Winter 2019 - OZ 20 Walkabout in Coober Pedy

2019 - OZ  20   Walkabout in Coober Pedy

Boot Hill Cemetery

Once we were back in town, after our outing along the dog fence, we visited the cemetery. This is always a place where the character of a town emerges. The names on the headstones were mostly English or Slavic, the sayings were sometimes funny. We were invited by a dead person to sit down and have a glass of wine on his grave: “have a drink on me” it said. But we could not stay that long…flies...millions of them.

Remembering 8-Mile Will Who Walked Home When Lost

For 4-Year Old Tyrone (Click on Pic)

Bottle of Beer and a Glass

Toys By the Child's Grave

Blurry Through the Glass

So we did as the locals do, we went underground, to the underground shops. Carol had to look at Opals, but these shops were way too touristy for Carol, who by now ‘knows’ opals.

We did the sightseeing our B&B owner suggested.

Inside the Catholic Church of St. Peter & St. Paul

Entrance to CatholicChurch

We had a look at the Roman Catholic Church, a land mark in town… underground, of course.

The Hole Is Just to the Right of Centre (Click on Picture)

We also found the Golf Course, a very unusual Golf Course, no grass! The putting area was black sand; the fairways were white to grey rubble, sand. 

Black Greens & White Fairway

To tee off one uses a patch of artificial turf that you have to carry with you. The game is played at night with glowing balls, so that they can be seen. This Golf Course is the only Golf Course in the world that has a ‘reciprocal’ agreement with the venerable St. Andrew’s course in Scotland. Members from each club can play free on the others greens. 

Serbian Orthodox Church of Saint Elijah

We found the Serbian Church, a bit off the track, underground. I even lit a candle here; kept the flame burning for the dead.  

Entering the Serbian Church

Inside the Serbian Church

 Some sermons in that church are given in German, the sign said, the times were posted but I am not staying for that one.

Interesting and Informative Underground Displays in the Desert Cave

 

Underground Shops

We visited a big hotel (Desert Cave) that was built above ground but had parts of the amenities dug out, underground. An underground passage from the hotel to the other side of the main thoroughfare offered a display of the kinds of opals found around Coober Pedy, we looked at that in detail, it was interesting.

Exquisite Opal

Not in My Budget

Red Is the Most Rare

A Rescued Adult

We visited a man who helps abandoned wildlife. He has a store with Aboriginal Painted Art and some homemade musical instruments all made by the Aborigines.

Feeding An Adult

In his spare time this man rehabs animals such as kangaroos and whatever is brought to him. He showed us his pets that still need rest before they are set free again, into the wild. He was feeding a young Joey that was taken out of its mother’s pouch after she had a sudden demise just yesterday.

Feeding a Young Joey

Joey (Click on the Picture)

Beautiful Original Aboriginal Artwork

This man, the owner of Josephine’s Gallery, showed us how to play the didgeridoo. Not as easy as it looks. We both tried to get sounds out of the didgeridoo and we did get some tones but Carol could do it better than I could.

Brightly Painted Digeridoos

Its Much Harder Than It Looks

To Read About the Artist, Click on the Picture

In town are some vehicles on display that were used in the filming of the Mad Max films; odd looking vehicles, kind of from outer space.

Mad Max Machine

We drove through the back streets of town, found the ‘famous’ BIG WINCH, an enlargement of a contraption that helped miners get down to the opal layers. Mining is still the main reason this town exists.

The Big Winch

Opal Bucket on the Big Winch

Some people say that the real opal finds are now a bit removed from Coober Pedy, but all the shops, all the business in these Jewels, is still done in this town.

Opal Mining Along the Stuart Highway

The actual mines are now along the sides of the Stuart highway, we passed some of those mines, and passed the dirt hills, passed the mayhem those diggers create to find opals.

All this for a stone, I thought.

All this because some lady on 5^th Avenue in NYC or somewhere in Paris, Milan, London or Berlin feels tickled pink to wear one of those stones…

My, My, I really don’t understand the world… I just live in it, watch and observe…and I am astounded by what I see. 

Used When Looking for Opals

Square Tunneling Machine

Also On the Stuart Highway

 Coober Pedy sure is an astounding place to visit.

Welcome to Coober Pedy