Aus Day 8 - Coober Pedy Tour

Monday 27th September Aus Day 08


Lie in this morning as I’m staying on this site for another night so, don’t need to check-out before 10 am. However, up at 7.30 and after shower and breakfast set up with the laptop outside the pizza bar in order to get Internet access:

JB's Internet Access Area - Coober Pedy Camp Site

Managed to get my email traffic sorted and updated the Blog for Aus Day 6. I will have to spend time tonight getting Aus Day 7 drafted and posted.

11.15 – Drove into town (Coober Pedy boasts a population of 3,500) to get provisions, bananas etc but also managed to pick up an acceptable pair of trainers (at last) for $50. They should more than last for the duration of my travels. Following this it was back to the caravan park and prepare for the Tour.

I was ready and waiting at the appointed spot by 13.00 and 14 of us set off on the grand adventure. We started with a circular (ish) tour of the town centre pointing out all of the major sights and accommodation.


Mining Advertisement



Dugout Housing

More Underground Housing

Our driver and guide, Yani, (apart from being the owner of the caravan park) also seemed to have a finger in a lot of pies. At 2.00pm he arranged to have us at the Umoona Mining Museum where we were treated to a 20 minute film about the discovery of Australian Opals and the founding of Coober Pedy. We were then conducted through an underground house (in which most of the residents live) followed by an old (real) opal mine, complete with dummy miners.


Entrance to the Umoona Opal Museum & Mine



Underground Room



Underground Bedroom



Down into the Mine

After a quick cup of coffee and a viewing of the Opal jewellery they had for sale (surprise, surprise) we were back on the bus and off to the Opal mining fields with, Yani providing explanations of the type of mining being conducted (Based on his 10 years experience Opal mining) basically there are two methods in operation, shaft mining or open cast and we were shown examples of both.


That is Black Grass on the Golf Course - Very Rare



The Opal Fields with a million dirt heaps

Opal Mine Shaft

Open Cast Opal Mining

On the Opal fields, each pile of dirt you can see has an open shaft next to it. A health and safety nightmare.

After the trip round the Opal fields, we were whisked off to an area north of the town known as the Breakaways. An area of colourful hills, the colour of which apparently changes at sunset and sunrise. It is also where part of the film Mad Max was filmed. We viewed them initially from an overlooking hill and then from down in the valley. It is really beautiful scenery and something I would not have seen if I hadn’t taken the tour.

Known Locally as Salt & Pepper

Breakaways where Mad Max Was Filmed - Apparently

Following the track further, we skirted the Dingo Fence (the longest fence in the world which was originally over 9,000 kms in length.) and eventually turned onto the Oonadatta track which lead us back to Coober Pedy.

Skirting the Dingo Fence

The final part of the tour was a look around the underground Serbian Church which had like all of the other underground accommodation had been carved out of the solid rock.

The Serbian Underground Church

Inside the Serbian Church

Although, in general, I am somewhat averse to guided tours of any sort I have to say that I am glad that I went on this one. It was informative and Yani was quite amusing from time to time and overall, I got to see some of the sights of South Australia which would have been denied to me travelling in the camper van which is prohibited from travelling on unsealed roads. Finally, I shall now have to go and see Mad Max again to see if I can identify the area of the Breakaways where filming is alleged to have been carried out.

Returning to the caravan park managed to get the Blog for Day 7 posted, grabbed a much valued Skype conversation with Eileen and then rounded the evening off with a Garlic Prawn Pizza. Yummy! Finally it was back to the van where I entertained myself for an hour with Majong, on the laptop, before succumbing to the dulcet tones of Zebedee and his “Time for bed.”