Welcome to Coober Pedy - Night 128

With an eleven hour drive to Coober Pedy in front of us, we departed promptly at 5am. Awaking at such an hour is second nature to me, though many of the other literally had to be dragged from their beds. Scooter was is need of a Kangaroo spotter, someone who wouldn’t fall asleep for the first two hours driving through the dark. Volunteering for this got me the front seat, which with its extra leg room was a bargain at half the price.

After backtracking to Port Augusta, we finally hit paved road at sunrise. About the same time, we returned to an area with cell phone covered and the mass of riders began busily returned texts and calls from the past two days. After four months without a cell phone, I don’t really even miss it (well sort of). Just outside of Port Augusta we turned right onto the beginning of the Stuart Highway, that straight, desolate 1,200 km road to Alice Springs. We wouldn’t leave it for two days.

Lake Hart

Five hours and two toilet stops later we pulled into the Lake Hart visitor’s center. Lake Hart is a massive salt lake that only fills with water once in a decade or so. Strangely, when Scooter was in the military a few years ago, he tested missiles out on this same dry lake bed. The entire area that we were driving through is off limits to civilians (other than those driving through) because it is an international missile testing range for Aussies as well as the Americans and the Brits. The U.S. even tested its Mars Rover vehicles out on these desolate plains. We built a multi-million center and adjacent town for our activities and then when finished sold it all to the Australian Government for one dollar.

Welcome to Nowhere

We arrived in Coober Pedy, the world’s most famous opal mining town, at 4pm. Drunken aborigines laid in the road and strange looking miner-types roamed the streets. Coober Pedy isn’t exactly a center of culture and refinement. Of the 3,000 permanent residents, 80% of them live in old mines under the ground. Our museum tour took us through one such home, and it was actually quite nice, though I don’t think I could deal with the lack of sunlight. We too, would be staying beneath the earth tonight. The natural air conditioning of the ground kept our rooms nice and cool, even when it was over 100 outside.

The Mining Museum

Scooter had arranged for our meal at the local pizza joint, a nice change from barbecued meat and sandwiches for every meal. Post dinner, a few of us headed out to experience the night life in Coober, it was a Friday night, after all. Not much doing. The pubs reminded me of those in any small

Our Underground Accomodation

American town, with the exception of all the ridiculous neon clothing all the men wear and the fact that you could do live horse betting at the bar. We returned early, as we had another 5am start staring us in the face.

What I Learned Today: There is an unwritten man rule that you do not go for what is behind door #3. In otherwords, don’t try to upgrade when you have a good thing going. I violated this rule today and am now regretting it. Only time will show if this was a sound decision.

written by

exumenius on February 15, 2008 from Coober Pedy, Australia

from the travel blog: Kiwis and Kangaroos

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