Coober Pedy

Being so close to this unusual town, I travelled the mere 700km (one way) to see it!  Unfortunately I probably didn't do it justice, staying only one day however The Old Timers Mine was fascinating!  Original diggings were halted and closed off in 1916 by persons unknown for reasons unknown:  Much valuable opal still remained thus the reasons remain a mystery.  In 1968 an underground dwelling was having a bedroom added and in the process broke thru into the old mine.  Recognising the tourist potential, the whole affair was then developed into The Old Timers Mine tourist attraction, and a great one it is.  It was expanded to include an underground museum and a shop, all dug out of the solid sandstone of the area.  This sandstone is very compact and doesn't need shoring up when tunneling into:  Pillars are left to provide support though.

The Northern Territory is blooming after a very wet summer; moving south into South Australia, however, it got drier and drier and had a very desert look about it.  On approaching Coober Pedy, a unique landscape begins to appear 30km north of the town:  This is the conical shaped piles of stone dug up from a mine.  It looks a bit extra terrestrial, thus a unique setting for Mad Max and other movies!  In the town itself there are verandahs fastened to the side of a hill, with a house/motel/bar/whatever dug into the hill.  Apparently the temperature remains a constant 23-25 degrees and flies won't go underground - why wouldn't you live there!  There are quite a few conventional houses as well, for which air conditioning is a must as summer temperatures are HOT. 

The Old Timers Mine.  The admission price is very reasonable with only a small additional charge to rent an iPod with a self guided tour installed and which contained a wealth of information.  The tour starts in the old mine, which was all dug by hand.  Displays and information give a good explanation as you go from station to station and over at least two levels.  The access shafts were designed for a specific individual with handholds & footholds carved into the side, the width & shape of the shaft exactly suiting the person using it.  When a seam of opal was found, it was carefully and tediously dug out by hand with a pick or other suitable tools, so as to not damage the gemstone.  While powerful machines do the main digging today (a demonstration on the surface was included), the opal seams are still winkled out by hand.  After the old mine you come up into the living quarters, which are left as they were in the 1970's.  In the photo of the girls bedroom, on the right hand side you can see where the intended extension broke through into the old mine.  There was also an underground Post Office, apparently the only one in the world.  A great tour!

Being the Opal Capital of the World, there are quite a few shops selling a wide variety of the product.  All too confusing for me, but interesting to look at.

Coober Pedy is in a bit of a downturn as seems to be common in many outlying towns and while the Opal Capital of the World apparently there is a dependence on tourism as well.  A major attraction, The Big Winch ("Oh, if you're going to Coober Pedy you MUST see The Big Winch!") was closed with a 'For Sale' sign on the door.  I never did find the Serbian Orthodox Church, which was written up as magnificent.  The information was vague and I ended up at the Stuart Highway, hot, tired and a bit grumpy so I turned north. 

North of Coober Pedy is The Breakaways, an interesting geological feature.  I stopped for a quick visit on my way back north.