Coober Pedy

As we were visiting Coober Pedy we decided that it would be part of the experience to stay in an underground motel instead of camping. We ended up at The Lookout Cave which was a friendly and comfortable hotel, although a little warm after sleeping outdoors for the last few months! It looks pretty ordinary from the front when you actually find it, but it was nice inside. You can climb up some stairs to the top of the hill the hotel is dug into and see 360 degree views of Coober Pedy.

Coober Pedy is not beautiful, or well looked after, but it is certainly interesting and unusual! The businesses in town seem to look after each other, often referring you to one of the others with a reward/discount as a thank you for visiting. And, of course, there are the opals!



A view of town from the top of our hotel

different angle from the top of the motel

a drill

This blower is a big vacuum that helps to remove excess dirt/rocks from the mine. Neil and Liam are having a turn putting rocks in the vacuum. It is very powerful and sucks your hand in with the big rocks. You can see these everywhere around Coober Pedy

Inside the 'Old Timer's Mine'

Inside 'Tom's Working Mine' - a modern mine

The texture of the drilled out walls inside the hotel room

Liam pretending to sleep in his cave bedroom!

Baby Prue at Josephines. They have art, opals and kangaroos. Seems like a strange combination but the kangaroos certainly draw a crowd into their shop at the 12pm and 5.30pm feeding times. The kangaroos are all rescued kangaroos after mothers are killed by hunting, road accidents or misadventure (eg, barbed wire fences). The girl holding the kangaroo is a French tourist who is working with them as part of her Australian holiday.

The moon setting early in the morning over Coober Pedy