Coober Pedy: Opal Capital of the World by Travelogger

Sep|11|2007

Coober Pedy: Opal Capital of the World

Posted by Hannah Grace as Around The World, Australia NZ, Destinations

Coober Pedy Entrance Coober Pedy, touted as the Opal Capital of the World, has every right to claim the title being the major supplier of gem quality opals in the world market. With its more than 70 opal fields plenty of people who have heard of the place are quick to assume that Coober Pedy has nothing more than mines and write it off as definitely not one of the places they would want to visit. This is unfortunate since Coober Pedy really has some interesting stuff to offer.

One of the weird but fascinating things about Coober Pedy is that many of the infrastructure, including homes, bars, and even churches, are built underground. The reason for this is that it experiences temperatures so extreme that the best way to get a beat the heat is to just stay underground. So while it is true that a walk outside during summer months when the temperature can rise above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) won’t give you anything but a heat stroke a visit to their popular underground attractions will is definitely cool (in more ways than one). So while those that opt to build homes above ground have to pay high electric bills for air conditioning, those below ground have no need for it.

Here are some photos of Coober Pedy.

Underground Home at Coober Pedy

Underground Motel Room at Coober Pedy

If you want to see more you can visit Michal Turski’s website, Australia Photography.

One Response

Noemi
11|Sep|2007

This is so cool - the underground motel was exactly what they showed on the show! I wish I could go there one of these days. Thanks for accommodating my request!