Ghan: Exploring Coober Pedy

From The Breakaways, we headed into Coober Pedy for an introductory drive around town before making a few stops.

Remember the potential high temperature I mentioned for the park? As high as 113F? Well the town of Coober Pedy can have similar temps. So, the townspeople live mostly underground. Even the church we visited has been excavated out of the sandstone by volunteers.

Known simply as the underground church, the Church of Saint Elijah the Prophet is a Serbian Orthodox place of worship built in 1993 by the Serbian Australians who settled in Coober Pedy to mine for opal. The entire complex, which includes a church, community hall, a parish house, and a religious school is 9 to 55 feet below ground. The iconostasis is made of glass; bas reliefs of the saints are etched into the stone (difficult to see in the dim interior).

From the church, we headed to the Quest Opal Mine. Here we were given a tour of the mine and tried our hand at a bit of “fossicking” (recreational prospecting) for opals … found nothing but some potch (non-refracting white opal that has no value). Then we were led into some of the old shafts where we had lunch in rooms carved out of the rock. The meal was served family-style … delicious and fun.

Our tour wrapped up with a visit to the Umoona Opal Mine … a museum of sorts. We learned about the types of opals set into jewelry … including doublets and triplets … doublets having a backing behind a thin layer of opal; and triplets having both a backing and a clear dome that protect a paper-thin sliver of opal. Of course, solid opals are the best.

Before finishing up in the showroom, our tour took us into an underground dugout home similar to those in which miners live even to this day. These houses are popular because the temperature is a steady 73-77F day and night … throughout the year.

Yes, we did peruse the offerings in the showroom. Mui had done his research and knew what to look for. After some serious negotiation on his part, I walked out with a pendant … opting specifically for a Coober Pedy mined solid opal.Read more