Finally, I got to the photos of the city of Coober Pedy (Coober Pedy). We passed it earlier when we were still traveling around the state 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 to the streets of the city.

This is amazing city. We have very fond memories of him.

Coober Pedy is called the "opal capital of the world", and in the language of the aborigines means "white man in the pit."

Up to 90% of the world's precious opal production comes from Australia, and about three quarters of this amount 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, no lifts over the mines, and 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 mounds is connected by a shaft to the whole underground world.

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

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

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

These sites are underground dwellings. Such sites are located on the outskirts of the city. You can buy and dig your house or motel. During the season, here all the motels and hotels are busy. As elsewhere, 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. If we take into account that this is one of the least rainy regions of Australia, it becomes clear that initially water was very expensive, since it was delivered for 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 the underground house, the temperature stays at the level of 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 George Russell (George). He is the owner of the Oasis tourist park.

Good person, very sociable. Gave 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. To 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 would like to have a house like this. Sometimes come to live in absolute silence, without the 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 locals began to open 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 main street cities.

This is a middle class motel.

At 11 am, and already +36.

We were met by the owner of the motel Martin (Martin).

Very colorful uncle.

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

We chose a room, of course, underground. It is 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 underground complex- motel.

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

This is our number. They rented it for $70 (we got a discount for $10).

Everything is very simple. Everything you need is here. The fact that you're sleeping underground already sounds unusual. And most importantly, it's cooler here than upstairs. And that was one of the reasons why we went underground.

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

In these rooms, students who do not have money for a room, or lonely tired travelers who quickly fall asleep and do not hear anything, stop.

And in this room, you can move in with a large company, and remember the pioneer camp. It would be fun.

To be continued…

To view the photos in a larger size, click on them 1-2 times.

They live underground, grow cacti in their gardens, and play golf at night - this is how life is like for the inhabitants of a small town in the Australian desert. We are talking about the world capital of opals - the mining town of Coober Pedy. Residents of a town in the southern Australian desert, where summer temperatures sometimes top 40°C in the shade, have found an easy way to beat 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 windows or hang blinds on them to avoid the prying eyes of their neighbors, but all because the residents of Kuber- The peds build their houses... underground. Look with us into the 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 the name Coober Pedy is derived, means ‘white man’s hole’. About 1,700 people live in the city, who are mainly engaged in the extraction of opals, 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 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 the large rooms support columns up to 1 meter in diameter. (Photo: Les Pullen/South Cape Photography).
3. Building a house in Coober Pedy can even make its owner rich, because there is 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, during the drilling of an underground hotel, stones worth about 360 thousand dollars were found. Their detection was made possible by modern surveying equipment - enough to know which one. (Photo: Les Pullen/South Cape Photography).
4. Roofs of Coober Pedy. A familiar sight and distinctive feature of the underground city are the ventilation holes sticking out of the ground. (Photo: Robyn Brody/flickr.com).
5. The opal deposit in 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 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 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, it has been visited by thousands of tourists every year. One of the most visited places in the city of opals was the house of its recently deceased famous resident nicknamed Crocodile Harry - an eccentric, alcohol lover 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 filmmakers are attracted there. Coober Pedy became the filming location for the 2006 Australian drama Opal Dream. Also in the underground houses of the city, scenes for the film “Mad Max. Under the dome of thunder. (Photo: donmcl/flickr.com).
8. 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, and therefore 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. Own free time they spend on playing golf, but because of the heat they have to play at night. (Photo: Les Pullen/South Cape Photography).
10. In Coober Pedy, there are also two churches underground, 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 South Australia. (Photo: George 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 sharply, to about 20 ° C. Sandstorms are also possible here. (Photo: doctor_k_karen/Flickr.com).

They live underground, grow cacti in their gardens, and play golf at night - this is how life is like for the inhabitants of a small town in the Australian desert. We are talking about the world capital of opals - the mining town of Coober Pedy (Coober Pedy). Residents of a town in the southern Australian desert, where summer temperatures sometimes top 40°C in the shade, have found an easy way to beat 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 windows or hang blinds on them to avoid the prying eyes of their neighbors, but all because the residents of Kuber- The peds build their houses... underground.

Let's take a look at the opal underground city of Coober Pedy.

Most likely, the name of the city is associated with its unusual underground houses. Koopa Piti, from which the name Coober Pedy is derived, means "white man's hole" in the Aboriginal language. About 1,700 people live in the city, who are mainly engaged in the extraction of opals, 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).

It is located in South Australia, on the edge of the Great Victoria Desert, in one of the most deserted and sparsely populated places on the continent. At the beginning of the 20th century, the extraction of noble opals began here, 30% of the world's reserves of which are concentrated on the territory of Coober Pedy. Due to the constant heat, drought and frequent sandstorms, miners and their families initially began to settle in dwellings carved into the mountainside - often one could get into the mine directly from the house. 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, bathrooms. But they made no more than two windows - otherwise it became too hot in the summer.

Due to the lack of underground sewerage, 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 the large rooms support columns up to 1 meter in diameter. (Photo: Les Pullen/South Cape Photography).

Building a house in Coober Pedy can even make the owner rich, as the largest deposit of precious opals is located there. Deposits in Australia, mainly in Coober Pedy, account for 97 percent of the world's production of this mineral. Several years ago, during the drilling of an underground hotel, stones worth about 360 thousand dollars were found. (Photo: Les Pullen/South Cape Photography).

Roofs of Coober Pedy. A familiar sight and distinctive feature of the underground city are the ventilation holes sticking out of the ground. (Photo: Robyn Brody/flickr.com).

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 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 of high quality opals. (Photo: Les Pullen/South Cape Photography).

Since the 80s, when an underground hotel was built in Coober Pedy, it has been visited by thousands of tourists every year. One of the most visited places in the city of opals was the house of its recently deceased famous resident nicknamed Crocodile Harry - an eccentric, alcohol lover and adventurer who became famous for his many love affairs.In the photo: underground church in Coober Pedy. (Photo: Jacqui Barker/flickr.com).

Both the city and its suburbs, for various reasons, are very photogenic, which is why filmmakers are attracted there. Coober Pedy became the filming location for the 2006 Australian drama Opal Dream. Also in the underground houses of the city, scenes for the film “Mad Max. Under the dome of thunder. (Photo: donmcl/flickr.com).

The average annual rainfall in Coober Pedy is only 175 mm (in the middle lane in Europe, for example, about 600 mm). This is one of the driest areas in Australia. There is almost no rain here, and therefore the vegetation is very sparse. There are no tall trees in the city, only rare shrubs and cacti grow. (Photo: Rich2012)

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).

Coober Pedy also has two underground churches, souvenir shops, a jewelry shop, a museum, and a bar. (Photo: Nicholas Jones/Flickr.com).

Coober Pedy is located 846 kilometers north of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. (Photo: George Sharp/Flickr.com).

Coober Pedy has a desert climate. In summer, from December to February, the average temperature is 30°C, sometimes reaching up to 40°C. At night, the temperature drops sharply, to about 20°C. Sandstorms are also possible here. (Photo: doctor_k_karen/Flickr.com).

Underground gift shop in Coober Pedy. (Photo: Lodo27/wikimedia).

Citizens save themselves from the heat by digging their houses underground. (Photo: Lodo27/wikimedia).

Underground bar in Coober Pedy. (Photo: Les Pullen/South Cape Photography).

Such beautiful precious minerals are mined in Coober Pedy, a city that is called the "opal capital of the world." (Photo: James St. John/Flickr.com).

Some descendants of miners prefer to decorate their underground houses "a la naturel" - they cover the walls and ceiling with a 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 the usual one. Both those and others do not refuse such a pleasant trifle as an underground 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 endure the hot arid climate of these places. Despite this. the city has golf courses with mobile grass.

Coober Pedy is an invariable item of many tourist routes across Australia. Interest in the underground city is fueled by the fact that films such as Mad Max 3: Under Thunderdome, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Black Hole were filmed in Coober Pedy. And on the edge of the Opal Capital of the World is the world's largest livestock farm and the well-known Dingo Fence, 8,500 kilometers long.

The city is famous for its opals, it is the capital of the opal-stone, shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow. The mining of opals is a little less than 100 years old, their deposits were accidentally discovered while searching for water in 1915. Noble opal is distinguished by its iridescent play of colors, which is caused by the diffraction of light on a spatial lattice and its value is determined not by its size, but by its unique play of color. The more rays, the more expensive the opal. One of the legends of the natives says that “a long time ago, the spirits stole all the colors from the rainbow and put them in a stone - opal”, according to another, that the Creator descended from heaven to earth and where his foot stepped, stones appeared that shimmered with all colors rainbows. Only private entrepreneurs are engaged in the extraction of opals. Nevertheless, this industry brings the Australian economy about 30 million dollars annually.

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

If you happen to fly over Coober Pedy, then you will not see the buildings familiar to our eyes, but only rock heaps with a thousand holes and mounds against the background of a rocky red desert, which creates an unearthly landscape that staggers the imagination. Each mound-cone with a hole in the middle, visible on the surface, is connected by a shaft to the underworld.

Even the first settlers realized that in view of the unfavorable weather conditions when the earth is hot in the sun during the day and the heat reaches 40 degrees Celsius on the surface, and at night the temperature drops sharply to 20 degrees (and sand storms 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, more than 45 nationalities live in the city, but the majority are Greeks. The population of the city is 1,695 people.

The water comes from a drilled 25 km. away from the city artesian well and relatively expensive. There is no common power grid in Coober Pedy. Electricity is generated by diesel generators and heating is provided by solar water heaters. At night, when the heat subsides, residents play golf with balls glowing in the dark.

Previously, the development of opals was carried out manually - with picks, shovels, and the rock was pulled out with buckets until an opal vein was found, along which they then crawled in a plastunsky manner. Almost all mines are shallow and the main passages in them are laid by boring machines that break through horizontal tunnels as high as a man and from him - branches in different directions. These are practically self-made 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, like a vacuum cleaner, sucks the rock and boulders to the surface through a pipe lowered into the mine, 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 car.

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 sun-hot red plains of Australia and you see a not very rich in buildings, an absolutely “clean” landscape, it seems that the place is completely lifeless. But in fact, there is a stunning mysterious town called Coober Pedy.

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

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

However, there is also accommodation for tourists coming here. From this corridor, the doors just lead 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 origin of the original city began in 1915, when a father and son ended up here, traveling in search of gold.

They did not find gold here, but they found 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 to dig long tunnels, so that over time, about 1,500 dugout houses appeared in Coober Pedy.

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

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

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

As well as an underground bookstore.

And an underground jewelry store offering a charming opal from the mines next door.

Undoubtedly, you should also visit the underground bar to have a drink with friends.

And then go upstairs and play golf on a specially equipped site.

Australia. What do we know about the "Green Continent"? Cute koalas and kangaroos, natives, boomerangs, plastic banknotes... But Australia is also a land of opals. And the small town of Coober Pedy in the state of South Australia is its opal capital. It is believed that the opal stone calms the nerves, heals the heart, warns the owner about the presence of poison in food, and even gives the gift of prophecy! ..

COOBER PEDI, AUSTRALIA: A unique boulder opal found by miners in Coober Pedy. Coober Pedy is the capital of Australia's "opal rush". © Dmitry Chulov.

The man who first called Australia the "Green Continent" must have been joking. It is green only along the coast, and in the center is a barren desert, the bottom of a parched ancient inland sea. Right in the middle of it is Coober Pedy.

Center map

Motion

By bike

Passing through

South Australia is one of the driest regions of the Fifth Continent. Most of its territory is covered with endless deserts, scrubs and salt marshes. But it is in its depths that the real underground pantry of the country is located.

COOBER PEDI, AUSTRALIA: The colorful hills of the Brayways Nature Reserve at sunset. The bowels of the earth under these hills hide great riches. © Dmitry Chulov.

The mining town is lost in the endless desert. Instead of trees, grasses and flowers, there are stones, sand and heat below plus 50. Episodes of films about life after a global catastrophe were filmed here more than once. Even the inscriptions on the fences here are appropriate: “Welcome to Hell!”, Which means “ Welcome to Hell!»

It is located 10 hours north of Adelaide. Here, in this sun-scorched, dusty city, seekers of happiness and adventurers from all over the world come together. After all, Coober Pedy is the capital of Australia's ongoing "opal fever".

COOBER PEDI, AUSTRALIA: A miners' car parked in the desert at the entrance to Australia's opal fever capital. © Dmitry Chulov.

Around Coober Pedy, like in a minefield, there are signs. " Don't go near the mines!' are the stern warnings. The area of ​​opal mines stretches for tens of kilometers around. Over the years of fever here have dug about one and a half million mines! The local landscape is called by the locals " moon valley».

Coming to Australia was his childhood dream. Two years after arriving at Green Continent" Gennady Karpenko ended up in scorched desert. He is a carver: he looks for opals and processes them in his workshop.

Australia produces 95% of all opals in the world. This stone is familiar local residents from time immemorial. True, Australian aborigines have always bypassed opals - they believe that a spirit with a human head and a snake's body lives underground, luring people with the magical brilliance of multi-colored stones.

Opals were found here by accident in 1915. Now Coober Pedy is the richest deposit in the country. Its name comes from the distorted "Kupa Piti", which in the language of the Australian aborigines means ... "white people in a hole."

COOBER PEDI, AUSTRALIA: A sign warning that the surrounding desert has been spontaneously dug up by opal miners. © Dmitry Chulov.

On the belt - a battery, on the forehead - a flashlight, in the hands - an ultraviolet lamp - the standard equipment of the local miner. Gennady agreed to show us the places where he had recently managed to find large opals. There are no security guarantees. Any mine here can collapse at any moment. The search for opals is a dangerous business in which everyone works at their own peril and risk!

Gennady, opal carver: “Crack on this side, see? Sometimes it can be dangerous, everything can collapse here.”

Opals in Coober Pedy are sought in mines at a depth of 25-30 meters. Someone rises to the surface for years with nothing, and someone can turn into a millionaire in one day ...

COOBER PEDI, AUSTRALIA: Gennady Karpenko looking for opals in a mine. © Dmitry Chulov.

In the face, Gennady knows every turn of the adit - he spent more than one day here, underground, with a lantern and a pickaxe.

Gennady, opal carver: “I found a few opals in the rock up there, a little - here ...”

His favorite sound in the mine is the crunch of breaking glass. With this, opals are taken out of the rock. After all, opal, in fact, is glass sintered by nature, due to the presence of various elements and inclusions, it plays with bright sparks in the light. This stone is better visible in ultraviolet light. Therefore, Gennady now and then turns on a blue lamp in the darkness of the mine.

Gennady, opal carver: “Sometimes when people blast rock in a mine, then they can miss some of the opals. And you, following them, through their garbage, you can find a vein that will bring 3, 5 10 thousand dollars ... "

COOBER PEDI, AUSTRALIA: Mining equipment at work in one of the opal mines. © Dmitry Chulov.

From this one of the niches, by laying explosives, his fellow miners recently took out opals for ... 380 thousand dollars!

Gennady, opal carver: “No one here asks anyone how much you found, how you sold - this is not accepted in Coober Pedy. There is a lot of cash in this business!”

There are not many places left in the world where you can legally get rich in just one day! Some call it "opal fever", others - fortune, others - playing roulette. In the face, you can walk a few centimeters from the most valuable stone and not find it. And you can accidentally stumble upon an opal vein!

Gennady, opal carver:“When from the wall, where there is nothing, from a small crack suddenly opens such, such a thickness of opal! When they are with color, you just stop breathing! You just forget how you breathe!”

COOBER PEDI, AUSTRALIA: Prospector Rade shows opalized shells he found in the ground. © Dmitry Chulov.

Dust, wind and an excavator devouring tens of liters of diesel fuel per day. Many opal seekers, having arrived briefly spend in Coober Pedy all life. You just need to stake out a plot - anyone can do it. Father and son Rade and Roger open pit opals. From the age of 12 (!) my son masterfully manages the excavator bucket. The father, who came here in search of happiness back in 1967, is now over 70. He carefully examines the stones below so as not to miss the cobblestone, which may contain opal, relying on experience and intuition.

Rade, the opal seeker:“I have found black, pink, green, crystal, all kinds of opals. True, I was not as lucky as other miners. I had enough to pay my bills and to live. I must be the biggest loser of all the old people that work at Coober Pedy!”

COOBER PEDI, AUSTRALIA: The famous boulder opal found in Coober Pedy. Boulder is a type of opal in the form of a layer in the rock. The world's largest boulders are found in Coober Pedy. © Dmitry Chulov.

The pride of Rade and Roger is a huge " boulder” is the opal they keep at home. There is no other like it in the world! They are in no hurry to sell it and show it only on special occasions.

In small Coober Pedy, there are several dozen shops that sell opals. The most valuable of them are pink and black. Depending on the size and quality, the price of processed opals can reach several tens of thousands of dollars!

Dubica works in one of Coober Pedy's opal shops. Prices here are lower than in big cities Australia: those who sell stones here are those who find and process them themselves.

COOBER PEDI, AUSTRALIA: A polished opal that sparkles with multi-coloured sparks in the light. © Dmitry Chulov.

Dubica, salesperson: “This stone is a crystal opal, large in size, transparent and clear. Look, you can see all the colors of the rainbow in it, and the more red there is in the opal, the more valuable it is.”

This stone glows devilishly in the light, its flickering enchants. But during processing, the opal loses up to 2/3 of its volume, and may even crack, losing its value. Opal is as fragile as glass. It is enough to drop it, and the holographic beauty can break into thousands of fragments. Therefore, only experienced craftsmen can work with opal.

COOBER PEDI, AUSTRALIA: A cut opal in the hands of a carver. © Dmitry Chulov.

Gennady, opal carver: “If the stone is very expensive, sometimes it can be up to $1,000 per carat, it is very difficult to cut it…”

Cutting is the most critical stage in the processing of opal. Sometimes the master looks at the stone for hours, not knowing how to approach it.

Gennady, opal carver:“Processing an opal is always a surprise, a lottery. You can just cut and get a colorless stone in two parts, and sometimes you see how the stone begins to play in your hands!

Carvers say that opal should be felt with hands, only then the master will be lucky in his work. And luck is just what the Australian town of Coober Pedy, gripped by the “opal fever” of our time, needs so much!

You can watch the video version of this article in the form of a report about Coober Pedy, filmed by me for the program "Their Morals" (NTV), you can here:

Write in the comments what else would you like to know more about Australia?