Coober Pedy has got to be one of the world’s most unusual towns. It claimed the mantle “the opal

capital of the world” when the precious stone was discovered in 1915. Today it’s surrounded by a sea of opal fields, a bizarre landscape of white conical mounds which appear as sails in the desert. Many people have dug their homes underground to escape the desert heat, a practice that has continued to this day. During your stay, be sure to ‘noodle’ for opals which means fossicking in the spoils. You’ve also got to experience the perfect darkness of an underground dwelling and visit locations used in movies like Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

FAST FACTS!

• The name ‘Coober Pedy’ comes from the local Aboriginal term kupa-piti, which means ‘white man’s hole’
• Coober Pedy is the world’s largest supplier of gem-quality opals A number of opal mines in town offer visitors the chance to see how the gem is extracted
• There are three underground churches in Coober Pedy
• Coober Pedy Opal Fields Golf Club is the only golf club in the world with reciprocal rights at the famed St Andrews Links in Scotland