The Coober Pedy Experience

When it comes to unique experiences Coober Pedy is a town that delivers.
I have found a little spot in this town that brings together all the elements of this tourist sign that welcome you on your arrival.

The cache which is near the Revival Church is located on private property and has been place with the permission of the owners. There are a number of Underground churches in Coober Pedy and you are most welcome to visit this one. It was originally an unused and condemned mine but had now been transformed into this church which opened in 1991.

On the other side of the cache is the Old Timers Mine Museum. They have a free demonstration of mining equipment at 09:30am-1:30pm-3:30pm every day. It is amazing to see one of the Blower trucks in action close up acting like a giant vacuum cleaner. If you chose to go into the museum you can take a self-guided tour of a Historic 1916 Opal Mine and also see examples of early underground dwellings. I found it a fascinating underground experience and you can view a couple of seams of opal that haven’t been dug out.
There is a Noodling pit out the front but why would you do that when you can go around to The Rats Noodling cache (GCHCD2) which is nearby.

Underground homes and accommodation are created using tunnelling machines like this one.
The finished homes are rather unique and the Parrots certainly found it an experience to spend a night underground in a dugout the first time we did it.

             

Just up from the church is an underground Comfort Inn you can visit and see for yourself what a modern dugout looks like.
This is where the Parrots like to stay when we visit the town.
Feel free to go inside and ask to have a look around at this large Underground Dwelling. They have some interesting things to see.

             

They also have an Opal shop and viewing their display of 120 million year old Opalised Seashell Fossils is a truly amazing experience.

That covers all the thing on the sign but there is still lots you can find to do in town.
If you walk up the road from this cache you come to the Big Winch which has a view out over the town and is a good spot to watch the sunset.

There is another lookout above the Opal Cave in the main street. That was where this picture was taken.
You can see a prop in their car park from one of the many movies that has been made in this area which include Kangaroo Jack, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Mad Max 2, Pitch Black and the Red Planet.

For a taste experience in town it would have to be Jims Oreos pizza which Mr Parrot thought was delicious.

My final tip for having an excellent Coober Pedy Experience is to visit the free underground exhibition in the Desert Cave Hotel. It is very educational and you are sure to learn something about Opals and the mines of this area.

Australian Traveller magazine have put out a bucket list of things to do in Australia.

It states "100 Things To Do Before You Die features destinations picked by a panel of well-known and well-travelled Australians, including Lonely Planet founder Tony Wheeler, George Negus and Catriona Rowntree."

Item 50 - Go underground at Coober Pedy

So here is your chance to have a truly unique Australian experience.