An underground desert town where residents live in dugout homes to escape extreme heat. Known for opal mining since 1915, with unique cave hotels and churches.
In the heart of South Australia's outback, Coober Pedy is a town where life happens underground. Walk through tunneled streets to reach subterranean homes, browse books in converted mine shafts, or attend mass in churches carved into sandstone. With surface temperatures reaching 52°C (126°F), locals have created an underground world where you can sleep in cave-like hotel rooms, shop in below-ground boutiques, and even camp in the world's only subterranean camping facility.
Living Underground in Coober Pedy
Step into dugouts that maintain a constant 23°C (73°F) year-round, while surface temperatures soar above 40°C. About 60% of Coober Pedy's 2,500 residents live in these underground dwellings, carved at least four meters deep into the sandstone. Walk through tunneled hallways to reach underground bedrooms, kitchens, and living rooms. Many of these homes began as opal mines, with some three-bedroom houses now selling for as little as AU$40,000.
Mining the Desert's Gems
You'll find yourself in the source of 85% of the world's opals, where silica minerals from an ancient seabed transformed into multi-colored gemstones. Put on a hard hat at the Old Timers Mine to explore mining tunnels and try "noodling" - searching through mine tailings for overlooked opals. At the Umoona Opal Mine and Museum, examine marine fossils from the prehistoric inland sea and learn how opals formed millions of years ago.
Things to Do in Coober Pedy
Play a round of night golf on the town's unique course, where you'll use glowing balls to navigate the sandstone terrain. Watch movies under the stars at South Australia's last remaining drive-in theater, which reopened in 1996 after a 12-year closure. Inside the Serbian Orthodox Church, look up at stained-glass windows illuminating hand-carved chambers, or visit the Anglican Catacomb Church to see its 1970s sandstone walls. In Crocodile Harry's underground home, you'll discover walls covered in eccentric art and rooms filled with peculiar sculptures.
Getting to Coober Pedy
Regional Express operates regular flights from Adelaide to Coober Pedy Airport. The Ghan train stops at Manguri Siding, 42 kilometers from town, once weekly in each direction. Greyhound Australia runs daily coach services from Adelaide. If you're driving, take the Stuart Highway north from Adelaide - the journey takes approximately nine hours.
