Coober Pedy is ideal if you are looking for a completely different experience in Australia. The most unusual part of the city lies in its underground life. Indeed, more than half the population of Coober Pedy lives underground. Even churches are buried! This is certainly something you would not find in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne or Sydney. It seems to be the soldiers returning from the trenches of the First World War, who imported this idea. The miners of Coober Pedy then promptly adopted this concept to protect themselves from extreme summer and winter temperatures. Underground, the temperature remains constant at around 24 ° C, regardless of outside temperature. We could not visit Coober Pedy without spending a few nights underground. So we tried the Bedrock hostel. This establishment was founded by Faye Nayler, a legend of Coober Pedy, who was the first to offer underground accommodation to tourists. It is ideally located in the heart of Coober Pedy, adjacent to the Opal Cave showroom. You cannot miss it, it is in the huge parking lot that hosts a memorable Mad Max relic. Small kitchen, shower, this is basic for a backpacker but it is more than enough for this initiation! To extend the experience, do not forget to visit Faye's Historic Underground Home & Mine.
For other unusual activities in Coober Pedy, you can:
- Try the Coober Pedy Opal Fields Golf Course, a course with no lawn, where the greens are black. This is the only one in the world having a reciprocal agreement with the prestigious Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in Scotland;
- Try your luck at noodling for opals;
- Explore the wonders of nature in the surroundings and have a look at the world's longest fence.
