Day 7 - An Opal Hearted Country

COOBER PEDY -

If Alice Springs is the Middle of Australia then Coober Pedy must be in the Middle of nowhere!

The Train Stop is 40 km away at Manguri.  So another bus awaits to whisk us away down the dusty road.

Past an Alien Landscape littered with the piles of dirt from exploratory Mines.

This is where Mad Max 3
- Beyond Thunderdome was filmed.

We were treated to a Tour of the Underground Museum while our Guide explained that Opal cannot be found by any other means than Hope and Hard Work.
Oil, Copper, Gold even Diamonds can be found with modern scanning devices - but Opals (being only Silica and Water) remain elusive.

So they dig.

And tunnel into the Earth.

Today the Miners have boring machines that get the job done more quickly than in the old days of Pick and Shovel.

They still use Explosives - lets just say our Guide was 'a Mine of Information' on that matter.

We toured tunnels that led to one of the 'Underground' houses which are actually built into the sides of the hills, and are not "down a Mine-shaft" dwellings as some thought.

Before having a beautiful Greek Themed Lunch in the dug out Dining Room.

We enjoyed the Cool Quiet Contemplation that was the Serbian Orthodox Church.

And listened to the stories of how it was built, finding enough Opal in the process to finance some of the project.


Then it was back onto the bus for a tour of the Above Ground Town.

Our driver happily explaining about their 'World Famous' Golf course.

It has it's own Special hazards but then it is the only Golf course in the world where members have reciprocal rights to St. Andrews in Scotland.


It is here we turn away from the Township of Coober Pedy and on to another adventure.

Was this 'Opal Hearted' Girl spoilt?
You Bet-ya she was!

(Even more so once DH learned the difference between Solid, Doublet and Triplet Opals.....)



I have come away from this visit with STRICT instructions to get my Opals valued, not to let them out of my sight, make sure my DD knows their value (which she does) and to WEAR them!



Day 7 is not quite over but the rest is a post in itself! .....