Natural · Free artesian bore bath · New South Wales
Lightning Ridge Artesian Bore Baths
The experience
Lightning Ridge, in full
Out in the opal fields of far-north-west New South Wales, the Lightning Ridge Bore Baths are the great leveller of Australian bathing: a simple circular pool of hot artesian water, free to all and open around the clock. The water rises from the Great Artesian Basin through a bore more than a kilometre deep, surfacing naturally hot and mineral-rich at around 41–42°C.
There is nothing resort-like about it — a round concrete pool ringed by a low fence and a few lights, with basic change rooms nearby. That plainness is the point. Locals and travellers drift in at all hours, and the ritual most people remember is the late soak, steam curling up into one of the darkest, most star-filled skies in the country.
Signature: A late-night soak under the outback stars.
Services & facilities
What you'll find
- Free entry, open 24 hours a day
- A single large circular artesian hot pool
- Naturally heated Great Artesian Basin water
- Basic change rooms and showers nearby
- A cooler, shallower section to ease into
- A local institution, famous for star bathing
The good
- Completely free, and open at virtually any hour
- Genuinely hot, mineral-rich artesian water
- Night soaks under exceptional outback skies
- A real local ritual, not a commercial resort
The catch
- Very basic — one pool and minimal facilities
- Remote: far-north-west NSW, a long drive from anywhere
- Closes a couple of hours on set mornings for cleaning
Good to know
Before you go
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