In the early twentieth century, a father and his son (Jim and William Hutchison), desperately hurled themselves into the desert of South Australia, over 800 kilometres northwest of Adelaide, in search of gold. After an successful attempt resulting in no gold and no water, they discovered opal and certainly never suspected that nearly 100 years later, the camp they had set up would become a city. Coober Pedy today has became the opal capital of the world. It produces three quarters of the world's opals. A bit like Las Vegas rising like a mirage in the Mojave Desert, it is very surprising to see so much activity in the middle of nowhere. The city is surrounded by a moonscape dotted with mounds of debris from mining activities. Winner of the 2011 South Australia's Best Tourist Attractions award, a visit to Old Timers Mine is a must do! This original opal mine, dug in 1916, has been converted into a museum. Put on a helmet and go underground! This is a great way to travel in time and finding out under what conditions the miners and their families worked and lived underground in the hope of striking it rich. Clearly there is no room for boredom in the desert with all these unusual discoveries (see our photos of William Creek and the Dog Fence).
iPhoneography Oz was a guest of Old Timers Mine.
