Coober Pedy

After a savoury breakfast at chilly temperatures next to the Marree Station we started our journey on the Oodnadatta Track. The track was pretty well formed and we were able to average about 70 km/h with rising temperatures. After about an hour en route we stopped at a viewpoint over a small southern part of Lake Eyre, a massive salt lake in the middle of nowhere. We didn't drive on it as it was strongly adviced not to do, so we just had a walk over the salt crust.
Then Julia got to drive for the next two hours. We made a short stop at Coward Springs, a series of water holes. But the incredibly annoying flies made us flee the scene in no time. After another 80 kilometers we reached William Creek, a tiny village along the track. First we considered driving on but instead went to stop. Just as we got out of the car Julia heard a noise... Our tyre must have been punctured right when we entered the town!!! What a bummer!! But luckily there was a garage in town which was run by some bush pilots, he offered to fix the tyre on the spot. Half an hour later and with some dollars less, we were good to go and went on in direction of Coober Peddy.
The 170km drive was uneventful which was a relief :) So we arrived in Coober Peddy which is famous for the Opal mining and underground dug houses. First we visited the Orthodox Church, a stunning example of the underground building. Then we stopped at the first Opal shop we saw and got to talk to the owner, George. We spent almost an hour in his shop and he explained us a lot about the opal business, his mining operations, living underground and the family history. For the last stop of the day we visited John's Pizza House for its famous 'Native Pizzas'. We decided to get a Pizza topped with kangaroo, emu, camembert, spinach and cranberries. An excellent meal!Read more