Coober Pedy

Coober Pedy - there is no way we would want to live here, and a lot of people we have spoken to have said when they drove into this town all they wanted to do was turn around and drive straight back out again. We understand their thoughts but we find it a fascinating place as it is like no other!

Looking across the footy oval in Coober Pedy at both above and underground homes

Coober Pedy is an opal mining town and they only get on average 5 inches of rain a year. The few trees in town are only there because the locals have drilled a hole in the ground, brought in some top spoil to put in the hole with the tree and spent all year every year watering them. It is dusty and dirty, there is not a blade of grass anywhere and most of the town live underground. The only water there is to drink is desalinated water – actually this tasted better than water we have drunk in a lot of other towns around Australia!! The surrounding countryside is barren and there are mounds of dirt everywhere which are the waste dirt piled up from the local’s underground mines.

Inside the underground Church

While in Coober Pedy we went and looked in the underground Motel and the underground Church – Aidan and Cody both thought it would be cool if their school church was built like this one. We also did a tour through the Old Timer’s Mine and got to see what it is like inside a mine and how they mine for Opal both now and in the old days. While on this tour we were also able to go through an old underground house to see what it is like to live underground.

Aidan in the underground mine

Jaime and boys in bathroom of underground house

Aidan and Cody also did some noodling which is where you look through scrap heaps of dirt to see if you can find Opal. They found quite a few little pieces of opal and were lucky enough to find a really nice piece on a larger rock which we got polished up to really show it off.

Cody and Aidan noodling for opal

The boys watching their piece of opal being polished (underground)

At the caravan park we enjoyed some games of giant chess and were lucky enough to get a ride on a super cool Trike which was owned by another camper. Funny enough, we actually met this guy in Hell’s Gate Qld, he was part of the car rally which came through while we were there

The boys having a game of chess (the frizbee and bottle are replacing missing pieces)

Aidan on the Trike with owner

Jaime taking Cody for a ride

On the way out of Coober Pedy we went and to see the Dog Fence, the Moon Plain and the Breakaways.

Aidan and Cody at the dog fence

The dog fence is the longest structure in the world stretching from Qld to Ceduna SA as was built to keep the dingos out of the sheep grazing country.

Looking out over the moon plain

The Moon Plains are just desolate plains while the Breakaways are very similar, difference being they are colourful rock formations. They were stunning.

Out in the Breakaways