Coober Pedy

529 miles NW of Adelaide; 427 miles south of Alice Springs

"Tourists come to this Outback opal-mining town for one thing:  the people.  More than 3,500 people, from 44 nations, work mainly underground here - the majority suffering from opal fever, which keeps you digging on the trail of the elusive shimmering rocks." (quote from Frommers Australia 2004)

Coober Pedy has a Wild West air about it.  Most everyone lives underground due to the extreme heat, dust from the commercial digging and the flies.

The name Coober Pedy (Kupa Piti) meaning "white man's burrow".  You will see all the old timers burrows from digs that came from the past with their bleached white hills of waste known as "mullock heaps".  But whatever you do don't fall in.  They are very deep!

There isn't much to see here except for underground housing, churches, hotels and a handful of opal stores but it is all within walking distance from each other, and to this family it was worth the travel to go see.  One thing we didn't get to do is go on the "mail run".  This is a 12 hour journey out into the bush which most people don't do and the cost is around 120 AU dollars.  But you get to see and experience so much more.  They even supply the air conditioned 4 wheel drive for you!

Remember that Mad Max was filmed in Coober Pedy for the chase/run in the desert, you will notice in the pictures.  And some pretty neat stuff if you drive!

Here is your welcome sign as you drive into Coober Pedy.

Here is Doug, Shane and the Ole Aussie buggy (we bought in Alice) at the "Breakaways".

The sign at the Breakaways which are following but prettier in person!

Unbelievable huh!

We are not sure what this is but I think it flew in the air ;)

"The Big Wench. (Can't explain everything)

Will it fall and make Shane shorter??????

One of the underground places in CP.

One of the mine's that you can visit.

Part of the town with the opal field in the background.

This is a metal thing that use to be a truck (come check it out LOL)

See it don't look so back on the clean part of town does it?

There are some house's above ground but I get that they are for the most part underground once you get inside because it really is hot here.

This is where we stayed when we went to Coober Pety, and it was fantastic!

Underground part of Desert Cave Hotel.  All Sandstone.

Looking up the spiral staircase inside.

One of three Church's that we visited.  This was was cut out underground by hand!

Outside entrance to the Church, which we went to see on a Sunday and yes they hold mass but you can still go in and check it out.  They were fantastic.

This is the second church that we went to see.  The inside was so dark that is was hard to get pictures of the inside but there is actual opals inside of the walls of this church! They had the alter chained off but if you look real good you will notice that they have cubbies cut out to hold different things.

Now the prettiest church that we saw, we don't have an outside picture of right now.  But it was HUGE, underground and BEAUTIFUL.  Here are so pictures of the inside.

This is the top of the church and the sculptures are sitting above the alter.  This should give you an idea of how tall this church is with it being underground.

Directly across from the top of the alter is this window.  The coloring is why it is hard to make out the actual sculptures across from the picture window.  There is a balcony right in front of the window and that is where the baptism water is.  That is the picture that follows. This top comes off and the person lies in the cross box.

Here is the alter.  Doug is checking out some of the things there on the side. The second picture is taken on the balcony.

I know that the first one is pretty clear and the second one is hard to see because they have glass covering the sculptures that are cut into the walls.

Now what we were told by a man that has lived in Coober Pedy for all his life and know pretty much everything about the city:  The man that carved these into the wall never got paid any money for them.  So I just want to say that where ever this man is, you did a "BEAUTIFUL" job and it shows in your work where your love and dedication lies!

UPDATE:  They are no longer allowing people to go into the area's that have the large holes in them.  No more noodling in those area's due to people not paying attention to where they are walking.