Around 150 million years ago, Coober Pedy was covered by the ocean.
When the water receded, it left behind sandy silica minerals that seeped into rocky cracks in the seabed, eventually forming into opals. Today, this South Australian town is known as the opal capital of the world, and visitors are welcome to try their hand at noodling for these small precious gems.
At the free noodling pit, visitors can search through mullock piles: heaps of discarded rocks and dirt from mining activities. Many people have been known to find opals, with amateur fossickers spending hours sifting through the sand.
If you don’t manage to find your own opal while noodling, never fear, as there are stores in town where you can choose your own gem.
The Old Timers Mine is the perfect place to learn more about the mining history of this town, running self-guided tours of an original 1916 opal mine, museum and historic underground home. Use UV lights to admire the bigger opals, and see some of the first opals found by Willie Hutchison in 1915.
At the Umoona Opal Mine and Museum, visitors can embark on an underground tour of the dugouts which make the town so unique. Stop by the underground cinema to watch a screening of the award-winning documentary “The Story of Opal”, which details Coober Pedy’s mining history on three panoramic screens.
History buffs will also be fascinated by a trip to Boot Hill, a land mass dotted with tombstones dating back to the 1970s. One of the most photographed headstones belongs to miner Karl Bratz. Made from an 18-gallon beer keg, the epitaph reads “Have a drink on me!”
For views over the desert, head to the Big Winch Lookout – an 8 metre high structure built in the 1970s. Atop a sandy hill, the Big Winch looks out over the red desert and is an incredible place to catch the sunset. For another unique experience, trek to the Dog Fence, a 2 metre high wire barrier that stretches a whopping 9,600 kilometres from Surfers Paradise in Queensland all the way to Western Australia.
A short distance from Coober Pedy, you will find the Kanku-Breakaways Conservation Park. Covering almost 15,000 hectares, this arid park is home to almost 60 native flora species, and wildlife including red kangaroos, echidnas, birds and fat-tailed dunnarts. Several tour companies operate in the area, including Noble Tours Australia. The entire park is an Aboriginal Heritage site, and contains a rich history. It is known for its spectacular colour hills and gibber-covered plain, known locally as the “moon plain.”
To engage further with Aboriginal culture, head to Josephine’s Gallery and Kangaroo Orphanage where you can browse an impressive collection of work from some of Australia’s best Aboriginal artists. On an Aboriginal cultural and heritage talk, the experienced staff will teach you about the history of Aboriginal art, weaponry and bush medicine. Plus, in 2008 the gallery began homing orphaned kangaroos from all over South Australia, and have since helped wombats, birds and lizards too.
There are plenty of churches, bars and hotels to enjoy while escaping the desert heat. At the Desert Cave Hotel, you can enjoy a refreshing beer at the bar and gaming room, dine at the restaurant, and explore a variety of shops, all while underground!
Can’t get enough of all the wonderful things to do in Coober Pedy? To read about the best places to eat and drink in Coober Pedy, click here.
