The Breakaways and Life Underground

---

We were up at 6am and out by 7am today as we wanted to see the Breakaways while the early morning sun was still on them. We approached from Cottonbush Creek Road, not the way we’d come during the tour, and we found out why – as the sun was in our faces and not illuminating the rock faces at the first two lookouts. The third one was much better and showed some wonderful colours, including the Two Dogs (otherwise known as the Castle). They are one white mound sitting next to one yellow mound with a pointed brown cone nearby, which is their owner in Aboriginal stories.

We then followed the track down onto the plain at the bottom of the formations where we could see the back of them in full sun and really gleaming. We also got quite close to a face on one hill that had striations of a wide range of colours starting at the top with dark brown and going through to white in the centre and back to dark brown at the base. It looked as if someone had deliberately sculpted it, especially as it also had lots of folds and grooves all down it. Nature really is the best artist!

We then followed the track to the Dog Fence (or Dingo Fence), which is the longest fence in the world at over 5,300 kms, 1.8 metres tall and crosses three states. It protects the sheep country in the Southwest from dingoes. It started in the early settler days as they found their sheep flocks being decimated by dingoes. The fences built in South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland were joined into one fence in 1946, starting from the Great Australian Bight in SA, through northwest NSW and finishing just short of the Bunya Mountains in Qld. It has been maintained ever since, although one section was washed out in floods in 1989 and around 20,000 sheep were killed by dingoes before it was repaired! We stood next to it and looked in both directions along it. It just went on and on forever.

The track deviated from the fence for a while and when we looked at the ground between them we were amazed to see the dark black rocks all over the area were glistening like cut glass. We stopped to look closer and discovered gypsum everywhere we looked, from fine chips to quite thick, layered chunks, just lying on the surface or embedded in the rocks. It looked other worldly. We had also read on the map that there was fossilised wood in the same area but we didn’t see any.

Soon after, the track turned at right angles from the Dog Fence and we headed back into Coober Pedy along the 30 km of dirt road and 23 km of bitumen. We arrived at 10am and decided to continue our look around the town, starting with the underground church we’d seen last time, St Peter and Paul’s Catholic Church. Unfortunately, the service was on at that time so we moved on to the Revival Church, which was open and also underground. We were shown around by a friendly man who was very proud of his church. It had a quite large hall-like area filled with chairs facing a raised platform and podium. There was also an area for the children to play, down a couple of tunnels where the sounds wouldn’t disturb the congregation. On the ceiling of the chamber, behind a Perspex panel, was a group of opalised shells set into the rock that had been found when they were excavating the room. Our guide shone a black light (ultra-violet) on them and they gleamed.

Tour over, we thanked our guide and gave him a small donation for the box (he also told us that the clocks had gone forward onto Daylight Saving overnight and we hadn’t realised – so I could have gone into the Catholic Church!).

We were feeling thirsty by then so we went into the underground Didgeridoo Café. It was really a gallery that served coffee (and only coffee) as we discovered when inside. We were asked if we like our coffee weak, medium or strong (I’ve never been asked that by a café worker before) and chose medium. We then wandered around the upper level of the gallery while it was brewing. There was an incredible range of didgeridoos of all shapes and sizes on display, all decorated with paint and/charcoal figures. Some were unusual shapes, e.g. one had a wide bell opening at the bottom and some others where knots in the wood had become the shells of turtles and tortoises or a coiled snake. There was also a good selection of Aboriginal paintings, not cheap!

Our coffee arrived and we sampled it. Boy was it strong! We had to put more sugar in. We were very glad we hadn’t ordered the strong one! Once we’d finished we went to the lower level to see the rest of the didges. We met and spoke with a lady who told us that the Old Timers Mine and Museum was open today.

We headed straight there and paid our $12.50 each (Seniors Rate). We were given a hard hat each and told to keep them on at all times. Just as well because quite a few of the tunnel ceilings were very low and I hit my head a number of times. It was a self-guided tour with lots of good displays and clear information boards telling about the exhibits. It took you through the maze of tunnels where they had set up full sized models of miners carrying out the various activities necessary to mine the opal, including climbing down the shaft using only hand and foot holds dug in the sides; digging with a pick and shovel in very confined spaces; and putting the dirt into leather buckets (one of which was from 1918 and had been found in the mine) and hauling them to the bottom of the shaft where they were attached to a rope that a partner would pull to the surface. There were also a few gorgeous sections of rock with the precious opal still in it (behind glass!) which was worth thousands of dollars in today’s market. One pocket of green opal had been found by the original miner in 1918 but for some reason he never came back for it.

Before we’d finished, we were called out to see the demonstration of the “Blower” (really a “Sucker”) which was like a huge truck sized vacuum that sucked the debris out of the mine and into a large drum, which then dropped it onto a mullock heap when it was full. It also blew the dust out of the drum and into the atmosphere. The owner allowed people to feel the strong suction and put some rocks into it from their flat hands. One group of British girls tried it and were shocked by the force of it. The looks on their faces were priceless.

Demonstration over, we re-entered the mine and continued into the last section, the underground dugout that was built in 1918, complete with an opal safe carved out beneath the bed. Then it was taken over by a family and used as their house and was extended in 1967, adding extra bedrooms for the children. The last one broke into the old mine shaft, where they discovered more opal. It was a very comfortable home and the temperature was perfect.

Back in the shop, we looked at a lovely group of opalised fossils including clam shells and bellemites (the bony centre of a squid) and also admired a few opal items of jewellery, but nothing I wanted and could afford.

We then popped back to the van for lunch, leaving the ute outside the gates as I couldn’t be bothered opening and shutting the gates.

We next looked in the Catacomb Church, which was smaller than the Revival Church but had more rooms for Sunday School and meetings in an upper level plus a quite well equipped kitchen, which led outside at ground level.

I had wanted to see the opal shop with the Opal Beetle outside, that formed the entrance and was made of two opal coloured painted Volkswagen cars, one above the other to form the head and body and with huge metal legs holding it all up. Unfortunately, it was closed but there was a box of opal mullock outside which I enjoyed fossicking through, especially when I found a couple of colourful chips.

Another place we were interested in was Josephine’s Kangaroo Rescue and Art Opal Gallery. The sign outside had said they would be feeding the roos at 5.30pm and not to be late as they didn’t let anyone in once they started took us out to them. We arrived early and waited with a few other families. When the doors were finally opened we were shown inside and invited to look around the gallery while they prepared the food. There were a couple of nice paintings of the local scenery but the Aboriginal Artwork was very tired and ordinary, almost as if done by rote and repeated over and over again.

They had an opal cutter who was polishing some opal from behind a glass window. I stopped to watch him for a while and had a short chat then left him to it while I looked at some jewellery as he was starting to work on a large red flecked piece and I didn’t want to distract him. Almost immediately after I left, there was a clang and a muffled swear word. I turned around and he was picking the opal, still attached to its post by wax, up off the floor. The grindstone had caught on the opal and pulled it right out of his hand. Fortunately, he didn’t think it was chipped. Looks like he needs to change how he uses the machine.

Soon after, we were called over and given a run down on the do’s and don’ts of feeding the young kangaroos. We then went outside to the back yard where there was a pen holding four female Red Kangaroos. We were given a small handful of dried banana and Wasabi peas. I was surprised at the second item as they are quite peppery and hot. Turns out the roos love them.

One of the females had been rescued from a dead mother and seemed to be a bit brain damaged. We were told she was nearly full grown but still cried like a baby and had no common sense. If it rained, she didn’t move out of the weather into the pens as then others did. She just stood there crying until the owners came and took her in. She also didn’t know what to do when the lawn sprinkler came on and had no sense of pecking order in the group so regularly got herself in trouble with the dominant female.

After everyone had had chance to feed and stroke the females, a young male, still in a pouch of wool and flannel, was brought out. He was given a bottle of milk and brought around for us to pet. Josephine’s don’t usually take in males as it upsets the order of the females but this young one had been rescued from an Aboriginal family. The mother had been killed for food and the baby had been abused by the children in the family. Some neighbours removed him and brought him to the Rescue Centre. His tail was broken and he had cuts all over him and was bleeding from the mouth and backside and he was malnourished. They weren’t sure he’d survive but he was putting on weight and the bleeding had stopped. His tail was beginning to heal but had a long way to go. They still have to get up in the night to feed him, just like a new human baby, but that would stop soon. There was a young baby in the group who was fascinated by the joey and it was wonderful to watch them appreciating each other.

The feeding was over and we were asked to donate some money to help pay for the special milk and food they eat, then it was time to go.

As we drove up the road, I noticed that St Peter and Paul’s Catholic Church was still open and so went inside, while Barry phoned his brother. We had seen it last time we were in Coober Pedy but I really liked it. It was the first underground church in town and was quite small and cosy with lovely naturally colourful walls of brown, orange and white. The statues of Mary and a couple of saints were set into niches cut in the walls and looked very nice. I liked it better than the other two churches I’d seen.

It was 7pm by this time and we were hungry. Gary, our host, had told us about John’s Pizza Bar and Restaurant and said it was very special, so we decided to try some. Barry had a medium John’s Special, which was as big as a large in Melbourne – and he ate it all himself – Gonoff! I had a very unusual meal – a small “Coat of Arms” pizza. It had Emu Bratwurst and Smoked Kangaroo meat (hence the name as these two animals are on our Federal Coat of Arms) with cream cheese, rocket leaves and cranberry sauce. It was absolutely delicious and I really enjoyed it but could only manage 2/3rds and had to ask for a box to take the rest home (I get to enjoy it again tomorrow!).

It had been a wonderful day packed full of things to remember.

---

Photos

The Breakaways
These lovely sandstone hills are full of lots of colour that has been exposed by weathering over thousands of years. They were named this because from a distance it looks as if they have broken away from the Stuart Ranges nearby.

The Castle or Papa (Two Dogs)
Part of the Breakaways, Aboriginals know this as the Two Dogs, sitting down. It is a Men's Story. Others call it Salt and Pepper, due to the colours, or The Castle. The white one has weathered faster than the yellow one.

Layer upon Layer
This amazing face shows the weathering caused by wind and rain and reveals the layers of sediment deposited over the centuries.

Old Timers Opal Mine
This mannequin shows how miners had to haul discarded rock in leather buckets to the shaft where a partner would empty it onto a mullock heap up top and send it back.

How a Miner Lived Underground
This was a typical underground dugout for a working miner. It would have been excavated by hand in the old days.

The Only Underground Post Office
This is a replica of the only underground post office in the world. It operated between 1920 and 1947 at Post Office Hill Dugout in Coober Pedy.

St Peter and St Paul's Catholic Church
Opened in 1965, this underground church was the first. Now most Coober Pedy churches are built below ground.