Blogs from Coober Pedy, South Australia, Australia, Oceania - page 4

For those who are new to this blog if you double click on the first photograph you will get all the photos in a slide show. We headed off from Island Lagoon lookout and headed off into Woomera after having to tighten up a jubilee clip on our water lines, this involved removing part of the bash plating underneath. Water seems to be our nemesis. We wanted some tomatoes and bread so headed off to the supermarket where tomatoes were cheaper than buying them in Clare! $4.10 kg, invested in three and some fresh spinach leaves. Tomatoes on our sandwiches for lunch. Woomera is such a clean and tidy town. Not a thing out of place. We wandered around the outdoor display of rockets and weapons which were developed and launched during the stations heyday. Visited ... read more

Friday 19 July Coober Pedy - Arckaringa & The Painted Desert So today we make our way out of Coober Pedy, an unusual little town with much hidden wealth, I didn't find my precious stone, but then it is like looking for a needle in a haystack, I would stand a better chance if I could dig a 20 foot deep hole though, even though Andy would have happily obliged, and no one would say anything as you are allowed to dig/noodle in the mullock to your hearts content. I forgot to mention a couple of days ago, we were told by one of the locals that young people do not seem interested in mining for Opal, that gave me a little bit of thought, if the miners become less and less then Opal will stay ... read more

Part 3, starting at day 3 of my outback tour. Day 3 Another early start with a long day ahead. At breakfast I discovered something else I like - lemon butter. Yum! You know, I think I could keep a whole blog dedicated solely to food. I'm obsessed. We hit the road, first stop a huge salt lake. The sun was shining and the sky blue, which reflected on the water just beautifully. I climbed a salt hill and we took photos of the salt ground and the rainwater that had partially filled the lake. Millions of years ago, it was the bottom of the sea. Over years the salt has gathered and hardened, leaving a pure salt surface. Was pretty amazing and beautiful. The sun got warmer and I changed into my flip flops. Woo ... read more

Mad Max 3, they all live underground. A night and day spent in Coober Pedy, Andi very excited about all the OP shops, only to find out they where opal shops. We camped beside, and shared a beer with Max, a 75 year old country singing one man show, he let rip with a couple of his favorite hits, listened to Till and Reuben play the guitar, then passed on some tips. A real genuine old character, this place seems full of them, Highlight of Coober Pedy for Matilda and Reuben, A bag of Roo Poo they found for sale... read more

Vervolg op deel I Op een 300 tal kilometer stapte een deel van onze groep over op een andere bus voor het 2de deel van de tour dat zou eindigen in Adelaide. Er bleven maar 11 mensen meer over, wat voor een pak meer comfort zorgde op de bus. Onze gids voor het 2de deel was de Australiër Peter James, een echte “Aussie bloke” en zo zot als een achterdeur maar wel zeer geïnformeerd over het gebied waar we doorreden en over Australië in het algemeen. Hij maakte dat deel van de tour heel aangenaam. We reden met onze nieuwe bus door tot in Coober Pedy, afgeleid van Kupa Piti - Aborginees voor 'witte man in gat'. Dit alludeert op het feit dat de blanken die hier opaal kwamen mijnen in hun mijn leefden en sliepen. ... read more