Coober Pedy
I had grown fond of Alice Springs - and the entire Northern Territory - but the journey had to move forward.
Uluru, The West Mac's and Kata Tjuta, all left me with very exciting tales and memories, and I sure could have stayed much longer. But at the same time, I was eager for my next destination, the unknown, the mysterious opal mining town of Coober Pedy, SA.
The days were getting hotter and drier, and the thought of trekking 900Km across the desert with no water supplies along the way was less than appealing. South of Alice was met by flat, dry, plains. Rock and sand. Straight up desert.
While my time in C.P. was short, it was filled with fascinating encounters and events. Before arriving, I never would have thought I would find myself standing in the home and mines off the late Crocodile Harry - which was featured in Mad Max III: Beyond Thunderdome.
Two themes developed very quickly out there; 1. Opal mining - obviously; and 2. Film. Many well known (and some not so well known) films have been shot - at least in part, out in the areas surrounding Coober Pedy. Mad Max III, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Pitch Black and Red Planet to name only a few, were all filmed quite close to the Aussie mining town. And I had the chance to stand "on location" where these films were shot. I even stood beside one of the shuttles from Pitch Black!
This town is mining, lain and simple. The opal drive still continues today, similar to how it did back in the beginning days - when a school boy on holidays could easily get swept up in the excitement and commotion and find himself some 40 years later still meaning to return home at some point. I kid you not. That was the reality for many of these guys, including my host, tour guide and life long miner "Uncle Jimmy", who arrived to Coober Pedy on a week-long school holiday trip, and decided three month later to call his parents to let them know he was staying put. Caught up in the hustle and bustle and the excitement that captured many hearts, as well as many lives.
Most opal mines in these areas are privately owned, and most mining is still commenced with hand operated equipment, burrowing through the ground. Anyone can get a permit to mine, you simply need to apply for a permit and your site pegs and away you go from what it looked like.
I tried my hand at "noodling" a few times - picking through piles of dirt and rock in search of opals - with what I though to be a decent amount of success. Mind you I sure didn't strike my fortune, but I walked away with a few nice shinny bits.
Since he entire town is situated in the middle of a desert, daytime temperatures can reach excruciating highs of up to 50°C. It is for this reason the the town is mainly built underground. The streets and main floors of many buildings sit above ground, but where typically buildings would be built upwards into the air, in Coober Pedy, the buildings recede into the ground - or are built by hollowing out side hills - allowing cooling of the buildings to be much easier, and offering considerable more protection from the elements. Our hostel for instance, was built like this. My room was located roughly 16' underground. It was very cool... No pun intended.
It is quite true that no visit to Coober Pedy is complete without stopping by John's Pizza Bar. I highly recommend the Emu pizza.
