The town of Coober Pedy in northern South Australia (wait, it gets even more confusing) is the opal capital of the world. Nearly 95% of the world’s opal supply comes from the local mines. But, if you were to walk into this mining town of 3,000 people, you wouldn’t see a bustling little town. You’d actually see less than half of its population.
To live. The miners, instead of living in the extreme desert climate, began moving into the caves they created during the mining process.
You’d think that living underground would be dank and dark, but they found a way to make their caves look like real homes.
Some of the caves in the hillside did lead outside, so this wasn’t a city of mole people (we think).
The community was so serious about their cave lifestyle, even churches were established underground.
Now, there are even underground hotels in Coober Pedy, just in case anyone would like to have a taste of the lifestyle that was created here.
Don’t get too claustrophobic, though. The “underground” homes are usually dug into the surrounding hillsides and most entrances are at street level.
Each room is ventilated with a vertical shaft, the temperature is perfectly regulated and sound barely travels through the homes.
Although the perfectly regulated temperature seems like a good idea, the thought of living underneath a desert in a series of caves is still a hard pill to swallow.
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