Coober Pedy to the Barossa Valley

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There’s something fascinating about Coober Pedy …

For a start there are only two elements - earth and air. Water doesn’t get a look in and there’s not enough trees for a fire to take hold.

The fascination starts before you even get there. All of a sudden the desert becomes a lunar landscape with mounds of dirt in every direction; the 250,000 mullock heaps make a big impression. It is illegal to back fill the mine shafts so it’s a very dangerous place to go walking.

In town, there’s not a blade of grass, just dirt and more dirt. It has a bit of a wild west feel about it and there’s definitely no fancy malls or any frills, just basic necessities, and of course all the opal shops. There are more opals for sale here than anywhere else in the world.

Half the population have front doors but no backdoors. Their homes have been excavated back into the sandstone hills which keeps them at a temperature between 23°C and 25°C, summer and winter, day and night. All you can see is air vents, a TV antenna and a solar hot water system growing out of the dirt. Some of the houses have a combination of a conventional above ground section plus underground rooms.

We would pay a fortune to have beautiful sandstone walls all through our home. When you start to think of the advantage of underground living the list grows and grows. They don’t need to paint, buy curtains, wash windows, clean out the gutters, mow or worry about noisy neighbours as the next home has to be 4 metres of rock away.

There is a single mindedness here that’s called 'opal'. Everything revolves around it - the history, the mining, the jewellery, the shops and of course the tourism it brings. It’s no ordinary town in any respect; there’s no artifice at all. It would be a great place in which to spend a bit of time, to experience something very different to what we’re used to. We could be lucky while noodling in the mullock heaps (that’s noodling, not canoodling).

The drive south is so desolate but there are occasional surprises. Our mind has had to process so many strange sights and to come around a corner and see glimmering water with a white beach in the middle of the desert, it took a moment to believe our eyes. It looked so appealing and the closer we walked towards the water, the white sand began to sparkle like glitter in the sun. It was salt crystals. All the beach area was covered in a hard crust of rock salt, so I gathered some up to put in the salt grinder. Normally Lake Hart is a dry salt lake but it turned on a good show for us.

From this incredibly dry land, in the space of a day’s driving, we arrived at the lushest, greenest countryside we could imagine. The Barossa Valley at this time of year is like driving in the English countryside with quaint little villages, narrow roads and cute stone cottages with rose gardens and fireplaces, looking so cozy and inviting. The extracurricular activities in the Barossa Valley are pretty good too...hic

We booked a winery mimi-bus tour but a car arrived to collect us, because we were the only ones going. So we sat in the back like royalty and were driven around all day with a personal guide. He grew up on a vineyard and knew all the cultural and historical background and had the knowledge of the wine as well. Oh boy, after five wineries he had to drop us right to the van door to unload the shopping. No, we were actually very selective in what we bought, so hopefully we’ve ended up with some good wines. More importantly, we're better equipped now to choose a good wine instead of being one of those poeple who choose the classiest looking label in the $10 section.

It was so cold in the mornings that at first we thought the fridge wasn't working because everything inside was actually warmer than everything else, including us. The days are lovely though. The Barossa Valley is a horsey place as well, having several racing stables, including that of David Hayes.

Well, the trip is almost over and we’re winding our way home. It has all been better than we imagined but we're really wanting to be home now, and being with everyone again.

We will have driven 17,000km, sharing the driving of course - I drove 200km and Gavin drove 16,800km. We've driven from the east coast to the west coast, north coast to the south coast, been in the tropical north, the arid centre and the cool lush south. Every day has been different but we’ve only told you about a fraction of the things we've done and seen, so we haven’t spoiled it for you when you do your own trip. Don't leave it too late though, because access to so many of the places are too difficult for most of the grey nomads. Go for it! - don't wait till you retire, you can go again then as well.

See you soon.

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Photos

Coober Pedy
Mullock heaps cover the country around Coober Pedy for 75km x 35km

Coober Pedy
These few houses have some above ground rooms (on the right hand side), but most of the rooms are underground.

Lake Hart
We couldn't believe our eyes when we turned a corner and saw this in the middle of the desert.

Peter Leidmann Winery
This was our last winery tasting for the day and we're still standing without swaying.

Coober Pedy
Gavin noodling in the mullock heap.

The desert of South Australia
It's full of nothing but somehow it's beautiful.

Barossa Valley
Compare this with the desert, only a few hours away.

South Australia
The scenery is beautiful enough, even without the rainbow.

Barossa Valley
You could say the mornings are a bit crisp in the Barossa Valley.

Coober Pedy golf course
The black circle is the green. It is sand mixed with oil to stop it blowing away.

Coober Pedy
Air vents, TV antennas and solar hot water systems spring up out of the ground. The top of the hill is covered with them, meaning there is some serious underground living going on.