Off The Track 4x4 4WD 4WDing Camping Travel in Australia
  • About Us
    • Our Bucket List >
      • Travel Map
      • BIG THINGS
      • Silo Art
    • Who we support
    • Essential Oils
  • OUR VEHICLES
    • Project Leia
    • 150 Series Prado
    • Cub Brumby
    • 90 Series Prado (now sold)
  • OUR TRIPS
    • Extended Holidays >
      • Eyre Peninsula (19 Dec 2020 - 9 Jan 2021)
      • Fraser Island (21 Dec 2019 - 3 Jan 2020)
      • Big Red Bash (12 -26 July 2019)
      • Coffin Bay & Flinders Ranges (26 Dec 2018 - 4 Jan 2019)
      • Cape York (11 July 2018 - 4 August 2018)
      • Urunga (26 Dec 2017 - 2 Jan 2018)
      • Fraser Island (30 Sept - 6 Oct 2017)
      • Moreton Island (24-27 April 2017)
      • Fraser Island (14-22 April 2017)
      • Urunga (December 2016 - January 2017)
      • Western Australia (July/August 2016) >
        • Map
        • Itinerary
        • Photos
      • Cameron Corner - New Years Eve 2014 >
        • Map
        • Blog - Cameron Corner NYE 2014
      • Fraser Island (April 2015)
      • Fraser Island (April 2014)
      • Cape York & Northern Territory Honeymoon (August - October 2013) >
        • Blog - Cape York & Beyond
        • Map
        • Itinerary
        • Photos
      • Fraser Island (April 2012)
      • Fraser Island (April 2011)
      • Burke & Wills 150th Anniversary (Aug 2010)
      • Cairns - Cooktown (Jan 2006)
    • Short Holidays >
      • Ulladulla Bushfire Relief (20-22 March 2020)
      • Tumut Easter Break (19.04.19)
      • Percy's Place (26.01.18-28.01.18)
      • Platypus Flat, Nymboi-Binderay National Park (15/16.11.14)
      • Snow Trip (2007)
    • Day Trips >
      • Southern Highlands (19.07.2020)
      • Glen Davis (05.07.2020)
      • Scheyville National Park (28.06.2020)
      • Bowral (13.06.2020)
      • Lithgow Snow Day (10.08.19)
      • Lithgow & Surrounds (29.02.2020)
    • 4WD Days >
      • Lithgow (06.06.21)
      • Lithgow, Powerlines & Spanish Steps (07.11.20)
      • Mt Sugarloaf & surrounds (30.08.20)
      • Lithgow Snow (23.08.2020)
      • Morisset (20.06.20)
      • Watagans (31.05.20)
      • Stockton Beach (14.03.20)
      • Lithgow with Liam (27.10.19)
      • Jellore State Forest with liam (29.09.19)
      • Jellore State Forest (21.09.19)
      • GDT Day (18.08.19)
      • Morisset (15.06.19)
      • Lithgow (10.02.19)
      • Ward 21, Morisset (10.11.18)
      • Ward 21, Morisset Hospital & Watagan Plane Wreck (01.04.18)
      • Lithgow (09.09.2017)
      • Stockton Beach & Watagans (08.07.2017 - 09.07.2017))
      • Stockton Beach (02.04.2016)
      • Watagans (28.12.2015)
      • Lithgow (01.11.2015)
      • Lithgow (19.07.2015)
      • Barrington Tops (16-17.05.2015)
      • Lithgow (25.01.2015)
      • Ourimbah State Forest (28.09.14)
      • Stockton Beach (various)
      • Wheeny Creek, Colo (01.06.14)
      • South Coast Trip (Jan 2012)
      • Toronto Day Trip (Nov 2008)
  • Our Blog
  • OTT 4X4 Shop
    • 2022 Calendar
    • 4WD Parts & Accs
    • Camping Accessories
    • Clothing
    • Digital Downloads
    • Maps
    • Magnets
    • OTT4x4 Merchandise
    • Vehicle Maintenance
  • Media
    • Cub Campers
    • 4WD TV Shoot
    • Online & Media
  • Planning
    • Recommended Services & Products >
      • Discounts
    • Kids Corner
    • Snake Bite First Aid
    • Planning & Helpful Hints
    • Camp Cooking >
      • Recipes
      • How to prepare your Camp Oven
  • Contact Us
    • Social Media
    • Follow us on Spot ...

Coober Pedy

28/9/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture

Coober Pedy is situated in the South Australian Outback, and basically exists thanks to a 14-year old boy named William Hutchison. William found the first pieces of opal at Coober Pedy in 1915, whilst on a gold prospecting trip with this father.

The name Coober Pedy comes from the Aboriginal words 'kupa' and 'piti', meaning 'white man' and 'hole in the ground'.

The town is world renowned for its precious opal and also for its unique method of living underground in 'dugouts'.

About 80% of the people living here live underground. It is the largest producer of opal in the world.

Coober Pedy is different from anything you would have seen, unless you've been to Lightening Ridge! They are very similar, both very much still mining towns, but Coober Pedy seems a bit more modern.

Picture
Our accommodation - The Underground Motel

Our accommodation is great, we love it. We wanted to stay underground in Coober Pedy and had picked this motel as it was the first underground motel built here, and one of only a few that are truly underground. All rooms have been dug out into a sandstone hill, it's amazing.

The rooms are great and the staff are great too. Our room has a bedroom, bathroom and living area with tv and table, as well as a small kitchenette with microwave, kettle, toaster, crockery and cutlery and microwave dishes if cooking. We also have tea and coffee and supplies for continental breakfast (toast, cereal, spreads, milk etc) all included in the price.

The gardens of the motel are great too, considering very few people appear to have gardens here due to all the sand (no grass around!), they have done an awesome job here. We both absolutely love it and even commented that we'd love to buy and run a small motel like this.

Picture
George in the Old Timers Mine

A visit to a few opal shops and a few purchases later we were off to visit a mine. We had been told to visit the Old Timers Mine, so that's exactly what we did! What a great tourist attraction, the mine and museum gives more than enough information on what it was like being a miner and the history of the area.

So we donned our hard hats and entered the mine!

This particular mine dates back to 1916, but for some reason, whoever the miners were, concealed the mine by back-filling the shafts. Noone knows why they never returned to dig out the remaining opal though.

It was then in 1968 that the hidden mine was discovered by Ron Gough, when he was digging out to expand his underground home. As he broke through, he exposed 3 seams of opal and opalised seashells.

Picture

Next stop was to visit Faye's Underground home. This dug out was initially one area which housed the first mail truck driver over 60 years ago.

This was originally a one bedroom home that was converted by Faye Nayler and two other woman, using only picks and shovels, into a kitchen and bedroom. Later in 5 other rooms were added, including a wine cellar and swimming pool (the first in Coober Pedy).

This house and tour was excellent, would love to live in a dug out after exploring this house! The temperature all year round underground is about 25 degrees, so no need to use heating or cooling. This really does seem to be the way to live to escape the harsh and hot environment around here.

The other amazing thing about this place is that it is actually currently lived in. The current owners take you on a tour of their property they are living in! It's great that people can take such pride in their home and the history of it and still be willing to share it with the public so that the history isn't lost.

Faye Nayler must be an amazing woman. She is apparently still alive, in her 80's and living in a suburb near Brisbane.

Picture
Looking up one of the air vents in the underground home
Picture
Air vents from above! Whenever you see these, you know there is an underground home below the surface

Went to check out the local golf course, we were going to have a game, but it was just too hot. With no trees or shelter on the course, it was far too hot to be out there. It's quite strange seeing a golf course without a single blade of grass anywhere, and surrounded by opal mines!

Coober Pedy is also the only golf club in the world to have reciprocal rights at the 'home of golf' St. Andrews, Scotland.

Apparently in 2002 the Coober Pedy Golf Course clubhouse was destroyed by fire and after the new clubhouse was built, the president sent a photo of the course to St. Andrews, with a note telling them it was about time they got their course in shape and asked if they would like reciprocal membership!

What started as a joke, turned into surprise when a letter arrived back from St. Andrews Links Trust granting reciprocal rights on the provision that they grant St. Andrews an opal mine!

The mine and reciprocal rights were given and therefore making Coober Pedy Golf Course the only in the world it have reciprocal rights with St. Andrews.

The only thing is that the rights granted are for Coober Pedy Golf Club members to play on the 9 hole Balgove Course (the worst of the St Andrews Links Trust portfolio)!

Picture
Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013

    Categories

    All
    Ayers Rock
    Cape York
    Captain Billy Landing
    Coober Pedy
    Eliot Falls
    Fruit Bat Falls
    Innot Hot Springs
    Jardine River
    Kata Tjuta
    Loyalty Beach
    Marla
    Mt Isa
    Nolans Brook
    NT
    Old Ghan Railway Line
    Old Telegraph Track
    Oodnadatta
    OTT
    Port Augusta
    Seisa
    Tennant Creek
    The Olgas
    The Painted Desert
    The Pink Roadhouse
    Tip Of Australia
    Twin Falls
    Uluru
    Undara Volcanic Lava Tubes
    William Creek

    RSS Feed

...... Making memories one track at a time
  • About Us
    • Our Bucket List >
      • Travel Map
      • BIG THINGS
      • Silo Art
    • Who we support
    • Essential Oils
  • OUR VEHICLES
    • Project Leia
    • 150 Series Prado
    • Cub Brumby
    • 90 Series Prado (now sold)
  • OUR TRIPS
    • Extended Holidays >
      • Eyre Peninsula (19 Dec 2020 - 9 Jan 2021)
      • Fraser Island (21 Dec 2019 - 3 Jan 2020)
      • Big Red Bash (12 -26 July 2019)
      • Coffin Bay & Flinders Ranges (26 Dec 2018 - 4 Jan 2019)
      • Cape York (11 July 2018 - 4 August 2018)
      • Urunga (26 Dec 2017 - 2 Jan 2018)
      • Fraser Island (30 Sept - 6 Oct 2017)
      • Moreton Island (24-27 April 2017)
      • Fraser Island (14-22 April 2017)
      • Urunga (December 2016 - January 2017)
      • Western Australia (July/August 2016) >
        • Map
        • Itinerary
        • Photos
      • Cameron Corner - New Years Eve 2014 >
        • Map
        • Blog - Cameron Corner NYE 2014
      • Fraser Island (April 2015)
      • Fraser Island (April 2014)
      • Cape York & Northern Territory Honeymoon (August - October 2013) >
        • Blog - Cape York & Beyond
        • Map
        • Itinerary
        • Photos
      • Fraser Island (April 2012)
      • Fraser Island (April 2011)
      • Burke & Wills 150th Anniversary (Aug 2010)
      • Cairns - Cooktown (Jan 2006)
    • Short Holidays >
      • Ulladulla Bushfire Relief (20-22 March 2020)
      • Tumut Easter Break (19.04.19)
      • Percy's Place (26.01.18-28.01.18)
      • Platypus Flat, Nymboi-Binderay National Park (15/16.11.14)
      • Snow Trip (2007)
    • Day Trips >
      • Southern Highlands (19.07.2020)
      • Glen Davis (05.07.2020)
      • Scheyville National Park (28.06.2020)
      • Bowral (13.06.2020)
      • Lithgow Snow Day (10.08.19)
      • Lithgow & Surrounds (29.02.2020)
    • 4WD Days >
      • Lithgow (06.06.21)
      • Lithgow, Powerlines & Spanish Steps (07.11.20)
      • Mt Sugarloaf & surrounds (30.08.20)
      • Lithgow Snow (23.08.2020)
      • Morisset (20.06.20)
      • Watagans (31.05.20)
      • Stockton Beach (14.03.20)
      • Lithgow with Liam (27.10.19)
      • Jellore State Forest with liam (29.09.19)
      • Jellore State Forest (21.09.19)
      • GDT Day (18.08.19)
      • Morisset (15.06.19)
      • Lithgow (10.02.19)
      • Ward 21, Morisset (10.11.18)
      • Ward 21, Morisset Hospital & Watagan Plane Wreck (01.04.18)
      • Lithgow (09.09.2017)
      • Stockton Beach & Watagans (08.07.2017 - 09.07.2017))
      • Stockton Beach (02.04.2016)
      • Watagans (28.12.2015)
      • Lithgow (01.11.2015)
      • Lithgow (19.07.2015)
      • Barrington Tops (16-17.05.2015)
      • Lithgow (25.01.2015)
      • Ourimbah State Forest (28.09.14)
      • Stockton Beach (various)
      • Wheeny Creek, Colo (01.06.14)
      • South Coast Trip (Jan 2012)
      • Toronto Day Trip (Nov 2008)
  • Our Blog
  • OTT 4X4 Shop
    • 2022 Calendar
    • 4WD Parts & Accs
    • Camping Accessories
    • Clothing
    • Digital Downloads
    • Maps
    • Magnets
    • OTT4x4 Merchandise
    • Vehicle Maintenance
  • Media
    • Cub Campers
    • 4WD TV Shoot
    • Online & Media
  • Planning
    • Recommended Services & Products >
      • Discounts
    • Kids Corner
    • Snake Bite First Aid
    • Planning & Helpful Hints
    • Camp Cooking >
      • Recipes
      • How to prepare your Camp Oven
  • Contact Us
    • Social Media
    • Follow us on Spot ...