COOBER PEDY

Coober Pedy is one of the main points en route to the Cattle Drive tour four.

The 'Opal Capital of the World', Coober Pedy consists of 4000 residents from 50 countries who have made an art form of all things quirky. With half the population living in underground dugouts to escape high temperatures in summer, only in Coober Pedy will you find an underground church, underground hotels and a golf course without a blade of grass. Taking its name from the Aboriginal word "kupa" (uninitiated man or white man) and "piti" (hole), Coober Pedy produces most of the world's opals. Its opal fields, discovered in 1913 by 14-year-old Willie Hutchison, cover an area of 4,954 square kilometres and consist of 70 individual fields.

You can try your luck at 'noodling' (fossicking) at various spots around town; get a great insight into the history at the Old Timers Mine and Museum; and buy up big at more than 30 shops. Town tours feature underground homes and opal mines, an art gallery, and there's also a host of natural landscapes including the Painted Desert, the Moon Plain and the Breakaways. (Incidentally, these great desert locations have attracted film makers from around the world, for movies including Fire in the Stone, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, Ground Zero, Pitch Black and Val Kilmer's Red Planet.) You can tag along with the famous Outback Mail Run or join a nightly Star Gazing Tour.
 
Accommodation
Desert Cave Hotel - 4 Star
Hutchison Street, Coober Pedy, South Australia 5723
The only international underground hotel allows you to experience dugout style living. Stroll in the cool comfort of underground shopping all within beautiful soft, natural sandstone surrounds.
Facilities: · shops · cafe · bar · restaurant · pool · spa · sauna · gym · laundry

Opal Inn Hotel/Motel - 3 Star
Hutchison Street, Coober Pedy South Australia 5723
The Opal Inn has something for everyone with hotel accommodation as well as all caravan and camping amenities. All rooms are above ground.
Facilities: · bar · restaurant · shop · barbecue · laundry