In the central part of Australia there is a small mining town of Coober Pedy, one of the main attractions of which is its underground houses. The city is known as the opal capital of the world because it is home to about 30% of the world's opal reserves, more than anywhere else on the planet. I invite you to take a short photo walk around the opal capital of the world.
Most likely, the name of the city of Coober Pedy is associated with its unusual houses underground. In the Aboriginal language, Koopa Piti, from which Coober Pedy gets its name, means "white man's hole." The city is home to about 1,700 people who are mainly engaged in opal mining, and their houses are nothing more than underground “holes” made in sandstone at a depth of 2.5 to 6 meters.
It is located in South Australia, on the edge of the Great Victoria Desert, one of the most desolate and sparsely populated places on the continent. At the beginning of the 20th century, mining of precious opals began here, 30% of the world's reserves are concentrated in Coober Pedy. Due to constant heat, drought and frequent sandstorms, miners and their families initially began to settle in dwellings carved into the mountainside - often it was possible to get into the mine directly from home. The temperature in such an “apartment” did not exceed 22 °C all year round, and the level of comfort was not much inferior to traditional “ground” houses - there were bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, and bathrooms. But there were no more than two windows - otherwise it would get too hot in the summer.
Due to the lack of underground sewerage in Coober Pedy, the toilet and kitchen in the houses are located immediately at the entrance, i.e. at ground level. Bedrooms, other rooms and corridors are usually dug deeper. The ceilings in large rooms are supported by columns, the diameter of which reaches up to 1 meter.
Building a home in Coober Pedy could even make its owner rich, as it is home to the largest deposit of precious opals. Deposits in Australia, mainly in Coober Pedy, account for 97 percent of the world's production of this mineral. Several years ago, while drilling for an underground hotel, stones worth about 360 thousand dollars were found.
Rooftops of Coober Pedy. A common sight and distinctive feature of the underground city are ventilation holes protruding from the ground.
The opal deposit at Coober Pedy was discovered in 1915. A year later, the first miners began to arrive there. It is believed that about 60 percent of Coober Pedy's residents were from southern and eastern Europe who came there after World War II to work in the mines. For almost a hundred years, this city has been the world's largest producer of high-quality opals.
Since the 80s, when an underground hotel was built in Coober Pedy, thousands of tourists visit it every year. One of the most visited places in the city of opals was the home of its recently deceased famous resident, nicknamed Crocodile Harry - an eccentric, alcohol lover and adventurer who became famous for his many love affairs.
Photo: underground church in Coober Pedy.
Both the city and its suburbs, for various reasons, are very photogenic, which is why they attract filmmakers there. Coober Pedy was the filming location for the 2006 Australian drama Opal Dream. Scenes for the film “Mad Max” were also filmed in the underground houses of the city. Under the Dome of Thunder."
The average annual precipitation in Coober Pedy is only 175 mm (in central Europe, for example, about 600 mm). This is one of the driest areas in Australia. There is almost no rain here, so the vegetation is very sparse. There are no tall trees in the city; only rare shrubs and cacti grow.
Residents, however, are not complaining about the lack of outdoor entertainment. They spend their free time playing golf, although due to the heat they have to play at night.
Coober Pedy also houses two underground churches, souvenir shops, a jewelry workshop, a museum and a bar.
Coober Pedy is located 846 kilometers north of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia.
Coober Pedy has a desert climate. In summer, from December to February, the average temperature is 30 ° C, and sometimes reaches up to 40 ° C. At night, the temperature drops significantly, to around 20 ° C. Sandstorms are also possible here.
Underground gift shop in Coober Pedy.
The townspeople escape the heat by digging their own houses underground.
Underground bar in Coober Pedy.
These beautiful precious minerals are mined in Coober Pedy, a city called the “opal capital of the world.”
Some descendants of miners prefer to decorate their underground houses “a la naturel” - they cover the walls and ceiling with PVA solution to get rid of dust, while maintaining the natural color and texture of natural stone. Proponents of modern interior solutions cover the walls and ceiling with plaster, after which the underground dwelling becomes almost indistinguishable from an ordinary one. Both of them do not refuse such a pleasant little thing as an underground swimming pool - in one of the hottest places on the planet this is a particularly pleasant “luxury”.
In addition to housing, Coober Pedy has underground shops and museums, galleries and workshops, restaurants and a hotel, a cemetery and churches (including an Orthodox one!). But there are few trees and flowers here - only cacti and other succulents can withstand the hot, arid climate of these places. Despite this. The city has golf courses with rolling greens.
Coober Pedy is a regular stop on many tourist routes around Australia. Interest in the underground city is fueled by the fact that films such as Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and The Black Hole were filmed in Coober Pedy. And on the edge of the Opal Capital of the World lies the world's largest cattle farm and the well-known 8,500-kilometre Dingo Fence.
The city is famous for its opals; it is the capital of the opal stone, cast in all the colors of the rainbow. Opal mining is just under 100 years old, and its deposits were accidentally discovered while searching for water in 1915. Noble opal is distinguished by a rainbow play of colors, the reason for which is the diffraction of light on a spatial lattice and its value is determined not by its size, but by the unique play of color. The more rays, the more expensive the opal. One of the Aboriginal legends says that “long ago, spirits stole all the colors from the rainbow and put them in a stone - opal,” according to another, that the Creator came down from heaven to earth and where his foot stepped, stones appeared, shimmering with all colors rainbows. Opal mining is carried out only by private entrepreneurs. However, this industry brings about $30 million annually to the Australian economy.
The Coober Pedy region is one of the driest, most deserted and sparsely populated in Australia. On average, only about 150 mm falls per year. precipitation, and very large differences between day and night temperatures.
If you happen to fly over Coober Pedy, you will not see the buildings we are accustomed to, but only rock dumps with a thousand holes and mounds against the backdrop of the rocky red desert, which creates an unearthly landscape that will stun the imagination. Each cone-mound with a hole in the middle, visible on the surface, is connected by a shaft to the underground world.
Even the first settlers realized that due to unfavorable weather conditions, when the earth heats up in the sun during the day and the heat on the surface reaches 40 degrees Celsius, and at night the temperature drops sharply to 20 degrees (and sand storms are also possible), it is possible to live underground in mine shafts after opal mining. The constant temperature of underground houses is around +22-24 degrees at any time of the year. Today, the city is home to more than 45 nationalities, but the majority are Greek. The population of the city is 1,695 people.
Water comes from a drilled site 25 km away. artesian well from the city and relatively expensive. There is no public power grid in Coober Pedy. Electricity is produced by diesel generators, and heating is provided by solar water heating panels. At night, when the heat subsides, residents play golf with glow-in-the-dark balls.
Previously, opal mining was carried out manually - with picks, shovels, and the rock was pulled out in buckets until an opal vein was found, along which they then crawled on their bellies. Almost all the mines are shallow and the main passages in them are made by drilling machines that break through horizontal tunnels the height of a man and from there are branches in different directions. These are practically homemade devices - the engine and gearbox from a small truck. Then the so-called “blower” is used - a machine with a powerful compressor installed on it, which, through a pipe lowered into the mine, like a vacuum cleaner, sucks out rock and boulders to the surface, and when the compressor is turned off, the barrel opens - a new mini-mound is obtained - a waste heap.
At the entrance to the city there is a huge sign with a blower machine.
They live underground, grow cacti in their gardens, and play golf at night - this is what life looks like for the inhabitants of a small town in the Australian desert. We are talking about the opal capital of the world - the mining town of Coober Pedy. Residents of a town located in the southern Australian desert, where summer temperatures sometimes exceed 40°C in the shade, have found a simple way to cope with the heat. In their houses, even in the most terrible heat, it is always cool, but not at all because they use air conditioners; moreover, they do not need to wash the windows or hang blinds on them to avoid the prying glances of their neighbors, but all because the residents of Kuber- Pedis build their homes... underground.
Let's take a look into the opal underground city of Coober Pedy.
Most likely, the name of the city is associated with its unusual houses underground. In the Aboriginal language, Koopa Piti, from which Coober Pedy gets its name, means "white man's hole." The city is home to about 1,700 people who are mainly involved in opal mining, and their houses are nothing more than underground “holes” made in sandstone at a depth of 2.5 to 6 meters. (Photo: Les Pullen/South Cape Photography)
It is located in South Australia, on the edge of the Great Victoria Desert, one of the most desolate and sparsely populated places on the continent. At the beginning of the 20th century, mining of precious opals began here, 30% of the world's reserves are concentrated in Coober Pedy. Due to constant heat, drought and frequent sandstorms, miners and their families initially began to settle in dwellings carved into the mountainside - often it was possible to get into the mine directly from home. The temperature in such an “apartment” did not exceed 22 °C all year round, and the level of comfort was not much inferior to traditional “ground” houses - there were bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, and bathrooms. But there were no more than two windows - otherwise it would get too hot in the summer.
Due to the lack of underground sewerage, the restroom and kitchen in the houses are located immediately at the entrance, i.e. at ground level. Bedrooms, other rooms and corridors are usually dug deeper. The ceilings in large rooms are supported by columns, the diameter of which reaches up to 1 meter. (Photo: Les Pullen/South Cape Photography)
Building a home in Coober Pedy could even make its owner rich, as it is home to the largest deposit of precious opals. Deposits in Australia, mainly in Coober Pedy, account for 97 percent of the world's production of this mineral. Several years ago, while drilling for an underground hotel, stones worth about 360 thousand dollars were found. (Photo: Les Pullen/South Cape Photography)
Rooftops of Coober Pedy. A common sight and distinctive feature of the underground city are ventilation holes protruding from the ground. (Photo: Robyn Brody/flickr.com).
The opal deposit at Coober Pedy was discovered in 1915. A year later, the first miners began to arrive there. It is believed that about 60 percent of Coober Pedy's residents were immigrants from southern and eastern Europe who came there after World War II to work in the mines. For almost a hundred years, this city has been the world's largest producer of high-quality opals. (Photo: Les Pullen/South Cape Photography)
Since the 80s, when an underground hotel was built in Coober Pedy, thousands of tourists visit it every year. One of the most visited places in the city of opals was the home of its recently deceased famous resident, nicknamed Crocodile Harry, an eccentric, alcoholic and adventurer who became famous for his many love affairs.Photo: underground church in Coober Pedy. (Photo: Jacqui Barker/flickr.com).
Both the city and its suburbs, for various reasons, are very photogenic, which is why they attract filmmakers there. Coober Pedy was the filming location for the 2006 Australian drama Opal Dream. Scenes for the film “Mad Max” were also filmed in the underground houses of the city. Under the Dome of Thunder." (Photo: donmcl/flickr.com).
The average annual precipitation in Coober Pedy is only 175 mm (in central Europe, for example, about 600 mm). This is one of the driest areas in Australia. There is almost no rain here, so the vegetation is very sparse. There are no tall trees in the city; only rare shrubs and cacti grow. (Photo: Rich2012)
Residents, however, are not complaining about the lack of outdoor entertainment. They spend their free time playing golf, although due to the heat they have to play at night. (Photo: Les Pullen/South Cape Photography)
Coober Pedy also houses two underground churches, souvenir shops, a jewelry workshop, a museum and a bar. (Photo: Nicholas Jones/Flickr.com).
Coober Pedy is located 846 kilometers north of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. (Photo: Georgie Sharp/Flickr.com).
Coober Pedy has a desert climate. In summer, from December to February, the average temperature is 30 ° C, and sometimes reaches up to 40 ° C. At night, the temperature drops significantly, to around 20 ° C. Sandstorms are also possible here. (Photo: doctor_k_karen/Flickr.com).
Underground gift shop in Coober Pedy. (Photo: Lodo27/wikimedia).
The townspeople escape the heat by digging their own houses underground. (Photo: Lodo27/wikimedia).
Underground bar in Coober Pedy. (Photo: Les Pullen/South Cape Photography)
These beautiful precious minerals are mined in Coober Pedy, a city called the “opal capital of the world.” (Photo: James St. John/Flickr.com).
Some descendants of miners prefer to decorate their underground houses “a la naturel” - they cover the walls and ceiling with PVA solution to get rid of dust, while preserving the natural color and texture of natural stone. Proponents of modern interior solutions cover the walls and ceiling with plaster, after which the underground dwelling becomes almost indistinguishable from an ordinary one. Both of them do not refuse such a pleasant little thing as an underground swimming pool - in one of the hottest places on the planet this is a particularly pleasant “luxury”.
In addition to housing, Coober Pedy has underground shops and museums, galleries and workshops, restaurants and a hotel, a cemetery and churches (including an Orthodox one!). But there are few trees and flowers here - only cacti and other succulents can withstand the hot, arid climate of these places. Despite this. The city has golf courses with rolling greens.
Coober Pedy is a regular stop on many tourist routes around Australia. Interest in the underground city is fueled by the fact that films such as Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and The Black Hole were filmed in Coober Pedy. And on the edge of the Opal Capital of the World lies the world's largest cattle farm and the well-known 8,500-kilometre Dingo Fence.
The city is famous for its opals; it is the capital of the opal stone, cast in all the colors of the rainbow. Opal mining is just under 100 years old, and its deposits were accidentally discovered while searching for water in 1915. Noble opal is distinguished by a rainbow play of colors, the reason for which is the diffraction of light on a spatial lattice and its value is determined not by its size, but by the unique play of color. The more rays, the more expensive the opal. One of the Aboriginal legends says that “long ago, spirits stole all the colors from the rainbow and put them in a stone - opal,” according to another, that the Creator came down from heaven to earth and where his foot stepped, stones appeared, shimmering with all colors rainbows. Opal mining is carried out only by private entrepreneurs. However, this industry brings about $30 million annually to the Australian economy.
The Coober Pedy region is one of the driest, most deserted and sparsely populated areas in Australia. On average, only about 150 mm falls per year. precipitation, and very large differences between day and night temperatures.
If you happen to fly over Coober Pedy, you will not see the buildings we are accustomed to, but only rock dumps with a thousand holes and mounds against the backdrop of the rocky red desert, which creates an unearthly landscape that will stun the imagination. Each cone-mound with a hole in the middle, visible on the surface, is connected by a shaft to the underground world.
Even the first settlers realized that due to unfavorable weather conditions, when the earth heats up in the sun during the day and the heat on the surface reaches 40 degrees Celsius, and at night the temperature drops sharply to 20 degrees (and sandstorms are also possible), it is possible to live underground in mine shafts after opal mining. The constant temperature of underground houses is around +22-24 degrees at any time of the year. Today, the city is home to more than 45 nationalities, but the majority are Greek. The population of the city is 1,695 people.
Water comes from a drilled site 25 km away. artesian well from the city and relatively expensive. There is no public power grid in Coober Pedy. Electricity is produced by diesel generators, and heating is provided by solar water heating panels. At night, when the heat subsides, residents play golf with glow-in-the-dark balls.
Previously, opal mining was carried out manually - with picks, shovels, and the rock was pulled out in buckets until an opal vein was found, along which they then crawled on their bellies. Almost all the mines are shallow and the main passages in them are made by drilling machines that break through horizontal tunnels the height of a man and from there are branches in different directions. These are practically homemade devices - the engine and gearbox from a small truck. Then the so-called “blower” is used - a machine with a powerful compressor installed on it, which, through a pipe lowered into the mine, like a vacuum cleaner, sucks rock and boulders to the surface, and when the compressor is turned off, the barrel opens: a new mini-hill is obtained - a waste heap.
At the entrance to the city there is a huge sign with a blower machine.
People of the older generation probably remember the Soviet film “Kin-Dza-Dza”. There was an episode where the main characters are brought to the city. But there is no city as such. There are only small pipes sticking out in the middle of the desert landscape. The people in this film (at least some of them) lived underground, and the pipes served for ventilation. Entire settlements lived literally in the ground, only occasionally emerging to the surface.
So the movie city has a very real prototype. This is the mining town of Coober Pedy, located roughly in the center of the state of South Australia. It lies on the Stuart Range, 300 kilometers from Lake Eyre National Park. The outskirts of the city are a deserted and deserted landscape. Hundreds of kilometers around are sparsely populated areas. To get to Adelaide (the state's largest city and the fifth largest in Australia), you need to get 850 kilometers south along the Stuart Highway.
Coober Pedy on the map
- Geographic coordinates -29.010474, 134.757343
- Distance from the capital of Australia Canberra is about 1550 km
- Distance to the nearest airport Ceduna is approximately 360 km
All distances are shown “as the crow flies”
And people there really live underground, in specially dug apartments. The decision to live under a layer of earth is dictated by local natural conditions. During the day, the air warms up to 40 o C, and by night the temperature can drop to 7 o C. Sudden temperature changes make life on the surface not entirely comfortable. And periodic sandstorms further aggravate the situation.
Here we could not help but deviate from the topic. It seemed to us that these “terribly harsh”, downright unbearable conditions were not so terrible. Read about the Pole of Cold in Russian Oymyakon. The conditions there are really unrealistically difficult. There, even car tires can crumble like chocolate, and temperatures of minus 40-50 are quite common.
What basically forced people to go underground in Coober Pedy? After all, Australia is a wonderful continent; there are many places much more suitable for life. Take Hyams Beach, a beach with perfectly white sand. Scramble in the sand and look at the ocean. Or Fraser Island, where sand has been fighting with the rainforest for hundreds of years. But no, people are drawn to the desert, and even underground. The answer is actually simple. There are huge reserves of the precious mineral here. Opal is why people still live here. It has been mined here since 1915.
This is what opal looks like In general, simple opal was first found in these places back in 1849 at the height of the gold rush. Full-scale mining began in 1915, when noble opal was discovered here. According to scientists, approximately 30% of all world reserves of this valuable mineral are located here. That's why Coober Pedy is also called the Opal Capital of the World. Opal is widely used in jewelry.
The miners adapted to living in dugouts. It turned out that the temperature there was almost always about 22°C. Miners often went to work directly from home; for this, tunnels were dug directly into the mine. The workers dug entire houses underground, and lived well in them. In addition to housing, there is a bar, a museum, churches, an art gallery and even a hotel for tourists who want to experience what it is like to live underground.
The development of equipment and technology has allowed more than half of the inhabitants to move to the surface, but there are citizens who still live underground. And they live very well. Their house has everything they need for a comfortable stay - a kitchen, living room, bedrooms and even bathrooms. Naturally there is electricity, running water and sewerage. They call these apartments “Dugout” and come in two versions. Natural and modern. In the first option, the walls of the house are only strengthened with special impregnations or an emulsion of ordinary PVA glue. This prevents them from falling off and eliminates dust. In addition, this design creates the illusion of primitiveness. You can take pigments and place mammoths, or in our case kungurus, on the walls. Modern design involves creating familiar rooms, but only underground. In this case, the floor, walls and ceiling are leveled, plastered and poured. The result is a completely modern home. Its underground character is revealed only by the absence of windows. In the beginning, according to tradition, two windows were made near the front door, but then the temperature balance in the room was disturbed. However, now this problem can be solved by installing an air conditioner. Everything else is the same as in any modern house. Sometimes both styles are combined and you can go from a trendy and modern living room to a primitive bedroom.
- translated from the language of the local tribe, Coober Pedy means “white man’s hole” or “underground white man”
- extraterrestrial desert landscapes have become natural settings for some famous films. In particular, scenes from the blockbusters “Mad Max.” Under the Dome of Thunder" and "The Black Hole" were filmed here. There’s even an entire starship from the movie “The Black Hole” preserved nearby.
- The city hosts a number of festivals: Coober Pedy Races, Queen of the Desert and the Opal Festival. And all the residents gather annually to celebrate the end of summer with noisy celebrations.
- according to 2011 data, just under 1,700 people lived in the town
- In 1956, the largest opal was found in the Coober Pedy area. Its dimensions are 28 x 12 x 11.5 cm. Weight is 17,000 carats or 3.45 kilograms. The find was valued at 2.5 million Australian dollars. This nugget was named Olympic Australian Opal (originally The Olympic Australis Opal) in honor of the then Olympic Games in Melbourne
- there is an underground cemetery in the city
- There is no water at all in Coober Pedy. Many times people tried to drill wells, but they never managed to get to the water. The region cannot boast of heavy rainfall - usually no more than 150 mm falls per year. Water comes through a 24 km long pipeline from a small settlement nearby (this settlement could not be found on the map, if you have information about this, please let us know)
Coober Pedy photo
Finally I got to the photos of the city of Coober Pedy. We passed it earlier when we were still traveling around the state of South Australia.
To virtually walk around the city, click on the green “View Larger Map” in the lower left corner. When the map opens, drag the little yellow man onto the city streets.
This is an amazing city. We have very pleasant memories of him.
Coober Pedy is called the "opal capital of the world" and is an Aboriginal word for "white man in the hole."
Up to 90% of the world's precious opal production comes from Australia, and about three-quarters of this comes from the state of South Australia.
At first glance, Coober Pedy is not much different from other mining towns. Dirt roads cross the entire territory and waste rock dumps are visible. But there are no towers or lifts over the mines and there are no buildings.
Strange round mounds with a hole in the middle give the impression of a volcanic area dotted with small ash cones.
Each of these small hills is connected by a shaft to an entire underground world.
The soft, sandstone rocks of the desert are not at all difficult to dig with a pick and shovel, although explosives are also used. Most opals are found at depths of up to 24 m, but many workings are much shallower. Each miner is allocated a small area in which he works. The technique is mostly traditional. A prospector digs up his plot of land, hoping to find a large vein that will bring him a fortune.
In addition to this beautiful mineral, the houses of local residents, dugouts - underground dwellings in which natural temperature control is carried out - are also very popular.
Even the first prospectors realized that they could settle relatively comfortably underground, in dwellings that cost almost nothing. As for their successors, their families live in modern underground comfort. Many of their houses are very large and simply luxurious, and some even have underground swimming pools.
These areas are for underground dwellings. Such areas are located on the outskirts of the city. You can buy and dig your own house or motel. During the season, all motels and hotels here are occupied. As everywhere else, you need to book a room in advance.
It should be noted that there is absolutely no water in Coober Pedy - no matter how much they drilled, they have not yet reached the water. When you consider that this is one of the rainiest regions of Australia, it becomes clear that water was initially very expensive because it was transported many kilometers by pack animals, mainly camels. Currently, there is running water, but water is still relatively expensive ($5 per 1000 liters).
Coober Pedy is one of the hottest places on the planet. And in an underground house the temperature stays at 22-26 degrees all year round. We were invited to visit one of these houses. 60% of the city's population live underground.
The owner of the house is named George Russell. He is the owner of Oasis Tourist Park
A good person, very sociable. Gave him a decent discount when we stayed at his motel the first night.
The next morning, George showed his house.
This is the living room.
Indeed, a very pleasant coolness after the scorching sun.
This is a guest house. On the right along the stairs, there is a kitchen and 2 rooms of the owner of the house.
To the left of the stairs are 3 guest bedrooms, a toilet and a bathroom.
All underground rooms are spacious, with high ceilings and well ventilated.
Very cozy and comfortable.
I wanted to have a house like this here. Sometimes we come to live in absolute silence, without radio and electromagnetic waves that surround us everywhere.
The town has not only underground houses, but also numerous underground hotels, restaurants, shops and even churches.
In 1988, the world's first underground hotel was inaugurated. This hotel became so popular that many locals began opening large and small motels, as well as 3 and 4 bedroom guest houses throughout the city.
One of the first underground motels that we saw was “Radeka down under motel”, it is located on the main street of the city.
This is a mid-range motel.
It’s 11 am, and it’s already +36.
We were greeted by the owner of the Martin Motel.
A very colorful guy.
There are rooms that are located in the rock, and rooms that are 6.5 meters underground.
We chose a room, of course, underground. It's much more interesting to sleep there.
It was an active opal mine until the 1960s.
And in the mid-80s, the mine was transformed into an underground complex - a motel.
The cost of living in a motel starts from $32.
This is our number. We rented it for $70 (they gave us a $10 discount).
Everything is very simple. Everything you need is here. The very fact that you sleep underground already sounds unusual. And most importantly, it’s cooler here than at the top. And this was one of the reasons why we went underground.
Overall, I slept well in this room. The only inconvenience is strong audibility. You can hear all the neighbors. Therefore, those with nerves of iron and good sleep should settle here. Gabriel, for example, slept well. And I listened half the night to my neighbor’s snoring and the crying of a small child. So, if anyone needs to sleep, live up in the rock.
These rooms are mainly used by students who do not have money for a room, or lonely tired travelers who quickly fall asleep and hear nothing.
And you can move into this room with a large group and remember the pioneer camp. It would be fun. 
To be continued…
To view photos in large size, click on them 1-2 times.
In one of the driest corners of Australia, where instead of rain there are sandstorms and there is no water even underground, the Australians have built an underground city with all the attributes of public life.
The town of Coober Pedy is located in the state of South Australia on the eastern border of the Great Victoria Desert. It got its name from the Aborigines, who called the settlement of new Australians in their ancestral lands “the white man’s hole.” And the city itself arose as a miners' village. In 1915, noble opal was discovered in the Stuart Range, and it subsequently turned out that there were layers of precious stone here, amounting to 30% of the world's reserves.
From the heat to the ground
Coober Pedy's climate is very harsh. The sweltering heat during the day gives way to a sharp drop in temperature at night. The temperature difference reaches 20 degrees. On the surface of a person there are clouds of flies. In addition, sandstorms often occur. To escape the heat and the pervasive sand, the first settlers of the mining village began to build their homes in the exhausted mines. The peculiarities of the development of the opal deposit required the construction of shallow horizontal mines in the form of tunnels with branches. Miners and their families began to settle in such sleeves.
Real apartments with several rooms were equipped underground. To keep things cool, they usually cut one or two windows near the front door, so the air temperature was naturally maintained around 22-24 degrees.
Churches, shops, workshops, and a cemetery were built underground.
Nowadays, the few residents of the city live in both underground and above-ground dwellings, with air conditioning installed to create a comfortable atmosphere. The dug houses are fully equipped with modern means of comfort - sewerage, electricity, running water. There is even a choice in the decoration of the premises - natural, when the walls of the rooms cut into the stone are simply coated with a special composition for cleanliness, and modern - the stone walls are sheathed with plasterboard, and such a house is indistinguishable from other houses in Australia.
The main treasure
As already mentioned, the city arose from an opal deposit. There is a museum, shops, hotels, and a small local airport. Feature films are often shot in the fantastic surrounding landscapes. In the city and surrounding areas, the preserved remains of decorations, various mechanisms and aircraft remind of this.
But the main treasure in these desert lands is water. The nearest artesian well was dug 25 km from Coober Pedy. No matter how close we looked, there was no water. In former times, water was delivered here by pack caravans and it was worth its weight in gold. Modern city residents receive water from a piped water supply system, but its price is much higher than in other regions of the country.
- Iron trees grow in the city - artistic decoration with familiar forms
- The most common form of vegetation is cacti.
- Dug underground houses are called Dugout
- Churches are open for free visits, the main thing is not to forget to turn off the lights when leaving, as the signs at the entrance ask you to do.
- The city's small population consists of 45 nationalities
- Blower - a vacuum cleaner machine for sucking rock from a mine to the surface
How to get there
Coober Pedy is located next to the Stuart Highway, between Adelaide and Alice Springs. The nearest city, Port Augusta, is 500 kilometers away.
Coober Pedy is a convenient place to visit on an excursion on the way to the Red Center from Adelaide. If you wish, you can stay overnight in the underground city at a local underground hotel. If you are traveling around Australia, you will certainly use the Stuart Highway, which crosses the mainland from south to north, passing through the states of South Australia and the Northern Territory; it is simply impossible to drive past Coober Pedy.
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