Day 14 - Coober Pedy

As we pack our bags in the morning and embark on our last 200km drive to Coober Pedy, we are greeted by 2 emus. Unfortunately, the birds are quite shy, but it's amusing to watch them run.

Coober Pedy is a town in the Australian desert and is known for its opals, which were first discovered in 1915. The name comes from the Aboriginal people and means 'White man's hole'. Many people live underground in so-called 'dugouts' and often dig in their own mines. There are also still large mines where heavy equipment is used to dig. The city must be like Swiss cheese by now. It's a wonder that nothing collapses.

Coober Pedy is also a filming location for numerous movies, including Mad Max, Ground Zero, Pitch Black - Planet der Finsternis, and many more.

After nearly two hours of driving, we finally reach the desert town and our campsite. Sweating profusely, we look forward to a refreshing shower. But then the disappointment: the showers are closed. It's cleaning time... Okay, let's plug the camper into the power, because in all this heat, the fridge has drained the entire battery.

After waiting for over half an hour for the shower, the nice gentleman at the reception tells us that the showers will be closed until at least 12 o'clock... it's just before 11... what a bummer.

Since we don't want to spend the day waiting, we decide to wash up quickly in the kitchen area and head to the city center.

Since the thermometer already shows 30°C, we first visit one of the many old opal mines. The first mines were dug with pickaxes and shovels. In one area of the mines, they dug for opals, and in another part, they lived.

It was not only very interesting to walk through the mine and experience its history, but also pleasantly cool.

Unfortunately, we can't stay in the mine forever, so we explore the city a bit by car. It's too hot to walk, especially since it's now 37°C.

About 10km past the city are the Breakaways. On an unpaved circular path, you can admire the colorful mountains and hills. The path also passes by the Moon Plains.

Exhausted from the scorching midday sun, we decide to drive back to the campsite and relax in the underground lounge after a refreshing shower.

In the late afternoon, we find ourselves in the city again and stroll through a few stores that sell coin-sized stones for a lot of money.

We also visit one of the three underground churches and meet a very nice man there who tells us a lot.

Another highlight was definitely Crocodile Hunter's private house.

Thirsty from the never-ending heat, we finally discover an underground bar in a hotel, where we treat ourselves to a refreshing drink to end the day.