolicker.com
The Motel, opened in 1989 and has beds for 100 guests. Wandering through the extensive area we found lots of interesting history and framed photos showing the older days of opal mining and details of how the motel came about.
History of Opal Mining at White Cliffs
Can you imagine being above the ground in a wild dust storm and a temperature of 50 degrees, then in a turn around the thermometer dropping to below zero?
No wonder the “dugout” is called a “haven in a hostile world.”
Double bedroom and light ambience created by the rock walls.
Unique Pace and NO Modern Technology.
Be warned…there’s no radio or mobile phone coverage (it’s ok, you will survive), no fridge, TV or air conditioners/heaters.
Relaxation is the key word in the peaceful dugout that is cool in summer and warm in winter having an average temperature of 21 – 23 degrees.
Try not to miss the dartboard because the walls are rock!
An excavator has cut away the side of the hill, leaving a vertical face and the rooms are carved out the rock, all painted white to help with the reflection of light. Originally picks and shovels were used when building the motel with buckets and wheelbarrows to remove the dirt!
AND the entire underground complex is the size of a football field!
Then we found stairs! So up we went into the blinding sunlight and found a quiet roof top area (or rather “rock top”) offering incredible views of the landscape. Amazing views or not, we only stayed long enough for a photo – the cool inside of the motel was calling us after about five minutes.
The Beer Garden on top of the Underground Motel.
There’s another comfortable outdoor lounge at the motel that would be very appealing with a coldie in your hand during the time between the boiling hot and cool temperatures of the day, i.e. the late afternoon. The Aussie Outback at its best.
Outdoor Lounge Area to enjoy before the heat arrives!
There’s even a wine cellar with a regular temperature of 22 degrees all year round! (Eat your hearts out everyone who struggles to keep their Cab Sav at the correct temperature!)
Perfect temperature for a wine cellar.
Cost to Stay at the Motel
- Double or Twin Room is $149 for one person $179 for two people – includes continental buffet breakfast
Additional person $30 which includes continental buffet breakfast.
Single Room is $118 – (also includes cont. breakfast)
Extras in room is $25 – (also includes cont. breakfast)
White Cliffs Opal Mines.
The population of White Cliffs has dwindled from 5,000 to 200 since the mining boom of the 1900s. These were the days when men were men. They would travel by paddle steamer on the Darling River getting off at Wilcannia and walk the 95km distance with a wheelbarrow.
What stories this old wheelbarrow could tell!
Some even walked from Broken Hill seeking their fortune. Modern technology has changed things of course, but looking around the mines it was easy to picture the early miners working in scorching 50 degree with little or no comfort – always chasing the, often illusive, opal discovery.
Opal fields – some abandoned, some still working.
The location of the mines, both disused and still active, was a bit like (I imagine) being on the surface of the moon. We saw dozens, maybe hundreds, of old mines scattered across the landscape. Most had the shafts covered, but you wouldn’t want to wander too far in case you disappeared into oblivion never to be seen again!
However, the toilets were easy to find!
“Nobody’s Toilet” at White Cliffs Opal Fields.
Old Equipment with Stories to Tell.
Fascinating is an understatement when driving past disused equipment and the like. I’m sure if machinery and equipment could talk there would be many stories of great opal discoveries to tell.
Might be rusty, but still works!
Old Caravan to let on the Opal Fields. TLC required.
The White Cliffs Opal Mine Addiction
Like most hobbies, opal mining can be an addiction. I mean – who wouldn’t want to get out of bed at 6 am every morning and swing on the end of a jackhammer for a few hours!
But according to one old miner we spoke to – “it’s nice when you find an opal”.
This hobby would suit the baby boomer travel adventurers, as there are a few miners out there in their 80s still chasing the dream at nine metres below the surface! (Must admit, opal mining isn’t on my wish list at this stage!)
AND, there are still 100+ mines that have been converted to “dugouts” and are now very comfortable and cool underground homes.
Why not Buy an Opal!
White Cliffs is best is known for seam opal which is usually white (milk) opal or crystal opal and two major retail outlets are
Red Earth has tours as well so you can go underground and see how times have changed from the early days – you even get a chance to dig on the mine face with your fingers crossed for a find. This is so long as you have no problems being 45 feet under the ground!
Cost:
- $25 – Adults
- $15 – 10-16 years
- $10 – under 10
- Children under 3 FREE.
Being Baby Boomer Travellers, we’ve decided to head back down south next year and stay at this Outback Oasis. We plan to sit on top of the motel in the late afternoon looking out over the rich and lava-like sunsets, enjoy the landscape and wait for the stars to come out. (There’s no light pollution at White Cliffs).
Mustn’t forget the pick and shovel, and maybe put in a bid for that wheelbarrow!
Handy Tips
- Fill up with fuel at Broken Hill or Wilcannia before heading to White Cliffs.
- Travel between April and October to avoid the extreme heat.
