Australia

Coober Pedy, Way Down Under
 

 

Coober Pedy is a town in northern South Australia, 846 kilometers north of Adelaide, on the Stuart Highway. According to the 2011 census, its population was 1,695, and is the "Opal Capital of the World".

The first piece of opal, found in 1915, and has been drawing thousands ever since.  It is also one of the hottest places in Australia, with temps between 45 to 52 Celsius (122 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit) in the summer, explains why 80% of the population lives underground.

This is a town that has stayed with me since my visit at 12 years old. So when I looked for new camping options, for myself, and my son (currently 12) I googled fabulous places to camp, and found that Coober Pedy now has underground camping! I thought what a fabulously unique, and memorable experience that would be, and we were not disappointed.

 

We stayed at "Riba's Caravan Park", about 4 kms before you reach the main town of Coober Pedy. It was fabulous, and handmade by our wonderful hosts at Riba's, Rick and his wife. It is the only underground campsite in the world! 

It has hot showers, a big kitchen area, and a wi-fi lounge area, making it extremely popular with overseas tourists too.

 

We spent our time playing board games and digging for opals! We weren't disappointed either, as we found 4-5 little opals. Next time (yes, there will be a next time) we will take picks and shovels. While we were there another camper found a piece worth $10,000 and sold it to a mine in town.

If you are patient and don't mind a bit of dust (actually a lot of dust) make sure to come visit, and stay at Riba's Caravan Park, the best place in town! The surrounding landscape is uniquely beautiful with red desert stretching for miles, and sunrises and sunsets to die for.

Sometimes the simplest adventures turn out to be the best!

Stay tuned . . . more Aussie-wonderland adventures to come!