Coober Pedy, a small town in northern South Australia with population of 3,500. Located in the Australian outback, Coober Pedy is hundreds of kilometres from the nearest settlement but the town is known as the opal capital of the world because what are widely regarded as the most precious opals are mined there. The name ‘Coober Pedy’ comes from the local Aboriginal term kupa piti, meaning white man in a hole.Opal was first found in Coober Pedy on the 1st of February 1915 and since then has been supplying the world with the majority of gem quality opal. Coober Pedy today relies as much on tourism as the opal mining industry to provide the community with employment and sustainability.

Coober Pedy has evolved in to one of the most unique places in Australia and perhaps the world. It is a cosmopolitan town with a population of 3,500 and over 45 different nationalities. The relaxed and friendly lifestyle of the town has made it a breeding ground for cultural tolerance, diversity and acceptance.

Coober Pedy is probably best known for its unique style of underground living. There is a range of underground accommodation (as well as above ground if you prefer). There are authentic underground homes to explore as well as underground museums, potteries, opal shops, an art gallery and, of course, opal mines.

The harsh summer temperatures and the dominant industry mean that most residents live in caves bored into the hillsides and work underground in mine shafts. A standard three bedroom cave home with lounge, kitchen, and bathroom can be drilled out of the rock in the hillside for a similar price to a house on the surface. It remains at a constant temperature, whereas surface living needs air-conditioning, especially during the summer months, when the temperature often exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). The relative humidity rarely gets over 20% on these hot days, and the skies are usually cloud-free. The average maximum temperature is 30-32 degrees Celsius, but it can get quite cool in the winter.

The first tree ever seen in the town was welded together from scrap iron. It still sits on a hilltop overlooking the town. The local golf course – mostly played at night with glowing balls, to avoid daytime temperatures – is completely free of grass and golfers take a small piece of “turf” around to use for teeing off.

Things to see in Coober Pedy: Coober Pedy
There are a number of truly remarkable attractions around Coober Pedy and the most sensible, and most reasonably priced, way of seeing them is to take a bus trip which usually lasts for about four hours.

Crocodile Harry
The highlights include a visit to the underground house of a man calling himself Crocodile Harry. This wonderful old lecher (his walls are festooned with the addresses of girls who he claims to have seduced) declares himself to be Arvid Von Blumentals, a Latvian Baron who was forced to leave his country after World War II. He claims to have worked as a crocodile hunter in Northern Australia before coming to Coober Pedy to fossick for opals in about 1975. Although his story seems implausible – a good piece of bush mythology – it is interesting to note that Roger Jose, the Hermit of Borroloola, who lived in a damaged 1000 gallon tank at Borroloola on the Gulf of Carpentaria in the Northern Territory until his death in 1963, reportedly sold his unusual accommodation to a crocodile hunter named Harry Blumental. Are these two one and the same person? And are all of Harry’s larger than life stories true?

Crocodile Harry’s underground house featured in Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome and before they left the crew created a singing sculpture out of metallic trash which they called ‘The Orchestra’. It rattles in the breeze.

Coober Pedy Underground Catacomb Anglican Church
At the eastern end of Coober Pedy is the town’s famous Underground Catacomb Anglican Church which is a unique expression of the materials and activities of the local area. The altar is made like a winch and both the crucifix and the lectern are made out of mulga wood. Behind the altar are two air vents.

The Big Winch and the Oldtimers Mine
Nearby are the town’s two overt tourist attractions. The Big Winch (a good quality gift shop) and the Oldtimers Mine which shows underground mining and some of the old equipment which was used. It also has an opal reef on display. When the door was being cut they came across a seam of opals in the wall.

The Underground Pottery
The Underground Pottery is another popular tourist shop. It has some superb photographs of the area for sale. But don’t be fooled. The pottery may be locally made but the clay comes from Melbourne.

Coober Pedy Golf Course
No visit to Coober Pedy would be complete without seeing the local Golf Course where there is not a blade of grass on the fairways and the greens are oiled sand.

There is an excellent book on the town by Kerry E Medway titled Coober Pedy: Opal Wonderland of Australia which covers both the modern town and the history of the place from the first discovery of opal.

View in Google Earth – Coober Pedy is truly the Opal Capitol of the World