Coober Pedy

Coober Pedy, (pronounced Coober Peedy), is a small town in South Australia north of Adelaide on the Stuart Highway with a population of 3,500.

Understand
It is self-described as the "opal capital of the world" and the opals are the only reason why there is a town. Located in the Outback, it is hundreds of kilometres from the nearest settlement. The harsh summer temperatures and the dominant industry mean that most residents live underground, that is, in caves bored into the rock of the hills around the town. There are houses and other buildings on the surface but the advantage of being in a cave is that the temperature remains fairly constant. Surface living requires air conditioning.

By plane
Regional Express flies between Adelaide and Coober Pedy three times per week using turboprop aircraft. Fares start at $300 for the 2 hour flight.

By bus
Greyhound Australia operates 365 days a year service to and from Coober Pedy. Adelaide to Coober Pedy - departs 7:45PM arrives 6:15AM. Alice Springs to Coober Pedy - departs 10:30AM arrives 6:30PM.

By car
The Stuart Highway
 * From Adelaide 846 km driving the Stuart Highway, fuel is available at Pimba and Glendambo villages between Port Augusta and Coober Pedy
 * Alice Springs 685 km Fuel available at Cadney Park, Marla, & Kulgera in NT.
 * Darwin 2,170 km
 * Port Augusta 535 km
 * Tennant Creek 1,173 km
 * Yulara 725 km

The Painted Desert Road (Kempe Rd) is a formed sand road linking Coober Pedy to Oodnadatta. Although only a days drive (194km), take the precautions for remote area driving, and takes about 3 hours. This road has very light traffic. Always carry adequate water. Check road conditions carefully, and do not continue if the road is closed.

By train
Coober Pedy can be accessed by rail via the Ghan route from Adelaide to Alice Springs. Transportation from Manguri Siding, 47 km from Coober Pedy, has to be arranged prior to departure from Adelaide or Alice Springs. Departs Adelaide on Sundays & Wednesdays and arrives at Manguri Siding on Mondays & Thursdays. If you are alighting at Manguri, especially in the winter months, make sure you have warm clothing as the train arrives very early in the morning.

Get around
Coober Pedy is small, with most shops on Hutchison St and everything else fairly close by. You can generally walk around town from hotels, as long as you can handle the heat.

Fuel costs around 30c/litre more than on the coast.

See
Some of the interesting attractions in Coober Pedy include:


 * Mines It is dangerous to wander among the diggings. You could fall down a shaft or be mistaken for a thief. Miners in Coober Pedy are a secretive lot and suspicious of interlopers. It is much safer to go to a worked out mine that has been opened as a tourist attraction. The owner collects bras and one of the attractions is his collection of bras together with photographs of the donors. Apparently the first bra in the collection was donated by Tina Turner when the mine was used as a set during the filming of Mad Max Beyond The Thunderdome.


 * One of the tours takes you to a mine dump where you can legally fossick for opals among the waste rock.


 * Graveyard This is a fascinating site where you will see headstones for a large number of nationalities. The town is a veritable "united nations" and the graves reflect this. One intriguing monument is an empty beer keg which acts as a headstone for a miner who left his fortune to his mates for them to have a drink on him. Unfortunately his debts exceeded his assets. However, his mates saw him off as he wanted and the keg serves as a reminder of the wake and the man.
 * Churches The Serbian Orthodox Church is bored out of solid rock and its beautifully ornamented interior is a must see. The Catholic Church is not quite as intricate or as large but is still a significant site.




 * The stars The night sky in the Outback has to be seen especially on a moonless night. The stars and planets are awe-inspiring. At about 20km from town there is no electric light pollution and you can see by starlight. The constellations and planets appear to move across the sky and if you can get on a tour with a local expert it is a learning experience not to be missed.
 * Other The first tree ever seen in the town was welded together from scrap iron and sits on a hillside overlooking the town. The golf course is completely free of grass and golfers take a small piece of "turf" around to use for teeing off.

There are a number of shops selling opal jewelry and single stones.

The town of Coober Pedy is the setting for the film Opal Dream  (2005) which tells the story of a young girl and her imaginary friends. The countryside around Coober Pedy has also featured as a backdrop to some movies including Mad Max Beyond The Thunderdome and Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Some of the film props from Mad Max are still to be seen in town.

Do
The Opal mine tour is a great experience for all.

Buy
You can buy opals just about everywhere in Coober Pedy, however don't necessarily expect bargain prices. Sellers are not likely to rip you off but check a few places to be sure of appropriate prices.

The IGA is located on the Northern of Hutchison Street. There is a Cellarbrations located on the Southern side of Hutchison Street. When purchasing alcohol, have photo ID (passport, drivers licence, proof of age card) ready. There are limits involved on the amount of alcohol per day as Coober Pedy is a dry town. The limit, however, seems to be a bottle of spirits and two bottles of wine per day.

Eat
Many restaurants are located underground. The Opal Inn serves many tourists with unique food.

Drink
There is the Opal Inn, the Desert Cave Hotel, the licensed restaurants and bottle shops next to the both of the supermarkets, including Cellarbrations bottle shop at the IGA Fresh Supermarket.

Coober Pedy has a major problem with alcohol and various restrictions apply to sales. As of 2023, liquor can only be sold after midday, you can only make one purchase per day, you are only allowed to buy one bottle of wine per person per day to take-away, and you will have to provide ID for scanning. Of course, you can buy unlimited beer (or maybe only a case, still a lot more than wine). You can also drink in the pub with no problem.

Connect
Telstra and Optus have mobile phone reception in town, but not Vodafone.

Stay safe
There are many signs in the area warning visitors to avoid falling into an abandoned mineshaft. Never walk backwards.

Coober Pedy suffers from a high crime rate, with frequent break-ins targeting cash and alcohol. These target businesses more than tourists though, and street crime is rare.

Go next
You can head north along the Stuart Highway to the Red Centre.