Day #11 – Woomera to Coober Pedy (380kms)

Spent an amazing day at Coober Pedy, did a tour with ‘Jimmy the Runner’ (google him)!

Such an amazing history, so many stories from a man who arrived here aged 18 and never left (he’s now 74).

Opal is probably one of the few gems that is still mostly mined by individuals or small groups of people in holes in the ground with an average of 2% success of getting rich and only 15% success of even getting your money back.

Coober Pedy has a golf course (dirt), a gun club (dirt), a park (dirt) and even has suburbs (underground houses…in dirt)

Finally managed to capture a whole train on the Ghan Line
Lake Hart (salt)
Believe it or not there is an electric car charger in the middle of nowhere
A random rest stop between Woomera and Coober Pedy
The Greek Orthodox Church at Coober Pedy
Just amazing, and all done by volunteers
Opal in its natural setting
Underground mine shaft
A typical opal mine, just a hole in the ground
The Breakaways
Salt and pepper shakers
Down on the desert floor
The dog fence, the longest fence in the world
The Moonscape, Pitch Black and Red Planet were both filmed here
Optimistic sign
Just desert as far as the eye can see
Stop for wine and nibbles
Michelle and Jimmy looking for rocks
Michelle in her natural state
Me NOT with a beer in my hand

Dingo grate
Underground hotel emergency exit
Our hotel room
The roof of our hotel room
The actual rig they use to lower themselves down the holes
And finally ‘Jimmy the Runner’ (google him) our guide for the day. He came to Coober Pedy from Greece when he was 18 and never left…he’s now 74!

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