Cobber Pedy can be very hot with temperatures reaching well over 100 degrees. If you visit this little South Australian town, you may think it’s almost deserted by its lack of people. However, don’t let the appearance fool you because it’s actually a bustling little town. What you aren’t seeing is that about half of its population lives underground.
History
Back in 1915 Opal was found in the area. This was a big find because today, Coober Pedy is responsible for about 95% of the opal production in the world. By 1999 there were over 250,000 mine shaft entrances. Through looking for Opal, residents discovered that it’s a lot cooler underground. There’s no need for a/c or heat as the underground caves remain at a cooler temperature. Eventually residents decided that it was too hot to remain above ground, but didn’t want to leave the area so they made dugouts underground to live in.
The Lifestyle
Most caves have 3 bedrooms, a living area, kitchen and bathroom. It’s similar to a house, but is underground. In addition to the houses there’s also underground shops and churches. Approximately 3,500 currently live in the town. Residents don’t just stay underground all the time. At night, they visit the local golf course when it’s cool out. They use glow in the dark golf balls. Because there’s no grass, they actually carry around their on piece of turf that they use for teeing off.
This town is a fairly popular destination for tourists. In fact, tourism is an important part of sustaining the community. Cobbler Pedy also very much relies on opal mining as many residents are employed in this field. It currently has the world’s largest opal mining area and there are more than 70 opal fields. This tiny town, that’s located between Alice Springs and Adelaide, is a great place to stop at and marvel at the opals and the very unique living conditions. If you want to spend the night, there are even a few underground hotels and motels to choose from. Cobbler Pedy is definitely one of those places to visit that I am putting on my bucket list!
