Australia cuber pedy modern underground city. There is a city in Australia whose entire population lives underground.

Coober Pedy - small town in the central part of the Australian state of South Australia.

The estimated population in 2008 was approximately 2 thousand people.

Uber Pedy is approximately 800 km away. from Adelaide, not far railway from Adelaide to Alice Springs. Nearest major cities— Port Augusta (500 km to the south) and Alice Springs (600 km to the north).

The city is famous for its opals; it is the capital of the opal stone, cast in all the colors of the rainbow.

Opal mining dates back just under 100 years, and its deposits were accidentally discovered while searching for water in 1915.

Noble opal is distinguished by a rainbow play of colors, the reason for which is the diffraction of light on a spatial lattice and its value is determined not by its size, but by the unique play of color.

The more rays, the more expensive the opal. One of the Aboriginal legends says that “long ago, spirits stole all the colors from the rainbow and put them in a stone - opal,” according to another - that

The Creator came down from heaven to earth and where his foot stepped, stones appeared, shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow.

Opal mining is carried out only by private entrepreneurs. However, this industry brings about $30 million annually to the Australian economy.

The city is known as the Opal Capital of the World because it has one of the richest opal deposits, containing about 30% of the world's reserves.

The name Coober Pedy is translated from the Australian Aboriginal language as “white man’s hole” or “white man underground.”

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Due to the harsh temperature regime and the prevailing mining industry, people constantly live in underground caves, in mine shafts remaining after mining.

Even the first settlers realized that due to unfavorable weather conditions, when the earth is heated by the sun during the day and the heat on the surface reaches 40 degrees Celsius, and at night the temperature drops sharply to 20 degrees (and sandstorms are also possible) - you can live underground in mine shafts after mining opals.

The constant temperature of underground houses is around +22-24 degrees at any time of the year. Today, the city is home to more than 45 nationalities, but the majority are Greek. The population of the city is 1,695 people.

Water comes from a drilled site 25 km away. artesian well from the city and relatively expensive. There is no public power grid in Coober Pedy.

Electricity is produced by diesel generators, and heating is provided by solar water heating panels.

At night, when the heat subsides, residents play golf with glow-in-the-dark balls.

Previously, opal mining was carried out manually - with picks, shovels, and the rock was pulled out in buckets until an opal vein was found, along which they then crawled on their bellies.

Almost all the mines are shallow and the main passages in them are made by drilling machines that break through horizontal tunnels the height of a man and from there are branches in different directions. These are practically homemade devices - the engine and gearbox from a small truck.

Then the so-called “blower” is used - a machine with a powerful compressor installed on it, which, through a pipe lowered into the shaft,

like a vacuum cleaner, it sucks rock and boulders to the surface, and when the compressor is turned off, the barrel opens and a new mini-mound is obtained - a waste heap.

At the entrance to the city there is a huge sign with a blower machine.

One of the city's attractions is the iron tree - the children of the first settlers asked their dad for a tree, so he made a tree from iron.

Even the first prospectors realized that they could settle relatively comfortably underground, in dwellings that cost almost nothing.

As for their successors, they and their families live in modern underground comfort.

Many of their houses are very large and simply luxurious...

Some even have underground swimming pools, while just a short distance away, on the surface, the sun mercilessly beats down on the earth.

However, life in the opal mines remains difficult, and many miners eventually return with their families to easier lives elsewhere.

By the way, an article about an underground city and the people living in it, which appeared in Great Britain in 1927, prompted J. R. R. Tolkien to create in 1937, the second most popular literary work after the Bible, “The Hobbit,” and then, and “ Lord of the Rings"…

Coober Pedy is one of many tourist routes across Australia. People come here to see the underground churches and cemetery.

The first trees that could be seen in the city were welded from pieces of iron. The city has local golf courses with movable grass and golfers lay out small pieces of "turf" around the hole to tee off.

The landscape of Coober Pedy is very conducive to location filming of extraterrestrial civilizations... Such films as “Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome”, “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” and “Pitch Black” were filmed here.

The Amazing Race is in its second season in Coober Pedy.

In the Coober Pedy area, around 2012, they are going to conduct an experimental exercise for an expedition to Mars...

Among the local attractions, local historians highlight the world's largest livestock farm and the world's longest "Australian" fence.

Standard home cave bedrooms with a lounge, kitchen and bathroom are located in caves drilled inside the mountain, similar to houses on the surface.
This maintains a constant optimal temperature, while on the surface it reaches 40 °C (maximum 55 °C), at which temperature many household appliances become unusable. But relative humidity rarely reaches 20% on hot days.

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Much of Coober Pedy's attraction lies within the mines, such as the cemetery and underground churches. The first trees that could be seen in the city were welded from pieces of iron.

The city has local golf courses with movable grass and golfers lay out small pieces of "turf" around for tee shots.

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Coober Pedy is included in many tourist routes in Australia. The backdrop of Coober Pedy was used to film such films as Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and The Black Hole. Around 2012, they are planning to conduct an experimental exercise for an expedition to Mars.

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What do these celebrities have in common?

— Rolling Stones (Rolling Stones)

— Ricky Martin (Ricky Martin)

— Alanis Morissette (Alanis Morissette)

— Janet Jackson (Janet Jackson)

— Billy Joel (Billy Joel)

— Neil Diamond (Neil Diamond)

— Fleetwood Mac (Fleetwood Mac)

— Matchbox Twenty (Matchbox Twenty)

— Acey Disi (AC/DC)

Well, it’s clear that they are all world-class musicians, fame, recognition, money, fans... but we are not interested in this now.

They all visited Melbourne. It's already warmer...

What you and I really need to know is that all these stars (and many more), while on tour in Australia, selected and bought famous Australian precious opals from the same absolutely fantastic person and good friend of mine (of which I am immensely proud) — Nicholas Le Suef.

Nick Le Suef in front of himself at the age of 25. The photo was taken in Coober Pedy - the underground city of miners and the capital of Australian opals

Believe me, THESE people could afford to buy opals in ANY other store in Melbourne or Sydney, but they all chose Nick.

Autographs and tributes Rolling Stones - Ricky Martin - Alanis Morissette - Janet Jackson - Billy Joel - Neil Diamond - Fleetwood Mac) - Matchbox Twenty - Acey DC (AC/DC) and other famous Nick customers.

At the age of 25, Nick already knew perfectly well how to look for precious opals

But the years take their toll, and when it became physically difficult for Nick to mine opals, he opened a store and began selling them.

That's another 20 years :))

At 70 years old, Nick knows exactly how to take care of his customers. target="_blank">https://www.factroom.ru/facts/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/10-300x225.jpg 300w" style="border: 0px; width: 730px; height: auto;" width="550" />

The underground art gallery is dedicated to Aboriginal art. There are exhibitions here about the opal mining process. Visitors are given the opportunity to dig up their own gemstone.

Finally I got to the photos of the city of Coober Pedy. We passed it earlier when we were still traveling around the state of South Australia.

To virtually walk around the city, click on the green “View Larger Map” in the lower left corner. When the map opens, drag the little yellow man onto the city streets.

This amazing city. We have very pleasant memories of him.

Coober Pedy is called the "opal capital of the world" and is an Aboriginal word for "white man in the hole."

Up to 90% of the world's precious opal production comes from Australia, and about three-quarters of this comes from the state of South Australia.

At first glance, Coober Pedy is not much different from other mining towns. Dirt roads cross the entire territory and waste rock dumps are visible. But there are no towers or lifts over the mines and there are no buildings.

Strange round mounds with a hole in the middle give the impression of a volcanic area dotted with small ash cones.

Each of these small hills is connected by a shaft to an entire underground world.

The soft, sandstone rocks of the desert are not at all difficult to dig with a pick and shovel, although explosives are also used. Most opals are found at depths of up to 24 m, but many workings are much shallower. Each miner is allocated a small area in which he works. The technique is mostly traditional. A prospector digs up his plot of land, hoping to find a large vein that will bring him a fortune.

In addition to this beautiful mineral, the houses of local residents, dugouts - underground dwellings in which natural temperature control is carried out - are also extremely popular.

Even the first prospectors realized that they could settle relatively comfortably underground, in dwellings that cost almost nothing. As for their successors, their families live in modern underground comfort. Many of their houses are very large and simply luxurious, and some even have underground swimming pools.

These areas are for underground dwellings. Such areas are located on the outskirts of the city. You can buy and dig your own house or motel. During the season, all motels and hotels here are occupied. As everywhere else, you need to book a room in advance.

It should be noted that there is absolutely no water in Coober Pedy - no matter how much they drilled, they have not yet reached the water. When you consider that this is one of the rainiest regions of Australia, it becomes clear that water was initially very expensive because it was transported many kilometers by pack animals, mainly camels. Currently, there is running water, but water is still relatively expensive ($5 per 1000 liters).

Coober Pedy is one of the hottest places on the planet. And in an underground house the temperature stays at 22-26 degrees all year round. We were invited to visit one of these houses. 60% of the city's population live underground.

The owner of the house is named George Russell. He is the owner of Oasis Tourist Park

A good person, very sociable. Gave him a decent discount when we stayed at his motel the first night.

The next morning, George showed his house.

This is the living room.

Indeed, a very pleasant coolness after the scorching sun.

This is a guest house. On the right along the stairs, there is a kitchen and 2 rooms of the owner of the house.

To the left of the stairs are 3 guest bedrooms, a toilet and a bathroom.

All underground rooms are spacious, with high ceilings and well ventilated.

Very cozy and comfortable.

I wanted to have a house like this here. Sometimes come to live in absolute silence, without radio and electromagnetic waves that surround us everywhere.

The town has not only underground houses, but also numerous underground hotels, restaurants, shops and even churches.

In 1988, the world's first underground hotel was inaugurated. This hotel became so popular that many local residents began opening large and small motels throughout the city, as well as guest houses with 3 and 4 bedrooms.

One of the first underground motels that we saw was “Radeka down under motel”, it is located on the main street of the city.

This is a mid-range motel.

It’s 11 am, and it’s already +36.

We were met by the owner of the Martin Motel.

A very colorful guy.

There are rooms that are located in the rock, and rooms that are 6.5 meters underground.

We chose a room, of course, underground. It's much more interesting to sleep there.

It was an active opal mine until the 1960s.

And in the mid-80s, the mine was transformed into an underground complex - a motel.

The cost of living in a motel starts from $32.

This is our number. We rented it for $70 (they gave us a $10 discount).

It's very simple. Everything you need is here. The very fact that you sleep underground already sounds unusual. And most importantly, it’s cooler here than at the top. And this was one of the reasons why we went underground.

Overall, I slept well in this room. The only inconvenience is strong audibility. You can hear all the neighbors. Therefore, those with nerves of iron and good sleep should settle here. Gabriel, for example, slept well. And I listened half the night to my neighbor’s snoring and the crying of a small child. So, if anyone needs to sleep, live up in the rock.

These rooms are mainly used by students who do not have money for a room, or lonely tired travelers who quickly fall asleep and hear nothing.

And you can move into this room with a large group and remember the pioneer camp. It would be fun.

To be continued…

To view photos in large size, click on them 1-2 times.

They live underground, grow cacti in their gardens, and play golf at night - this is what the life of the inhabitants looks like small town in the Australian desert. We are talking about the opal capital of the world - the mining town of Coober Pedy. Residents of a town located in the southern Australian desert, where summer temperatures sometimes exceed 40°C in the shade, have found a simple way to cope with the heat. In their houses, even in the most terrible heat, it is always cool, but not at all because they use air conditioners; moreover, they do not need to wash the windows or hang blinds on them to avoid the prying glances of their neighbors, but all because the residents of Kuber- Pedis build their homes... underground. Take a look with us into opal underground city Coober Pedy.

16 PHOTOS

1. Most likely, the name of the city is associated with its unusual houses underground. In the Aboriginal language, Koopa Piti, from which Coober Pedy gets its name, means 'white man's hole'. The city is home to about 1,700 people who are mainly involved in opal mining, and their houses are nothing more than underground “holes” made in sandstone at a depth of 2.5 to 6 meters. (Photo: Les Pullen/South Cape Photography)
2. Due to the lack of underground sewerage, the restroom and kitchen in the houses are located immediately at the entrance, i.e. at ground level. Bedrooms, other rooms and corridors are usually dug deeper. The ceilings in large rooms are supported by columns whose diameter reaches up to 1 meter. (Photo: Les Pullen/South Cape Photography)
3. Building a house in Coober Pedy could even make its owner rich, as it is home to the largest deposit of precious opals. Deposits in Australia, mainly in Coober Pedy, account for 97 percent of the world's production of this mineral. Several years ago, while drilling for an underground hotel, stones worth about 360 thousand dollars were found. Their detection was made possible thanks to modern geodetic equipment - enough to find out which one. (Photo: Les Pullen/South Cape Photography)
4. The roofs of Coober Pedy. A common sight and distinctive feature of the underground city are ventilation holes protruding from the ground. (Photo: Robyn Brody/flickr.com).
5. The Coober Pedy opal deposit was discovered in 1915. A year later, the first miners began to arrive there. It is believed that about 60 percent of Coober Pedy's residents were from southern and eastern Europe who came there after World War II to work in the mines. For almost a hundred years, this city has been the world's largest producer high quality opals (Photo: Les Pullen/South Cape Photography)
6. Underground Church in Coober Pedy. (Photo: Jacqui Barker/flickr.com).

Since the 80s, when an underground hotel was built in Coober Pedy, thousands of tourists visit it every year. One of the most visited places in the city of opals was the house of his recently deceased famous resident nicknamed Crocodile Harry, an eccentric, alcoholic and adventurer who became famous for his many love affairs.

7. Both the city and its suburbs, for various reasons, are very photogenic, which is why they attract filmmakers there. Coober Pedy was the filming location for the 2006 Australian drama Opal Dream. Scenes for the film Mad Max were also filmed in the underground houses of the city. Under the Dome of Thunder." (Photo: donmcl/flickr.com).
8. The average annual rainfall in Coober Pedy is only 175 mm (in middle lane in Europe, for example, about 600 mm). This is one of the driest areas in Australia. There is almost no rain here, so the vegetation is very sparse. There are no tall trees in the city; only rare shrubs and cacti grow. (Photo: Rich2012)
9. Residents, however, do not complain about the lack of outdoor entertainment. They spend their free time playing golf, although due to the heat they have to play at night. (Photo: Les Pullen/South Cape Photography)
10. In Coober Pedy, underground there are also two churches, souvenir shops, a jewelry workshop, a museum and a bar. (Photo: Nicholas Jones/Flickr.com).
11. Coober Pedy is located 846 kilometers north of Adelaide, the capital of the state of South Australia. (Photo: Georgie Sharp/Flickr.com).
12. Coober Pedy has a desert climate. In summer, from December to February, average temperature is 30 ° C, and sometimes reaches up to 40 ° C. At night the temperature drops significantly, to about 20 ° C. Sandstorms are also possible here. (Photo: doctor_k_karen/Flickr.com).

Coober Pedy is a small town in the central part of the Australian state of South Australia. The estimated population in 2008 was approximately 2 thousand people.

The city is known as the Opal Capital of the World because it has one of the richest opal deposits, containing about 30% of the world's reserves. The name Coober Pedy is translated from the Australian Aboriginal language as “white man’s hole” or “white man underground.”

Due to the harsh temperature regime and the prevailing mining industry, people constantly live in underground caves, in mine shafts left after mining. Standard home cave bedrooms with a lounge, kitchen and bathroom are located in caves drilled inside the mountain, similar to houses on the surface. This maintains a constant optimal temperature, while on the surface it reaches 40 °C (maximum 55 °C), at which temperature many household appliances become unusable. But relative humidity rarely reaches 20% on hot days.

Much of Coober Pedy's attraction lies within the mines, such as the cemetery and underground churches. The first trees that could be seen in the city were welded from pieces of iron. The city has local golf courses with movable grass and golfers lay out small pieces of "turf" around for tee times.

Coober Pedy is included in many tourist routes in Australia. The backdrop of Coober Pedy was used to film such films as Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and The Black Hole. Around 2012, they are planning to conduct an experimental exercise for an expedition to Mars.

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We invite you to look underground and visit the extraordinary underground city of Coober Pedy, where about 2 thousand people currently live.

At first, when you find yourself on these red-hot red plains of Australia and see an absolutely “clean” landscape that is not particularly rich in buildings, it seems that the place is completely lifeless. But in fact, here is a stunning, mysterious town called Coober Pedy.

And what makes it special is the fact that this city is located underground.

There are no trees here, and the sun bakes with merciless force, but underground there are many kilometers of tunnels and rooms furnished as in ordinary residential buildings.

However, there is also accommodation for tourists who come here. From this corridor the doors lead directly to the guest rooms.

The locals settled here quite comfortably. Some houses are only half underground, which only adds to their uniqueness. It is worth noting that in terms of comfort they are in no way inferior to ordinary modern houses.

The history of the original city began in 1915, when a father and son found themselves here while traveling in search of gold.

They didn’t find gold here, but they did find beautiful opals, which quickly gained no less popularity.

The miners who came here could not withstand the high temperatures of the local climate and therefore built their houses not above the ground, but right between the mines.

They began digging long tunnels, so that over time, about 1,500 dugout houses appeared in Coober Pedy.

In the modern world, Coober Pedy has long become the main supplier of opals. However, people come here no longer to look at precious stones, but to see the strange dugouts, the homes of the people living here.

The city's name means "white man's hole", an expression that appeared here in the 1920s.

In addition to the mines, hotels and houses, there is also a beautiful church underground in Coober Pedy.

And also an underground bookstore.

And an underground jewelry store offering charming opal mined from the mines nearby.

Of course, you should also visit the underground bar for a drink with friends.

And then go upstairs and play golf on a platform specially equipped for this.