There is not much to see between Pimba and Coober Pedy, just flat arid land. On Monday we were camped out at the last rest area before you get to Coober Pedy, the Hutchison Memorial, it was young William Hutchison, aged 14, that found pieces of surface opal in 1915.

It was late afternoon, this vehicle and caravan headed towards us and the couple shouted out “our bloody South African mates”, we did not recognise them at first, we were so surprised to see that it was Mark and Heidi, we had met them nearly a year ago, never expecting to see them again. We lit the fire and chatted, was lovely to catch up.

We arrived in Coober Pedy on Tuesday, first impression is a dirty dusty town looking like a scrap yard with piles of sand heaps wherever you look.

HISTORY: About 150 million years ago the ocean covered the Coober Pedy region. After the sea water receded, there were climatic changes that caused the lowering of the underground water tables. Silica solutions were carried down to deposit in cavities, faults and fractures in the ground, and now, millions of years later, these silica solutions have formed into opal. Opal was discovered in 1915. In 1920 the town was renamed Coober Pedy from the Aboriginal word “kupa piti”, commonly assumed to mean “white man in a hole”. The town is surrounded by a moon-like landscape dotted with shafts and mullock heaps from opal mining activities, with opal workings extending for nearly 40km’s around the town. The population is about 3 500 with about 45 nationalities. Coober Pedy is recognised as the largest producer of opal in the world, 95% of the world’s opal is produced here. It is believed that the soldiers who returned from the trenches of France during WW1 introduced the idea of living underground in homes commonly known as “dugouts”. The miners quickly discovered the advantages of living underground to escape the heat of the summer and winter’s cool desert nights. No matter how harsh the climate, the underground rooms maintain a comfortable even temperature ranging from 23°C to 25° throughout the year. It is estimated that about 50% of the population live underground.

Our first stop was the Big Winch Lookout, we visited the Revival Underground Church and the underground Comfort Inn Motel next door, love the colours of the underground, like a peachy look with the dark patches, you never have to worry about painting. At the Old Timer’s Mine we watched the live demonstration of the Blower machine and did some noodling for pieces of opal. The Blower is used like a vacuum cleaner to remove waste material (also known as mullock) from the shafts. In the past the waste material was lifted to the surface by hand windlass, then by power winches and toady truck-mounted blowers are used. Visited the underground Serbian Orthodox Church, lovely the way the ceiling has been carved out, then the Desert Cave Hotel looking at the underground display area telling you the story of opal mining and the area.

We then took a drive out to the Dog Fence, this 2m high wire barrier is one of the longest structures in the world and is the world's longest fence, it stretches 5,614 km’s across 3 states, to protect the sheep country in the South from the Dingo’s in the North. We then headed to The Breakaways for sunset, The Breakaways Reserve lies 32km N of Coober Pedy, it consists of colourful low hills which have broken away from the Stuart Range. From the lookout you get to see the “Castle” or “Salt & Pepper” outcrops which have been used in a number of films and advertisements, Panorama Hill situated in the middle features in “Mad Max 3 Beyond the Thunderdome” and “Ground Zero”. We spent the evening there and got up early the following morning to watch the sunrise over The Breakaways, the colours of the rock are more enhanced with the sun on it.

Back in Coober Pedy we visited Crocodile Harry’s Nest, Harry spent 13 years in the north hunting crocodiles and arrived in Coober Pedy to try his luck at opal mining, he passed on in 2006 but his dugout (the underground cave) is open to the public. He was an eccentric man, the place is different, it has panties, bras and hats displayed, messages written all over the walls and ceiling. The cave also featured in the “Mad Max 3” movie. Next stop was the underground Catacomb church, the pulpit was different, a winch! Then Faye’s Underground home which Faye Naylor and her 2 lady friends dug out by hand in the early 1960’s. The first Mail Truck to Coober Pedy was garaged in what is the kitchen area today, saw some of the rooms and the in-ground swimming pool, quite remarkable to think it was all dugout by hand (wheelbarrow, pick & shovel) … and by ladies! Visited the underground St Peter & Paul’s Catholic church, the Opal Cave and the Umoona Opal Mine & Museum where fossil remains from the vast inland sea are displayed, Umoona means “long life” or “Mulga Tree”. It was a windy and dusty day in Coober Pedy, so we were pleased to get out. We spent the evening at the Lake Hart Lookout, walked down to the salt lake. Next to the lake was this weird weathered solid salt heap which looks a bit like a crater. The following morning we arrived in Pimba nice and early so did some washing and cleaned the inside of Tripi.