About Us
Your Home away from home
Clean and cosy, staying with us is like exploring a new place with all the comforts of home.
History of Sonjas
The unusual history of Sonjas starts with the man who built it. While little is recorded, what is known is that a Hungarian migrant with a penchant for gambling made his way to Lighting Ridge to strike it rich. And surprisingly he did just that, using his newfound fortune to construct a strange homestead with Hungarian architecture in the middle of a remote Australian outback town.
Fast forward to the year 2000, when owner Sonja first saw the potential for a B&B when she was visiting Lightning Ridge from the Sunshine Coast with some opal miners.
She’d come for the Opal Festival, but after 10 days of exploring the town, meeting the people, and falling in love with the landscape, she didn’t want to leave!
Then, once she saw the house, with its beautiful Cypress Pine features and unusual architecture, she knew what she had to do. Sonjas Bed & Breakfast was born.
Now, Sonjas is a serene home away from home, with history-rich lodgings, a beautiful established garden and bird’s eye view of the famous opal fields.
Breakfast with Shaun and Suey
Shaun and Suey, owner and caretaker respectively, share a common passion. An absolute love for Lightning Ridge and the magnificent opals that can be found here.
Offering a simple but hearty breakfast, a comfortable bed, and a laid-back atmosphere in a uniquely designed house – all they want is for you to enjoy your stay (and maybe come across an opal for yourself!)
But if you ask Shaun, the real magic of Sonjas isn’t bed, breakfast or house – it’s Suey herself.
Suey’s infectious energy, life-of-the-party personality and zest for life mean you can’t help but smile while you stay at Sonjas. Guests love Suey, and she often takes centre-stage in their fond memories long after they’ve returned home.
The History of Lighting Ridge
Aboriginal legend tells of a huge wheel of fire that fell to earth and sprayed the countryside with brilliant-coloured stones. Of these coloured stones, the rarest and most valuable is the black opal.
In 1902 Charles Nettleton was the first European to discover the black opal. After a run of bad luck in White Cliffs and Queensland, he started prospecting on Nettleton’s Hill, Angledool Station. This was to become the community of Lightning Ridge.
When you come to Lightning Ridge, don’t be surprised if you feel something magical about the place. There are very few places on Earth where rare and mysterious gems can be found right below your feet, and this feeling was best captured by Laurie Hudson, Cumborah Postmaster 1947-1965, in his famous poem:
There’s a sleepy little township, out beyond the western plains,
Lightning Ridge, the town of opal, where there’s heat and scanty rains.
The location is not scenic, just rough ridges all around
Nature sired her scenes of beauty, in black opal, underground.
If you’ve never seen black opal, you have missed a splendid sight,
Like quicksilver gaily coloured, slipped through the shades of night.
Though you’ve roamed the whole world over, seen most all there is to see,
There are scenes you’ve never dreamed of, in the stone of mystery.