Coober Pedy Attractions 
The opal-mining town of Coober Pedy (pop. 2500) lies in the heart of the South Australian outback. The name of the town comes from an Aboriginal phrase meaning 'white fellows in a hole' - most of the inhabitants live in underground dwellings (dugouts) to escape the fierce heat of summer and the extreme cold of winter.
The activities of opal miners over many years, since gold prospectors found valuable white opals here in 1911, have converted the desolate countryside round Coober Pedy into a kind of lunar landscape. Visitors can still try their luck after obtaining a prospecting permit from the Mines Department in Coober Pedy. The Mine Museum has interesting displays on the history of prospecting for precious stones and demonstrations of opals being cut and polished. Also worth a visit is the Catacomb Church.
Desert Cave Hotel is the world's first underground hotel.
The activities of opal miners over many years, since gold prospectors found valuable white opals here in 1911, have converted the desolate countryside round Coober Pedy into a kind of lunar landscape. Visitors can still try their luck after obtaining a prospecting permit from the Mines Department in Coober Pedy. The Mine Museum has interesting displays on the history of prospecting for precious stones and demonstrations of opals being cut and polished. Also worth a visit is the Catacomb Church.
Desert Cave Hotel is the world's first underground hotel.
