In the central part of Australia there is a small mining town of Coober Pedy, one of the main attractions of which is its underground houses. The city is known as the opal capital of the world because it is home to about 30% of the world's opal reserves, more than anywhere else on the planet. I invite you to take a short photo walk around the opal capital of the world.

Most likely, the name of the city of Coober Pedy 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 engaged in opal mining, and their houses are nothing more than underground “holes” made in sandstone at a depth of 2.5 to 6 meters.

It is located in South Australia, on the edge of the Great Victoria Desert, one of the most desolate and sparsely populated places on the continent. At the beginning of the 20th century, mining of precious opals began here, 30% of the world's reserves are concentrated in Coober Pedy. Due to constant heat, drought and frequent sandstorms, miners and their families initially began to settle in dwellings cut into the mountainside - often it was possible to get into the mine directly from home. The temperature in such an “apartment” did not exceed 22 °C all year round, and the level of comfort was not much inferior to traditional “ground” houses - there were bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, and bathrooms. But there were no more than two windows - otherwise it would get too hot in the summer.

Due to the lack of underground sewerage in Coober Pedy, the toilet 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, the diameter of which reaches up to 1 meter.

Building a home 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.

Rooftops of Coober Pedy. A familiar sight and a distinctive feature underground city- These are ventilation holes sticking out of the ground.

The opal deposit at Coober Pedy 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

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 home of its recently deceased famous resident, nicknamed Crocodile Harry - an eccentric, alcoholic and adventurer who became famous for his many love affairs.

Photo: underground church in Coober Pedy.

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."

The average annual rainfall in Coober Pedy is only 175 mm (at 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.

Residents, however, are not complaining about the lack of outdoor entertainment. Yours free time they spend on playing golf, although due to the heat they have to play at night.

Coober Pedy also houses two underground churches, souvenir shops, a jewelry workshop, a museum and a bar.

Coober Pedy is located 846 kilometers north of Adelaide, the state capital. South Australia.

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.

Underground gift shop in Coober Pedy.

The townspeople escape the heat by digging their own houses underground.

Underground bar in Coober Pedy.

These beautiful precious minerals are mined in Coober Pedy, a city called the “opal capital of the world.”

Some descendants of miners prefer to decorate their underground houses “a la naturel” - they cover the walls and ceiling with PVA solution to get rid of dust, while maintaining the natural color and texture of natural stone. Supporters modern solutions In the interior, the walls and ceiling are covered with plaster, after which the underground dwelling becomes almost indistinguishable from an ordinary one. Both of them do not refuse such a pleasant little thing as an underground swimming pool - in one of the hottest places on the planet this is a particularly pleasant “luxury”.

In addition to dwellings, Coober Pedy has underground shops and museums, galleries and workshops, restaurants and a hotel, a cemetery and churches (including an Orthodox one!). But there are few trees and flowers here - only cacti and other succulents can withstand the hot, arid climate of these places. Despite this. The city has golf courses with rolling greens.

Coober Pedy is a regular stop on many tourist routes around Australia. Interest in the underground city is fueled by the fact that films such as Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert were filmed in Coober Pedy. Black hole" And on the edge of the Opal Capital of the World is the world's largest cattle farm and the well-known 8,500-kilometre Dingo Fence.

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

The Coober Pedy region is one of the driest, most deserted and sparsely populated areas in Australia. On average, only about 150 mm falls per year. precipitation, and very large differences between day and night temperatures.

If you happen to fly over Coober Pedy, you will not see the buildings we are accustomed to, but only rock dumps with a thousand holes and mounds against the backdrop of a rocky red desert, which creates an unearthly landscape that will stun the imagination. Each cone-mound with a hole in the middle, visible on the surface, is connected by a shaft to the underground world.

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

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

In which city do people live underground? and got the best answer

Answer from Dark Knight[guru]
Coober Pedy (eng. Coober Pedy) (28°56′S 134°45′E / 28.933333°S 134.75°E (G) -28.933333, 134.75) - small town with a population of 3,500 people in South Australia, 846 km north of Adelaide on the Stuart Highway. The city is also known as World capital opals, because here is one of the richest deposits of opals, about 30% of the world's reserves are concentrated here. Common opal was first discovered in Australia in 1849 during the gold rush, but fine opal was not discovered in Coober Pedy until 1915. The name Coober Pedy is translated from the Australian Aboriginal language (kupa piti), as “white man’s hole” or “white man underground”.
Situated in outback Australia hundreds of kilometers from the nearest settlement, Coober Pedy is located in the Stuart Ranges of South Australia, at the eastern edge of the Great Victoria Desert, where railway from to Alice Springs. Due to the harsh temperature regime and the prevailing mining industry, people constantly live underground in 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 degrees Celsius (maximum 55 degrees), at which temperature many household appliances become unusable. But relative humidity does not often reach 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 shots.
Coober Pedy is one of many tourist routes across Australia. Coober Pedy was the backdrop for films such as Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Pitch Black. The second season of The Amazing Race was held in Coober Pedy. In the Coober Pedy area, around 2012, they are going to conduct an experimental exercise for an expedition to Mars. Also on the edge of the city is the world's largest cattle farm and the world's longest "Aussie" fence.
With funds from the development of opals, about 30 million dollars a year, city residents could annually buy the world's largest Ruslan aircraft, which could accommodate the entire population of Coober Pedy [source?].
An article about a city underground in 1927 and the people living in it like rabbits contributed to the appearance in 1937 of J. R. R. Tolkien's second most popular literary work after the Bible, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings [source?] .

Reply from 2 answers[guru]

Hello! Here is a selection of topics with answers to your question: In which city do people live underground?

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 remaining 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 shots.

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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They live underground, grow cacti in their gardens, and play golf at night - this is what life looks like for the inhabitants of a 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- Pedi build their homes... underground. Take a look with us into the opal underground city of 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 homes 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, the diameter of which 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 immigrants 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 of 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 home of its 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 precipitation in Coober Pedy is only 175 mm (in central 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, the average temperature is 30 ° C, and sometimes reaches up to 40 ° C. At night, the temperature drops significantly, to around 20 ° C. Sandstorms are also possible here. (Photo: doctor_k_karen/Flickr.com).

People of the older generation probably remember the Soviet film “Kin-Dza-Dza”. There was an episode where the main characters are brought to the city. But there is no city as such. There are only small pipes sticking out in the middle of the desert landscape. The people in this film (at least some of them) lived underground, and the pipes served for ventilation. Entire settlements lived literally in the ground, only occasionally emerging to the surface.

So the movie city has a very real prototype. This is the mining town of Coober Pedy, located roughly in the center of the state of South Australia. It lies on the Stuart mountain range, 300 kilometers from National Park Lake Air. The outskirts of the city are a deserted and deserted landscape. Hundreds of kilometers around are sparsely populated areas. To Adelaide (most big city state and the fifth largest in Australia) you need to get 850 kilometers south along the Stuart Highway.

Coober Pedy on the map

• Geographic coordinates -29.010474, 134.757343
• Distance from the capital of Australia Canberra is about 1550 km
• Distance to the nearest airport Ceduna is approximately 360 km

All distances are shown “as the crow flies”

And people there really live underground, in specially dug apartments. The decision to live under a layer of earth was dictated by the locals natural conditions. During the day, the air warms up to 40 o C, and by night the temperature can drop to 7 o C. Sudden temperature changes make life on the surface not entirely comfortable. And periodic sandstorms further aggravate the situation.

Here we could not help but deviate from the topic. It seemed to us that these “terribly harsh”, downright unbearable conditions were not so terrible. Read about the Pole of Cold in Russian Oymyakon. The conditions there are really unrealistically difficult. There, even car tires can crumble like chocolate, and temperatures of minus 40-50 are quite common.

What basically forced people to go underground in Coober Pedy? After all, Australia is a wonderful continent; there are many places much more suitable for life. Take Hyams Beach, a beach with perfectly white sand. Scramble in the sand and look at the ocean. Or Fraser Island, where sand has been fighting with the rainforest for hundreds of years. But no, people are drawn to the desert, and even underground. The answer is actually simple. There are huge reserves of the precious mineral here. Opal is why people still live here. It has been mined here since 1915.

This is what opal looks like

In general, simple opal was first found in these places back in 1849 at the height of the gold rush. Full-scale mining began in 1915, when noble opal was discovered here. According to scientists, approximately 30% of all world reserves of this valuable mineral are located here. That's why Coober Pedy is also called the Opal Capital of the World. Opal is widely used in jewelry.

The miners adapted to living in dugouts. It turned out that the temperature there was almost always about 22°C. Miners often went to work directly from home; for this, tunnels were dug directly into the mine. The workers dug entire houses underground, and lived well in them. In addition to housing, there is a bar, a museum, churches, an art gallery and even a hotel for tourists who want to experience what it is like to live underground.

The development of equipment and technology has allowed more than half of the inhabitants to move to the surface, but there are citizens who still live underground. And they live very well. Their house has everything they need for a comfortable stay - a kitchen, living room, bedrooms and even bathrooms. Naturally there is electricity, running water and sewerage. They call these apartments “Dugout” and come in two versions. Natural and modern. In the first option, the walls of the house are only strengthened with special impregnations or an emulsion of ordinary PVA glue. This prevents them from falling off and eliminates dust. In addition, this design creates the illusion of primitiveness. You can take pigments and place mammoths, or in our case kungurus, on the walls. Modern design involves creating familiar rooms, but only underground. In this case, the floor, walls and ceiling are leveled, plastered and poured. The result is a completely modern home. Its underground character is revealed only by the absence of windows. In the beginning, according to tradition, two windows were made near the front door, but then the temperature balance in the room was disrupted. However, now this problem can be solved by installing an air conditioner. Everything else is the same as in any modern house. Sometimes both styles are combined and you can go from a trendy and modern living room to a primitive bedroom.

• translated from the language of the local tribe, Coober Pedy means “white man’s hole” or “underground white man”
• extraterrestrial desert landscapes have become natural settings for some famous films. In particular, scenes from the blockbusters “Mad Max.” Under the Dome of Thunder" and "The Black Hole" were filmed here. There’s even an entire starship from the movie “The Black Hole” preserved nearby.

• The city hosts a number of festivals: Coober Pedy Races, Queen of the Desert and the Opal Festival. And all the residents gather annually to celebrate the end of summer with noisy celebrations.
• according to 2011 data, just under 1,700 people lived in the town
• In 1956, the largest opal was found in the Coober Pedy area. Its dimensions are 28 x 12 x 11.5 cm. Weight is 17,000 carats or 3.45 kilograms. The find was valued at 2.5 million Australian dollars. This nugget was named Olympic Australian Opal (originally The Olympic Australis Opal) in honor of the then Olympic Games in Melbourne
• there is an underground cemetery in the city
• There is no water at all in Coober Pedy. Many times people tried to drill wells, but they never managed to get to the water. The region cannot boast of heavy rainfall - usually no more than 150 mm falls per year. Water comes through a 24 km long pipeline from a small settlement nearby (this settlement could not be found on the map, if you have information about this, please let us know)

Coober Pedy photo