The first time I heard about Coober Pedy, we were driving across South-Australia’s outback, as we were about to start working on a farm. I thought of Coober Pedy as just another creepy, easy-to-forget, ghost town. It was only a few weeks later that I realized exploring Coober Pedy could actually be interesting (especially if you’ve been locked up working full-time on that same farm for months)!
I had no idea such a place could exist and, quite honestly, not all Australians know that as well!
Expect tons of dirt and dust, unbearable hot weather, and be ready to be really far away from everything. Specifically, you’ll be 22 hours away from Sydney, 26 from Brisbane and 31 from Perth!!
If you are craving for the ultimate outback experience, then exploring Coober Pedy might be just right for you.
Those above are the reasons why most people simply skip or ignore this remote place. However, Coober Pedy is unique and will definitely surprise you, I promise!
It all started with an Opal…
Finding the special stone led to a mining boom that populated the area, giving Coober Pedy the name of Opal Capital of the World.
Up until this point, the small town was only used as a passing point for nomadic Aboriginal Tribes that knew very well about the stone but never saw any $$$ value in it and therefore decided to call the town “Kupa Piti”, which literally translates into “white man’s hole” – how ironic.
Nowadays Coober Pedy is still a mining town but people are attracted because of the weirdness around it. From underground buildings to desertic landscapes, Coober Pedy was definitely worth a stop!
Why do people in Coober Pedy sleep underground?
Something else Coober Pedy is famous for is its extreme weather conditions. We went there in November, and during peak times the heat was almost unbearable. In December, during summer, we were told to expect up to 50’C in the shade! People living in that area are fully aware of that and realized living underground might be just the right choice.
Once in Coober Pedy, we soon noticed that most of the houses were built underground, as well as some churches, museums and even bars! As we only had one night, sleeping underground was compulsory!
We stayed at Comfort Inn, a wonderful hotel built inside of an opal mine. As soon as we stepped in, we were relieved by the fresh air, even though no air conditioning was in use! We found the place pretty special as we learned about the mining process as well as some history about Coober Pedy.
Sleeping underground was a memorable experience, and I did not feel claustrophobic, as opposed to what most people say. The rooms were so nice and cool that actually made hard going outside and fight that heat.
I had one the deepest sleep of my life, in complete darkness and total silence.
From the Breakaways to the Coober Pedy sign
Exploring Coober Pedy will take you more or less 10 minutes, 15 if you take pictures. Surprisingly, there’s so much more to see around the town.
We had no time to wander outside Coober Pedy, but we were really hooked up by the “The painted desert”, which basically consists of three major attractions: Breakwayas, Moon plains and dog fence.
The Breakaways is a coloured and geologically remarkable piece of land, only 33 km north of Coober Pedy. The low hills seem painted and the area is extremely vast.
Moon plains, as the name suggest, take its name because of the similarity with the Moon ground. This is where off-world movies are filmed and a place that attracts many photographers from around the world.
The dog fence is the longest fence in the world! It runs across Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia and protects the sheep from wild dogs.
And finally… What would a day in Coober Pedy be, without visiting its famous sign? We especially liked this place at sunset (when was so much cooler!)
Things you probably didn’t know about Coober Pedy
- The movie “Pitch Black” was filmed in Coober Pedy, and you can see one of the spaceships just parked in town!
- You can play golf here, but don’t expect a green playground, as no grass grows at all. Instead, locals play at night to avoid the heat during the day and with a glowing ball, which I found hilarious.
- Coober Pedy has drive-in movies, which I was dying to go to. Apparently the ticket is super cheap and many backpackers stop there every evening!
Pin this for later!
2 Responses
Like!! Great article post.Really thank you! Really Cool.
Thank you so much for reading!