Coober Pedy and the Painted Desert - 14th Dec

Increasingly we were in the middle of nowhere: the outback, the desert. Us and the flies and not much else. So much space, so much emptiness. I still find it endlessly fascinating.





It was a warm night with a hot, dusty wind that sprang up for several hours prompting the use of the swag canvas over our heads to keep the dust out. Awakening at dawn soon the flies started again (they truly are solar powered) and it was on with the hat and fly net. Sunrise was beautiful behind the silhouetted water tower, and the Corellas were soon in chorus.

Breakfasted, we headed a little further up the Oodnadatta track through more scrubby cattle country, spotting brumbies (wild horses) galloping along- 2 adults and foal pursued, we thought, by a dingo though even the best cameras couldn't quite resolve this issue.

William Creek is a tiny town, a characterful pub and a caravan park, a couple of information boards. We had refreshments at the pub- partially built from railway sleepers from the old Ghan- roof and walls covered with business cards and "graffitti" from previous travellers.

 Continuing along the bumpiest section of the track yet we soon turn West towards Coober Pedy. The scenery is much the same, fascinatingly monotonus low scrub with occasional stunning vistas. Towards Coober there are piles of sand coloured earth; the spoil from Opal mining- and warning signs about falling down unmarked shafts.

Coober Pedy (from the aboriginal meaning "white man's burrow") is a town supplying most of the world's opal (first discovered in 1915) and largely built underground (by WWI ex-trenchmen) where the temperature year round is pleasantly cool. Mining is no-longer allowed in the town but locals continue to "extend" their houses- by the use of dynamite and discover a fair bit of Opal whilst adding 21 extra bedrooms! To quote The Rough Guide: "Coober Pedy is the most enduring symbol of harshness of Australia's outback an the determination of those who live there".

"Coober Pedy has a bit of a reputation as a rowdy township. This is not really surprising considering the extreme climate, alcohol problems, access to explosives and open mine shafts to fall down".



We took a tour of an opal mine built as a house originally and now a museum and shop. The front door at street level led inside the rock and immediately the soothing coolness replaced the burning sunlight. The walls are bare rock but it's not an ugly rock, the only problem: lack of windows. Below the living area, a series of tunnels. Once, all mining was done only by pick ax. Explosives and tunnelling machines replaced this but when a seam of opal is discovered it's back to the skillful pick ax action to remove the gem.


The Painted desert

Lunch time was a much needed shower before heading out into the desert again, crossing the dingo fence, a massively long structure built to keep dingoes out of sheep country in the South. NE of Coober Pedy we headed towards the painted desert. Here small peaks rose up their multicoloured streaks beautiful. The weather was coming though and from the lookout we can see a storm ahead, as we continue there are rainbows and puddles over the desert, the dirt road is softening and the truck is leaving rutts. Usually camp is made a little way off the road but with the worsening weather and the wind whipping up the dust an alternative plan is needed. A tumbleweed rolls rapidly over the road and we jump back in the truck escaping the intense wind. We spend the night in Oodnadatta itself, in a basic roadhouse, rolling our swags out under a shelter because ironically although Oodnadatta is the hottest and driest town in Australia, it looked like rain!