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Published: February 15th 2006
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Rental car agents looked at us like we were going to a distant planet when we told them that we wanted to go to Coober Pedy. Many Australians never venture into the Outback. We don't quite understand why, it is such a unique place. So, with extra water, food, good maps, and a full tank of petrol we were off to the Outback!! This road trip truly was a journey into the secret, the weird, the amazing, and back to the urban. In 6 short days we saw an incredible variety of landscape, wildlife, and culture.
The Secret: Our first night on the road was spent in the town of Woomera. This town did not exist on any Australian map until the late 1980s. The town existed; it was just a big secret because it was a big missile testing site. The British and the Americans had missile tests and launches out in this vast empty Outback land. Now it is basically shut down and the some of the former barracks have been converted into a motel. It was like staying in a military compound that has become a ghost town. On the way to Coober Pedy we drove through
hundreds of miles of restricted land that was once this major launch and test site.
The Weird: Coober Pedy is something totally other worldly!! The entire surrounding area is a huge opal mining region. In fact, it is the biggest opal mining region in the world. However, it is located in a very hot area of the Outback. Summer temperatures can get as high as 150F!!!!! Living in this climate was a challenge for the residents so they started using the old mines as their homes. This trend caught on very fast and now most of the town is underground.
There are restaurants, shops, homes, and motels carved out of the old mines. Most of them are from 30 to 90 ft underground. The temperature in these structures remains a constant 72F. There are air shafts that bring fresh air into the rooms. They have all the comforts of "surface" living and they really are quite nice.
Our guide told us that home owners are not allowed to mine for opals in their home. So to get around that stipulation they frequently request permits to add rooms, squash courts, swimming pools, etc. Then, they can legally start
digging. They just can't tell anyone if they discover a vein of opal. They also have to follow the compass markings very carefully so they don't dig into their neighbors' houses. This is something that happens quite frequently. She stated that it is the only place where you can make a profit while building your house.
Her story about their local celebrations was also quite intriguing. Most of the people who live there are miners and have lots of knowledge when it comes to making bombs and blowing things up. When holidays are celebrated it isn't with fireworks, it's with bombs. She said that many of the main buildings in town have been blown up during such holiday celebrations. This is a town of really interesting people!!
The movies of "Mad Max & Thunderdome" and "The Red Planet" are a few of the movies that were filmed here. The landscape is bleak and barren. There is NO grass and very little vegetation of any type. Throughout the town there are huge mounts of dirt, gravel, and rocks where mines were once dug. The main street looks like an old western ghost town.
The 18 hole golf course,
on the edge of town, is most strange. There is no grass, no sand pits, no water - just great expanses of gravel and dirt. You can rent a piece of astro turf from which to T-off. There are no golf carts and if any cars or mining vehicles drive through, they have the right of way. The golfers have to use florescent balls because they can't see the white ones and the bearded dragons (a big lizard) think that they are eggs and will carry them away and bury them.
After Coober Pedy we headed south again toward Adelaide. We spent the night in a charming German village called Handorf before heading on to the ferry at Cape Jervis for our trip to Kangaroo Island.
The Amazing: Kangaroo Island is an ecologist dream. It is an island environment that man hasn't harmed. The animals are incredibly healthy and have no natural predators on the island. The animal population primarily consists of sea lions, kangaroos, koalas, wallabies, echidnas, fairy penguins, and all sorts of birds. We managed to see all of the mentioned residents. Most of the island is now a national park and all the animals are
Coober Pedy Comfort Inn
The motel was dug out of an existing mine. The owner told me that they were very fortunate and found several thousand dollars of Opal while digging the motel. protected. They are having a bit of a koala population explosion and are having to neuter them to keep their numbers in check.
The island has a fairly constant population of 4400. It is Australia's third largest island. The residents of the island are extremely independent and like to refer to the mainland as "that big northern island". It had a wonderful feeling of wilderness and remoteness with civilization just a mere 45 minute ferry ride away.
Along the drive back to Adelaide we stopped at several beach towns on the west side of the Fleurieu Peninsula. The towns were small and somewhat isolated from the main road. The beaches were beautiful, the weather was delightful, it was a Sunday afternoon and hardly anyone was there. Go figure?!
The Urban: Back in Adelaide we spent a great deal of time at the River Torrens. The river walk went on for miles and wound through gardens, parks, wooded areas. It was a great way to walk and get away from the city.
Now we are in Perth on the west coast of Australia. It feels like Arizona in the summer. Our big event here was the purchase
The motel lounge
Everything in the motel is about 10 meters or 30 feet underground. of a new camera with more magnification in preparation for the Africa trip. To test out the camera, Ron had me jump on to the back of a great white shark to take the photos of the jellyfish. Pretty good, huh? The jellyfish weren't half as scary when viewed from the dorsal fin of a Great White!!
We have explored most of Perth especially the riverfront, the parks, and the port town of Fremantle. We still have the hike up to King's Park to do. It is a huge park on the Swan River which overlooks the city, the river, and the ocean in the distance. Yesterday it was too hot (95F) and today it is cooler but misting.
Friday (2/17) we fly to Capetown. We started our malaria pills today, have all the necessary documents, and are ready for the adventure. Our itinerary looks quite full so I doubt there will be much time for the internet. I hope I won't overwhelm you with too many photos when we return. It has been hard enough for me to limit them up to this point. Photographing African wildlife is one of my favorite things to do - so
look out!! The next blog may be a while in coming but it will probably be HUGE!!!!!
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Dorothy
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WOW
It is so much fun to follow your travels and learn about new places, things I have never heaard of. It looks like you are still having a great time. Love to you both. Looking forward to Africa. Dorothy