Coober Pedy is a small town in the central part of the Australian state of South Australia.
The population is estimated for 2008 to be about 2 thousand people.
Uber Pedy is about 800 km away. from Adelaide, near the railway from Adelaide to Alice Springs. The nearest major cities are Port Augusta (500 km south) and Alice Springs (600 km north).
The city is famous for its opals, it is the capital of the opal-stone, shining with all the colors of the rainbow.
The development of opals is a little less than 100 years old; their deposits were accidentally discovered while searching for water in 1915.
.jpg)
Noble opal is distinguished by an iridescent play of colors, the cause of which is the diffraction of light on a spatial grating and its value is determined not by its size, but by a unique play of color.
The more rays, the more expensive the opal. One of the aboriginal legends says that "a long time ago, spirits stole all the colors from the rainbow and put them in a stone - opal", according to another - that
The Creator descended from heaven to earth and where his foot stepped, stones appeared, shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow.
Opals are mined only by private entrepreneurs. Nevertheless, this industry brings the Australian economy about $ 30 million annually.
The city is known as the World Opal Capital, because it has one of the richest opal deposits, about 30% of the world's total reserves are concentrated here.
The name Coober Pedy is translated from the language of the Australian aborigines as "white man's hole" or "white man underground."
Target = "_blank"> https://www.factroom.ru/facts/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/22-300x225.jpg 300w "style =" border: 0px; width: 730px; height: auto; "width =" 550 "/>
Due to the harsh temperature regime and the prevailing mining industry, people constantly live in underground caves, in the shafts of mines left behind after mining.
Even the first settlers realized that due to unfavorable weather conditions, when the earth heats up in the sun during the day and on the surface the heat reaches 40 degrees Celsius, and at night the temperature drops sharply to 20 degrees (and sandstorms are also possible) - you can live underground in the shafts of mines after extraction of opals.
The constant temperature of underground houses is kept in the region of + 22-24 degrees at any time of the year. Today more than 45 nationalities live in the city, but the majority are Greeks. The population of the city is 1,695 people. 
Water comes from drilled 25 km. from the city of an artesian well and relatively expensive. There is no common power system in Coober Pedy.
Electricity is generated by diesel generators and heating is provided by solar water heaters.
At night, when the heat subsides, residents play golf with balls glowing in the dark.
Previously, the development of opals was carried out manually - with picks, shovels, and the rock was pulled out with buckets until they found an opal vein, along which they then crawled like bellies.
Almost all the mines are shallow and the main passages in them are laid by boring machines that break through horizontal tunnels the height of a man's height and from it - branches in different directions. These are almost home-made devices - the engine and gearbox from a small truck.
Then the so-called "blower" is used - a machine with a powerful compressor installed on it, which, through a pipe lowered into the mine,
like a vacuum cleaner, it sucks the rock and boulders to the surface, and when the compressor is turned off, the barrel opens and a new mini-mound is obtained - a waste heap. 
There is a huge sign with a blower car at the entrance to the city.
One of the sights of the city is the iron tree - the children of the first settlers asked the Pope for a tree, so he made a tree from iron.
Even the first prospectors figured out that it was relatively convenient to settle down underground, in dwellings that cost almost nothing. 
As for their successors, they and their families live in modern underground comforts. 
Many of their houses are very large and simply luxurious ... 
Some even have underground pools, while not far away, on the surface, the sun beats the earth mercilessly. 
However, life in the opal mines is still tough and many miners return over time with their families to an easier life elsewhere. 
By the way, an article about the city underground and the people living in it, which appeared in Great Britain in 1927, prompted J.R.R. Tolkien to create in 1937, the second most popular literary work after the Bible, The Hobbit, and then, and " Lord of the Rings "... 
Coober Pedy is included in many hiking trails in Australia. People come here to see the underground churches and the cemetery. 
The first trees that could be seen in the city were welded from pieces of iron. The town has local golf courses with movable grass and golfers line small pieces of turf around the tee hole. 
The landscape of Coober Pedy is very conducive to nature filming of extraterrestrial civilizations ... Films such as "Mad Max 3: Under the Dome of Thunder", "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" and "Pitch Black" were filmed here. 
Coober Pedy hosts The Amazing Race for the second season. 
In the area of Coober Pedy, approximately in 2012, they are going to conduct an experiment-exercise of an expedition to Mars ... 
Local historians distinguish the world's largest livestock farm and the world's longest "Australian" fence from local attractions. 
The standard home cave bedrooms with hall, kitchen and bathroom are located in caves drilled inside the mountain, similar to houses on the surface. 
This maintains a constant optimal temperature, while on the surface it reaches 40 ° C (maximum 55 ° C), at this temperature many household appliances become unusable. But the relative humidity rarely reaches 20% on hot days.
Target = "_blank"> https://www.factroom.ru/facts/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/32-300x198.jpg 300w "style =" border: 0px; width: 730px; height: auto; "width =" 550 "/>
Much of the interest in Coober Pedy is located inside the mines, cemetery and underground churches. The first trees that could be seen in the city were welded from pieces of iron.
The town has local rolling-grass golf courses and golfers line small pieces of turf around for a first hit.
Target = "_blank"> https://www.factroom.ru/facts/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/42-300x225.jpg 300w "style =" border: 0px; width: 730px; height: auto; "width =" 550 "/>
Coober Pedy is included in many hiking trails in Australia. Against the backdrop of Coober Pedy, films such as Mad Max 3: Under the Dome of Thunder, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and Black Hole were filmed. Around 2012, they are going to conduct an experiment-exercise expedition to Mars.
Target = "_blank"> https://www.factroom.ru/facts/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/51-300x225.jpg 300w "style =" border: 0px; width: 730px; height: auto; "width =" 550 "/>
Target = "_blank"> https://www.factroom.ru/facts/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/6-300x225.jpg 300w "style =" border: 0px; width: 730px; height: auto; "width =" 550 "/>
Target = "_blank"> https://www.factroom.ru/facts/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/7-300x200.jpg 300w "style =" border: 0px; width: 730px; height: auto; "width =" 550 "/>
Target = "_blank"> https://www.factroom.ru/facts/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/8-300x240.jpg 300w "style =" border: 0px; width: 730px; height: auto; "width =" 550 "/>
Target = "_blank"> https://www.factroom.ru/facts/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/9-300x190.jpg 300w "style =" border: 0px; width: 730px; height: auto; "width =" 550 "/>
What do these celebrities have in common?
— Rolling Stones (Rolling Stones)
— Ricky Martin (Ricky Martin)
— Alanis Morissette (Alanis Morissette)
— Janet Jackson (Janet Jackson)
— Billy Joel (Billy Joel)
— Neil Diamond (Neil Diamond)
— Fleetwood Mack (Fleetwood Mac)
— Matchbox Twenty (Matchbox Twenty)
— Acey Deece (AC / DC)
Well, it is clear that they are all world-class musicians, fame, recognition, money, fans ... but we are not interested in this now.
They all visited Melbourne. It's already warmer ..
What you and I really need to know - all these stars (and many others), during their tours in Australia, chose and bought the famous Australian precious opals from the same absolutely fantastic person and my good friend (which I am immensely proud of) - Nicholas Le Sueef.
Nick Le Souef against the background of himself at the age of 25. Photo taken in Coober Pedy - an underground city of prospectors and the capital of Australian opals
Believe me - THESE people could afford to buy opals in ANY other store in Melbourne or Sydney, but they all chose Nick.
Rolling Stones autographs and dedications - Ricky Martin - Alanis Morissette - Janet Jackson - Billy Joel - Neil Diamond - Fleetwood Mack Mac) - Matchbox Twenty - AC / DC and Nick's other celebrity buyers.
At the age of 25, Nick already knew perfectly how to look for precious opals.
But the years take their toll, and when Nick was already physically difficult to mine opals, he opened a store and began to sell them.
It's another 20 years :))
At 70, Nick knows how to take care of his customers. target = "_blank"> https://www.factroom.ru/facts/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/10-300x225.jpg 300w "style =" border: 0px; width: 730px; height: auto; "width =" 550 "/>
The underground art gallery is dedicated to Aboriginal art. It hosts exhibitions on the opal mining process. Visitors are given the opportunity to dig up their own gem.
They live underground, grow cacti in their gardens, and play golf at night - this is how the life of the inhabitants of a small town in the Australian desert looks like. We are talking about the world capital of opals - the mining town of Coober Pedy. Residents of a town in the southern Australian desert, with temperatures sometimes exceeding 40 ° C in the shade in summer, have found an easy way to cope with the heat. In their houses, even in the most terrible heat, it is always cool, but not at all because they use air conditioners, moreover, they do not need to wash windows or hang blinds on them in order to avoid the prying glances of their neighbors, but all because the inhabitants of Coober Pedi build their houses ... underground.
Let's take a look at the opal underground city of Coober Pedy.
1. Most likely, the name of the city is associated with its unusual houses underground. In the Aboriginal language, kupa-piti, from which the name Coober Pedy is derived, means "the hole of the white man." The city is home to about 1,700 people, who are mainly engaged in the extraction of opals, and their homes are nothing more than underground "holes" made in sandstone at a depth of 2.5 to 6 meters. (Photo: Les Pullen / South Cape Photography).
It is located in South Australia, on the edge of the Great Victoria Desert, in one of the continent's most desolate and sparsely populated areas. At the beginning of the 20th century, mining of noble opals began here, 30% of the world's reserves are concentrated in the Coober Pedy territory. Due to the constant heat, drought and frequent sandstorms, prospectors and their families initially began to settle in dwellings carved into the mountainside - often it was possible to get into the mine right from home. The temperature in such an “apartment” did not exceed 22 ° C all year round, and the level of comfort was not much inferior to traditional “ground” houses - there were bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, and bathrooms. But no more than two windows were made - otherwise it would get too hot in summer.
2. Due to the lack of underground sewerage, the toilet and kitchen in the houses are located immediately at the entrance, i.e. at ground level. Bedrooms, other rooms and corridors are usually dug deeper. The ceilings in the large rooms are supported by columns up to 1 meter in diameter. (Photo: Les Pullen / South Cape Photography).
3. Building a home in Coober Pedy may even make its owner wealthy, as it is home to the largest deposit of precious opals. Deposits in Australia, mainly in Coober Pedy, account for 97 percent of the world's production of this mineral. Several years ago, while drilling an underground hotel, stones worth about $ 360,000 were found. (Photo: Les Pullen / South Cape Photography).
4. Roofs of Coober Pedy. A familiar sight and distinctive feature of the underground city is the ventilation holes sticking out of the ground. (Photo: Robyn Brody / flickr.com).
5. The opal deposit at Coober Pedy was discovered in 1915. A year later, the first miners began to arrive there. It is believed that about 60 percent of Coober Pedy's residents were from southern and eastern Europe who came there after World War II to work in the mines. For nearly a century, this city has been the world's largest producer of high quality opals. (Photo: Les Pullen / South Cape Photography).
6. Since the 1980s, when the underground hotel was built in Coober Pedy, it has been visited by thousands of tourists every year. One of the most visited places in the city of opals is the house of its recently deceased resident Crocodile Harry, an eccentric, alcohol lover and adventurer who became famous for his numerous love affairs.
In the photo: the underground church at Coober Pedy. (Photo: Jacqui Barker / flickr.com).
7. Both the city and its suburbs, for various reasons, are very photogenic, which is why they attract filmmakers there. Coober Pedy became the filming location for the 2006 Australian drama Opal Dream. Also in the underground houses of the city were filmed scenes for the film "Mad Max. Under the dome of thunder. " (Photo: donmcl / flickr.com).
8. Average annual rainfall in Coober Pedy is only 175 mm (in the middle lane in Europe, for example, about 600 mm). This is one of the driest areas in Australia. It almost never rains here, so the vegetation is very sparse. There are no tall trees in the city, only rare shrubs and cacti grow. (Photo: Rich2012
9. Residents, however, do not complain about the lack of outdoor activities. They spend their free time playing golf, although because of the heat they have to play at night. (Photo: Les Pullen / South Cape Photography).
10. Coober Pedy also has two churches underground, souvenir shops, a jewelry workshop, a museum and a bar. (Photo: Nicholas Jones / Flickr.com).
11. Coober Pedy is located 846 kilometers north of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. (Photo: Georgie Sharp / Flickr.com).
12. Coober Pedy has a desert climate. In summer, from December to February, the average temperature is 30 ° C, and sometimes it reaches 40 ° C. At night, the temperature drops dramatically, to about 20 ° C. Sandstorms are also possible here. (Photo: doctor_k_karen / Flickr.com).
13. An underground gift shop in Coober Pedy. (Photo: Lodo27 / wikimedia).
14. The townspeople escape from the heat by digging their houses underground. (Photo: Lodo27 / wikimedia).
15. Underground bar at Coober Pedy. (Photo: Les Pullen / South Cape Photography).
16. Such beautiful precious minerals are mined in Coober Pedy - a city that is called the "world capital of opals". (Photo: James St. John / Flickr.com).
Photo 1. 
Some descendants of prospectors prefer to decorate their underground houses "a la natural" - they cover the walls and ceiling with PVA solution to get rid of dust, while retaining the natural color and texture of natural stone. Supporters of modern solutions in the interior cover the walls and ceiling with plaster, after which the underground dwelling becomes almost indistinguishable from the usual. Both those and others do not refuse such a pleasant little thing as an underground pool - in one of the hottest places on the planet, this is a particularly pleasant "luxury".
In addition to dwellings, Coober Pedy has underground shops and museums, galleries and workshops, restaurants and a hotel, a cemetery and churches (including the Orthodox one!). But there are few trees and flowers here - only cacti and other succulents can endure the hot, arid climate of these places. Despite this. there are golf courses with rolling grass in the city.
Photo 2. 
Coober Pedy is a staple of many tourist itineraries in Australia. Interest in the underground city is fueled by the fact that films such as Mad Max 3: Under the Dome of Thunder, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and Black Hole have been filmed in Coober Pedy. And on the edge of the Opal Capital of the World is the world's largest livestock farm and the well-known Dingo Fence, which stretches for 8,500 kilometers.
Photo 3. 
The city is famous for its opals, it is the capital of the opal-stone, shining with all the colors of the rainbow. The development of opals is a little less than 100 years old; their deposits were accidentally discovered while searching for water in 1915. Noble opal is distinguished by an iridescent play of colors, the cause of which is the diffraction of light on a spatial grating and its value is determined not by its size, but by a unique play of color. The more rays, the more expensive the opal. One of the aboriginal legends says that "a long time ago, the spirits stole all the colors from the rainbow and put them in a stone - opal," according to the other, that the Creator descended from heaven to earth and where his foot stepped, stones appeared, shimmering with all colors rainbows. Opals are mined only by private entrepreneurs. Nevertheless, this industry brings the Australian economy about $ 30 million annually.
Photo 4. 
The Coober Pedy area is one of the driest, deserted and sparsely populated areas in Australia. On average, only about 150 mm fall out per year. precipitation, and very large differences in day and night temperatures.
If you happen to fly over Coober Pedy, then you will not see the buildings we are accustomed to, but only heaps of rock with a thousand pits and hills against the backdrop of a rocky red desert, which creates an unearthly landscape that staggers the imagination. Each mound-cone with a hole in the middle, visible on the surface, is connected by a shaft to the underworld.
Photo 5. 
Even the first settlers realized that due to unfavorable weather conditions, when the earth heats up in the sun during the day and on the surface the heat reaches 40 degrees Celsius, and at night the temperature drops sharply to 20 degrees (and sandstorms are also possible) - you can live underground in the shafts of mines after extraction of opals. The constant temperature of underground houses is kept in the region of + 22-24 degrees at any time of the year. Today more than 45 nationalities live in the city, but the majority are Greeks. The population of the city is 1,695 people.
Water comes from drilled 25 km. from the city of an artesian well and relatively expensive. There is no common power system in Coober Pedy. Electricity is generated by diesel generators and heating is provided by solar water heaters. At night, when the heat subsides, residents play golf with balls glowing in the dark.
Photo 7. 
Previously, the development of opals was carried out manually - with picks, shovels, and the rock was pulled out with buckets until they found an opal vein, along which they then crawled like bellies. Almost all the mines are shallow and the main passages in them are laid by boring machines that break through horizontal tunnels the height of a man's height and from it - branches in different directions. These are almost home-made devices - the engine and gearbox from a small truck. Then the so-called "blower" is used - a machine with a powerful compressor installed on it, which, like a vacuum cleaner, sucks the rock and boulders to the surface through a pipe lowered into the mine, and when the compressor is turned off, the barrel opens and a new mini-mound is obtained - a waste heap.
There is a huge sign with a blower car at the entrance to the city.
Photo 8. 
Photo 9. 
They live underground, grow cacti in their gardens, and play golf at night - this is how the life of the inhabitants of a small town in the Australian desert looks like. We are talking about the world capital of opals - the mining town of Coober Pedy. Residents of a town in the southern Australian desert, with temperatures sometimes exceeding 40 ° C in the shade in summer, have found an easy way to cope with the heat. In their houses, even in the most terrible heat, it is always cool, but not at all because they use air conditioners, moreover, they do not need to wash windows or hang blinds on them in order to avoid the prying glances of their neighbors, but all because the inhabitants of Coober Pedi build their houses ... underground. Come with us to the opal underground city of Coober Pedy.
16 PHOTOS
1. Most likely, the name of the city is associated with its unusual houses underground. In the Aboriginal language, kupa-piti, from which the name Coober Pedy comes from, means "the hole of the white man". The city is home to about 1,700 people who are mainly engaged in the extraction of opals, and their homes are nothing more than underground "holes" made in sandstone at a depth of 2.5 to 6 meters. (Photo: Les Pullen / South Cape Photography). 
2. Due to the lack of underground sewerage, the toilet and kitchen in the houses are located immediately at the entrance, ie. at ground level. Bedrooms, other rooms and corridors are usually dug deeper. The ceilings in the large rooms are supported by columns up to 1 meter in diameter. (Photo: Les Pullen / South Cape Photography). 
3. Building a house in Coober Pedy can even make its owner wealthy, as it is home to the largest deposit of precious opals. Deposits in Australia, mainly in Coober Pedy, account for 97 percent of the world's production of this mineral. Several years ago, while drilling an underground hotel, stones worth about $ 360,000 were found. Their detection became possible thanks to modern geodetic equipment - enough to find out which one. (Photo: Les Pullen / South Cape Photography). 
4. Roofs of Coober Pedy. A familiar sight and distinctive feature of the underground city is the ventilation holes sticking out of the ground. (Photo: Robyn Brody / flickr.com). 
5. The opal deposit at Coober Pedy was discovered in 1915. A year later, the first miners began to arrive there. It is believed that about 60 percent of Coober Pedy's residents were from southern and eastern Europe who came there after World War II to work in the mines. For nearly a century, this city has been the world's largest producer of high quality opals. (Photo: Les Pullen / South Cape Photography). 
6. Underground Church at Coober Pedy. (Photo: Jacqui Barker / flickr.com).
Since the 1980s, when the underground hotel was built in Coober Pedy, it has been visited by thousands of tourists every year. One of the most visited places in the city of opals is the house of its recently deceased resident Crocodile Harry, an eccentric, alcohol lover and adventurer who became famous for his numerous love affairs.
7. Both the city and its suburbs, for various reasons, are very photogenic, therefore they attract filmmakers there. Coober Pedy became the filming location for the 2006 Australian drama Opal Dream. Also in the underground houses of the city were filmed scenes for the film "Mad Max. Under the dome of thunder. " (Photo: donmcl / flickr.com). 
8. Average annual rainfall in Coober Pedy is only 175 mm (in the middle lane in Europe, for example, about 600 mm). This is one of the driest areas in Australia. It almost never rains here, so the vegetation is very sparse. There are no tall trees in the city, only rare shrubs and cacti grow. (Photo: Rich2012) 
9. Residents, however, do not complain about the lack of outdoor activities. They spend their free time playing golf, although because of the heat they have to play at night. (Photo: Les Pullen / South Cape Photography). 
10. Coober Pedy also has two churches underground, souvenir shops, a jewelry workshop, a museum and a bar. (Photo: Nicholas Jones / Flickr.com). 
11. Coober Pedy is located 846 kilometers north of Adelaide - the capital of South Australia. (Photo: Georgie Sharp / Flickr.com). 
12. Coober Pedy has a desert climate. In summer, from December to February, the average temperature is 30 ° C, and sometimes it reaches 40 ° C. At night, the temperature drops dramatically, to about 20 ° C. Sandstorms are also possible here. (Photo: doctor_k_karen / Flickr.com). They live underground, grow cacti in their gardens, and play golf at night - this is how the life of the inhabitants of a small town in the Australian desert looks like. We are talking about the world capital of opals - the mining town of Coober Pedy. Residents of a town in the southern Australian desert, with temperatures sometimes exceeding 40 ° C in the shade in summer, have found an easy way to cope with the heat. In their houses, even in the most terrible heat, it is always cool, but not at all because they use air conditioners, moreover, they do not need to wash windows or hang blinds on them in order to avoid the prying glances of their neighbors, but all because the inhabitants of Coober Pedi build their houses ... underground.
Let's take a look into the opal underground city of Coober Pedy.
Most likely, the name of the city is associated with its unusual houses underground. In the Aboriginal language, kupa-piti, from which the name Coober Pedy is derived, means "the hole of the white man." The city is home to about 1,700 people who are mainly engaged in the extraction of opals, and their homes are nothing more than underground "holes" made in sandstone at a depth of 2.5 to 6 meters. (Photo: Les Pullen / South Cape Photography).
It is located in South Australia, on the edge of the Great Victoria Desert, in one of the continent's most desolate and sparsely populated areas. At the beginning of the 20th century, mining of noble opals began here, 30% of the world's reserves are concentrated in the Coober Pedy territory. Due to the constant heat, drought and frequent sandstorms, prospectors and their families initially began to settle in dwellings cut into the mountainside - often it was possible to get into the mine right from home. The temperature in such an “apartment” did not exceed 22 ° C all year round, and the level of comfort was not much inferior to traditional “ground” houses - there were bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, and bathrooms. But no more than two windows were made - otherwise it would get too hot in summer.
Due to the lack of underground sewerage, the toilet and kitchen in the houses are located immediately at the entrance, i.e. at ground level. Bedrooms, other rooms and corridors are usually dug deeper. The ceilings in the large rooms are supported by columns up to 1 meter in diameter. (Photo: Les Pullen / South Cape Photography).
Building a home in Coober Pedy may even make its owner wealthy, as it is home to the largest deposit of precious opals. Deposits in Australia, mainly in Coober Pedy, account for 97 percent of the world's production of this mineral. Several years ago, while drilling an underground hotel, stones worth about $ 360,000 were found. (Photo: Les Pullen / South Cape Photography).
Roofs of Coober Pedy. A familiar sight and distinctive feature of the underground city is the ventilation holes sticking out of the ground. (Photo: Robyn Brody / flickr.com).
The opal deposit at Coober Pedy was discovered in 1915. A year later, the first miners began to arrive there. It is believed that about 60 percent of Coober Pedy's residents were from southern and eastern Europe who came there after World War II to work in the mines. For nearly a century, this city has been the world's largest producer of high quality opals. (Photo: Les Pullen / South Cape Photography).
Since the 1980s, when the underground hotel was built in Coober Pedy, it has been visited by thousands of tourists every year. One of the most visited places in the city of opals is the house of its recently deceased resident Crocodile Harry, an eccentric, alcohol lover and adventurer who became famous for his numerous love affairs.In the photo: the underground church at Coober Pedy. (Photo: Jacqui Barker / flickr.com).
Both the city and its suburbs, for various reasons, are very photogenic, which is why they attract filmmakers there. Coober Pedy became the filming location for the 2006 Australian drama Opal Dream. Also in the underground houses of the city were filmed scenes for the film "Mad Max. Under the dome of thunder. " (Photo: donmcl / flickr.com).
Average annual rainfall in Coober Pedy is only 175 mm (in the middle lane in Europe, for example, about 600 mm). This is one of the driest areas in Australia. It almost never rains here, so the vegetation is very sparse. There are no tall trees in the city, only rare shrubs and cacti grow. (Photo: Rich2012)
Residents, however, do not complain about the lack of outdoor activities. They spend their free time playing golf, although because of the heat they have to play at night. (Photo: Les Pullen / South Cape Photography).
Coober Pedy also has two churches underground, souvenir shops, a jewelry workshop, a museum and a bar. (Photo: Nicholas Jones / Flickr.com).
Coober Pedy is located 846 kilometers north of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. (Photo: Georgie Sharp / Flickr.com).
Coober Pedy has a desert climate. In summer, from December to February, the average temperature is 30 ° C, and sometimes it reaches 40 ° C. At night, the temperature drops dramatically, to about 20 ° C. Sandstorms are also possible here. (Photo: doctor_k_karen / Flickr.com).
An underground gift shop in Coober Pedy. (Photo: Lodo27 / wikimedia).
The townspeople escape from the heat by digging their houses underground. (Photo: Lodo27 / wikimedia).
Underground bar at Coober Pedy. (Photo: Les Pullen / South Cape Photography).
Such beautiful precious minerals are mined in Coober Pedy - a city that is called the "world capital of opals". (Photo: James St. John / Flickr.com).
Some descendants of prospectors prefer to decorate their underground homes "a la natural" - they cover the walls and ceiling with PVA solution to get rid of dust, while retaining the natural color and texture of natural stone. Supporters of modern solutions in the interior cover the walls and ceiling with plaster, after which the underground dwelling becomes almost indistinguishable from the usual. Both those and others do not refuse such a pleasant little thing as an underground pool - in one of the hottest places on the planet, this is a particularly pleasant "luxury".
In addition to dwellings, Coober Pedy has underground shops and museums, galleries and workshops, restaurants and a hotel, a cemetery and churches (including the Orthodox one!). But there are few trees and flowers here - only cacti and other succulents can endure the hot, arid climate of these places. Despite this. there are golf courses with rolling grass in the city.
Coober Pedy is a staple of many tourist itineraries in Australia. Interest in the underground city is fueled by the fact that films such as Mad Max 3: Under the Dome of Thunder, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and Black Hole have been filmed in Coober Pedy. And on the edge of the Opal Capital of the World is the world's largest livestock farm and the well-known Dingo Fence, which stretches for 8,500 kilometers.
The city is famous for its opals, it is the capital of the opal-stone, shining with all the colors of the rainbow. The development of opals is a little less than 100 years old; their deposits were accidentally discovered while searching for water in 1915. Noble opal is distinguished by an iridescent play of colors, the cause of which is the diffraction of light on a spatial grating and its value is determined not by its size, but by a unique play of color. The more rays, the more expensive the opal. One of the aboriginal legends says that "a long time ago, the spirits stole all the colors from the rainbow and put them in a stone - opal," according to the other, that the Creator descended from heaven to earth and where his foot stepped, stones appeared, shimmering with all colors rainbows. Opals are mined only by private entrepreneurs. Nevertheless, this industry brings the Australian economy about $ 30 million annually.
The Coober Pedy area is one of the driest, deserted and sparsely populated areas in Australia. On average, only about 150 mm fall out per year. precipitation, and very large differences in day and night temperatures.
If you happen to fly over Coober Pedy, then you will not see the buildings we are accustomed to, but only heaps of rock with a thousand pits and hills against the backdrop of a rocky red desert, which creates an unearthly landscape that staggers the imagination. Each mound-cone with a hole in the middle, visible on the surface, is connected by a shaft to the underworld.
Even the first settlers realized that due to unfavorable weather conditions, when the earth heats up in the sun during the day and on the surface the heat reaches 40 degrees Celsius, and at night the temperature drops sharply to 20 degrees (and sandstorms are also possible) - you can live underground in the shafts of mines after extraction of opals. The constant temperature of underground houses is kept in the region of + 22-24 degrees at any time of the year. Today more than 45 nationalities live in the city, but the majority are Greeks. The population of the city is 1,695 people.
Water comes from drilled 25 km. from the city of an artesian well and relatively expensive. There is no common power system in Coober Pedy. Electricity is generated by diesel generators and heating is provided by solar water heaters. At night, when the heat subsides, residents play golf with balls glowing in the dark.
Previously, the development of opals was carried out manually - with picks, shovels, and the rock was pulled out with buckets until they found an opal vein, along which they then crawled like bellies. Almost all the mines are shallow and the main passages in them are laid by boring machines that break through horizontal tunnels the height of a man's height and from it - branches in different directions. These are almost home-made devices - the engine and gearbox from a small truck. Then the so-called "blower" is used - a machine with a powerful compressor installed on it, which, like a vacuum cleaner, sucks the rock and boulders to the surface through a pipe lowered into the mine, and when the compressor is turned off, the barrel opens: a new mini-mound is obtained - a waste heap.
There is a huge sign with a blower car at the entrance to the city.
Finally, I got to the pictures of the city of Coober Pedy (Coober Pedy). We passed it earlier, when we were still traveling in the state of South Australia.
To virtually walk around the city, click on the green "View Larger Map" in the lower left corner. When the map opens, drag the little yellow man to the streets of the city.
This is an amazing city. We have very pleasant memories of him.
Coober Pedy is called “the opal capital of the world” and in Aboriginal language means “white man in a pit”.
Up to 90% of the world's production of precious opal comes from Australia, and about three quarters of this amount comes from the state of South Australia.
At first glance, Coober Pedy is not much different from other mining towns. Dirt roads cross the entire territory and waste rock dumps are visible. But there are no towers or lifts over the mines and there are no buildings.
Strange round mounds with a hole in the middle give the impression of a volcanic area dotted with small ash cones.
Each of these small mounds is connected by a shaft to the whole underground world.
Soft, sandstone rocks of the desert, it is not difficult to dig with a pick and shovel, although explosives are also used here. Most opals are found at depths of up to 24 m, but many workings are much shallower. Each prospector is allocated a small area in which he works. The technique is mostly traditional. The prospector is digging up his piece of land, hoping to find a large vein that will bring him a fortune.
In addition to this, the most beautiful mineral, the houses of local residents, dugout, are very popular - underground dwellings in which natural temperature control is carried out.
Even the first prospectors figured out that it was relatively convenient to settle down underground, in dwellings that cost almost nothing. As for their successors, they live in families in modern underground comfort. Many of their homes are very large and simply luxurious, and some even have underground pools.
These plots are for underground dwellings. Such sites are located on the outskirts of the city. You can buy and dig your house or motel. During the season, all motels and hotels are occupied here. As elsewhere, you need to book a room in advance.
It should be noted that there is absolutely no water in Coober Pedy - no matter how much they drilled, they have not yet reached the water. If we take into account that this is one of the least rainy regions of Australia, it becomes clear that initially water was very expensive, since it was transported many kilometers away by pack animals, mainly camels. Currently, water supply is installed, but water is still relatively expensive ($ 5 per 1000 liters).
Coober Pedy is one of the hottest places on the planet. And in the underground house the temperature is kept at the level of 22-26 degrees all year round. We were invited to visit one of these houses. 60% of the city's population live underground.
The owner of the house is named George Russell (George). He is the owner of the Oasis tourist park
A good person, very sociable. Gave a decent discount when we stayed at his motel the first night.
The next morning, George showed his house.
This is the living room.
Indeed, a very pleasant coolness after the scorching sun.
This is a guest house. To the right along the stairs, there is a kitchen and 2 rooms of the owner of the house.
To the left of the stairs are 3 guest bedrooms, a toilet and a bathroom.
All underground rooms are spacious, high ceilings and well ventilated.
Very cozy and comfortable.
I wanted to have a similar house here. Sometimes we come to live in absolute silence, without the radio and electromagnetic waves that surround us everywhere.
The town has not only underground houses, but also numerous underground hotels, restaurants, shops and even churches.
In 1988, the world's first underground hotel was inaugurated. This hotel became so popular that many locals started opening large and small motels and guest houses with 3 and 4 bedrooms throughout the city.
One of the first underground motels that we saw "Radeka down under motel", it is located on the main street of the city.
This is a middle class motel.
At 11 am, and already +36.
We were greeted by the owner of the Martin Motel (Martin).
A very colorful uncle.
There are rooms that are in the rock and rooms that are 6.5 meters underground.
We chose a room, of course, underground. Sleeping there is much more interesting.
It was an active opal mine until the 1960s.
And in the mid-80s, the mine was transformed into an underground complex - a motel.
The cost of living in a motel is from $ 32.
This is our number. They took it off for $ 70 (we got a discount for $ 10).
Everything is very simple. Everything you need is here. The very fact that you are sleeping underground already sounds unusual. And most importantly, it's cooler here than upstairs. And that was one of the reasons why we went underground.
In general, I slept well in this room. The only inconvenience is strong audibility. All neighbors can be heard. Therefore, it is necessary to settle here for those who have iron nerves and good sleep. Gabriel, for example, slept well. And I, at midnight, listened to the snoring of a neighbor and the cry of a small child. So, if anyone needs sleep, settle up in the rock.
These rooms are mainly used by students who have no money for a room, or lonely tired travelers who fall asleep quickly and do not hear anything.
And in this room, you can move in a large company, and remember the pioneer camp. It would be fun. 
To be continued…
To see photos in large size, click on them 1-2 times.
