Blogs from Coober Pedy, South Australia, Australia, Oceania - page 10

Hi All, Since it was a while since we updated (and it'll take a few more days to arrive to a place where we could spend more time with a computer) we're posting this short one . Everything is great, we're driving like Road Train drivers . We're currently at Cobber pedy (Which is basicaly a huge opal mine with a few stores) . We think that we'll add the detailed story at Monday so stay tuned ! Chen & Elad .... read more

Coober Pedy Australasia » Australia » South Australia » Coober Pedy By RosalindCorbyApril 20th 2007Went to see the Opal mines in Coober Pedy. They live underground here where the temperature is constant.... read more

I spy, with my little eye, something beginning with R. Roadkill. As I mentioned it before it litters Australian highways to an absolutely astonishing extent. As we drove back along the Lassiter Highway from Yulara towards Marla, we kept a tally - to count as a fully-fledged item of roadkill, the body had to be entirely or partially on the road asphalt and had to be vaguely recognisable. Even with these stringent criteria, we counted more roadkill between Yulara and the Stuart Highway - several hundred kilometres of road - than we did cars. It's a wonder that there are any animals left around here...then again, kangaroos are considered pests in these parts and make up over 90% of the roadkill. Major highways running through the middle of the desert being rather thin on the ground, ... read more

Scott writes: Come out, come out where ever you are From Kings Canyon we travelled 500km to reach South Australia (our 4th Australian state) and visit Cooper Pedy. Coober Pedy, is a small Opal Mining town of about 4000 people of 45 different nationalities, situated in the middle of the desert. 80% of the folks live under the ground in caves due to the extreme heat (50 degrees and up) in the summer time and the freeze at night! There is even a church and a few shops underground as well. The Aboriginal translation of 'Coober' is white man and 'Pedy' is rock hole. So Coober Pedy is literally a description of what the local Aborigines regarded as peculiar activities (both mining and living underground) resulting in the town's name 'white men down holes'! It was ... read more

Lindsay - Our Outback Adventure was beginning to draw to a close, with our last proper outback night spent in the opal mining town of Coober Pedy. It’s a hell of a long way from Kings Canyon to Coober Pedy, which meant another ‘crack-of-dawn’ departure, sneaking out of the campsite with no lights and trying not to wake anyone up with our squealing van. We drove back to the Stuart Highway without event, watching the sunrise, passing the Simpson Desert to the east, and disturbing great flocks of galahs and cockatoos - which I suppose had roosted on the ground, and watching them rise together and swirl by the side of the road. At one point two kangaroos appeared and hopped across the highway just in front of us, much to Russell’s excitement. Well, firstly to ... read more