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Blue-Sky-Red-Earth-Coober-Pedy-Opal-Mine
Blue-Sky-Red-Earth-Coober-Pedy-Opal-Mine

Coober Pedy Opal Mine

Incredible landscape

Coober Pedy Opal Mine

Coober Pedy Opal Mine Coober Pedy Opal Mine, nowhere else in the world have I seen colours similar to outback Australia. Red earth, blackened trees and a beautiful blue sky.

I took three Japanese students, Yukako, Megumi & Noriko & travelled from the Gold Coast in Queensland, through Broken Hill  NSW to Cooper Pedy on the first leg of our journey on the way to Uluru aka Ayers Rock.

Excitement

Coober Pedy Opal Mine

 The girls started clapping wildly when they saw the kangaroo sign so you can imagine how excited they were when they saw a live one.

Here we are in Coober Pedy

Coober Pedy Opal Mine

You know when you are near the town when you see all the mounds of dirt & gravel.

OK, what are we waiting for?

Coober Pedy Opal Mine

Let’s go & check out this underground village. 

My trusty Holden Commodore was our transport on our marathon journey all through the Australian Outback we traveled 7,300 kilometers  which was around 82 hours behind the wheel. 

Mini mountains everywhere

Blue Sky Red Earth Coober Pedy Opal Mine

Coober Pedy is a town in northern South Australia, 846 km north of Adelaide. The 2011 census showed its population was 1,695 (953 males, 742 females, including 275 indigenous Australians). The town is sometimes referred to as the “opal capital of the world” due to the quantity of precious opals that are mined there.

 Men at work

Coober Pedy Opal Mine

This was our first indication of work happening around the mines.

Coober Pedy Opal Mine

Coober Pedy Opal Mine

As you can clearly see not all the people live underground.

 Opal capital of the World

Coober Pedy Opal Mine

 There are quite a few opal shops, restaurants and a variety of accommodation ranging from four star to backpackers and caravan/camping areas.

Desert Cave Hotel

Coober Pedy Opal Mine

The hotel has rooms above ground and in underground caves, this relaxed hotel is a 14-minute walk from the Big Winch Lookout. For an excellent discount just book through THIS LINK.

Big Winch Lookout

Coober Pedy Opal Mine

 The famous historic Big Winch Scenic Lookout with 360 degrees view of the town.

Is this Coober Pedy art?

Coober Pedy Opal Mine

To be honest with you I have no idea what it is. 🙂

On the other hand….

Coober Pedy Opal Mine

This may well be the brother of “Tin Man” from The Wizard of Oz. 🙂

 On the subject of movies

Coober Pedy Opal Mine

This monster was apparently part of a movie set that has been abandoned and left here as a talking point.

 We have finished the first stage of our Journey.

Coober Pedy Opal Mine

Next stop is Uluru aka Ayers Rock.

Thanks for visiting my Coober Pedy Opal Mine photo blog.

       

       Life 2015                     Family history                   Life 1982

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  Adelaide 1972                 Iron Bar Freddy               Sydney 2006

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Australian adventures

  • Melbourne

Counter only started June 16 2020.

Author: David Herd

My history, particularly over the last 30 years is dominated by overseas travel. I sold my home in Australia October 20th 2011 and have have been living in Thailand since then. I don’t know where the time has gone? It seems like you go to sleep one night, wake up the next morning, and 20 years have flashed by. Not sure how many years I have left, however I have enjoyed a wonderful charmed life, and if it all ended today I would leave this world with no regrets. I was born in Sydney halfway through the last century, started my travels in the 60s with the usual U.K. Europe adventure at the age of 20, back to Australia and worked in Sydney, Melbourne & Adelaide in Sales & Marketing with multinational companies including Sanyo, Canon & Remington. Engaged to be married 3 times and never quite made it to the alter, finally realized by the mid 90s I was not cut out for "long term relationships" so I moved to the Gold Coast in Queensland in January 1987, worked for a couple of banks as a Financial Planner, I took a year off work in 1998 to travel and never went back to full time work again, after 25 fun filled years on the Coast I packed up and moved to Thailand. What is the purpose of this blog? Well I really want to use it to record my travel experiences & to display my photographs, give and receive travel tips, comment on places I visit, restaurants I eat in and use it to replace the autobiography I intended to write, apart from all that it helps me fill in my day. :) I moved to Thailand mainly because I wanted to keep travelling while my health allowed me to, there are huge advantages being closer to all the places I want to visit. Cost of living in Thailand is around 35% of the cost in Australia, plus flights are 50% cheaper because you are much closer to everywhere. ???? Consequently I am able to travel to many more places compared to living in Australia. Having said all that, it is & has always been my intention to return to Australia when my travelling is finished, I predict this will happen around 2021.

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