Underground Living and Opal Seeking in Coober Pedy




6.00
Arriving in Coober Pedy after a long bus journey through the dusty Australian Outback. I’m glad to be picked up by the hostel staff, as I can’t see a single person in the roads of the Opal Capital of the world, Coober Pedy. It’s not exactly what you’d call a busy place!

6.30
Finally I found my bed at the end of a very long corridor, 6.5m underground! Because of the heat most of the population in Coober Pedy live underground. It is nice and cool down here, a little dim and I only hear the deep breathing of other sleeping travellers. It’s creepy down here, but very special! I’m taking a little power nap.

9.00
While going upstairs to get my breakfast ready, I’ve been blinded by the sun and the heat becomes stronger with every step I climb to the ground level.

14.00
I just came back from the Opal tour, organised from the Radeka Downunder Hostel. The deserted moon like landscape around the town of Coober Pedy is beautiful.

Coober Pedy - The Australian Outback

After having heard a lot about opal mining, our group was dropped off close to a mine so we could seek for opals for half an hour.

The mining area has got many mine shafts, so we had to watch our steps and the sun was burning on our backs. It was worth the effort though, I’m the proud owner of 5 tiny but very shiny blue and turquoise opals! The visit to the cemetery was very impressive as it is nothing like you would expect a cemetery to be. There are no flowers at all (how would they survive the desert) and next to each grave you find plenty of empty beer bottles left from morning relatives. Once again I realise how different cultures can be.

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