October 20, 2002 Coober Pedy, Australia
 |
We had a short drive today to Coober Pedy, Australia's opal-mining capital. In Australia, two hours is a short drive. En route the landscape became totally barren: flat, no trees or shrubs, only red soil and some spiny grass. In the middle of this desolation lies Coober Pedy, the strangest place I've ever been. The people here dig opals out of the ground, then live in the caves. About 70% of the population of 5,000 live underground. We stayed in a hostel in a cave, which was nice and cool. We got a tour of the town, and went to the museum where we saw a cave-house. The town itself is ugly, dirty, and run-down, with lots of dodgy characters lurking about. There are hills with heavy machinery on top and piles of rocks everywhere, and nothing worthy of a photo. it was neat to visit for a day, but I wouldn't want to spend any more time here. That night we all got dressed up and went out for pizza, then a few of us went to a pub in a cave, but didn't stay too long, since tomorrow is an early day.
Why is this place not worthy of a photo? Sounds like something out of a sci-fi novel. Would have liked to a photo to support your description.
Posted by: Shawn on October 26, 2002 12:25 AMNo worries, I did take photos, and I will go back and add some to the journal entry. I just meant that it was an ugly place, not worth wasting film on. Luckily, I don't have to worry about film, so I just snap away.
Posted by: Terry on October 26, 2002 07:57 AM