854km (529 miles) NW of Adelaide; 689km (427 miles) S of Alice Springs
Tourists come to this Outback opal-mining town for one thing: the people. More than 3,500 people, from 44 nations, work mainly underground here. The majority suffer from opal fever, which keeps you digging on the trail of the elusive shimmering rocks. Though some residents are secretive and keep to themselves, many others are colorful characters ready to stop for a chat and spin a few yarns.
Historically, Coober Pedy was a rough place, and it still has a certain Wild West air about it. The first opal was found here in 1915, but it wasn't until 1917, when the Trans Continental Railway was completed, that people began seriously digging for opals. Since then, they have mainly lived underground -- not surprising when you encounter the heat, the dust, and the flies for yourself.
The town got its name from the Aboriginal words kupa piti, commonly thought to mean "white man's burrow." Remnants of the holes left by early miners are everywhere, mostly in the form of bleached-white hills of waste called "mullock heaps." It's rather discouraged for tourists to wander around the tailing sites, because locals get fed up when visitors fall down the mine shafts.
As for the town, there isn't much to look at, except a couple of underground churches, some casual restaurants, a handful of opal stores, and the necessary service businesses. In the center of town you'll find lots of outdoor buildings; the hotels and youth hostel have aboveground entrances but rooms below ground. All are within stumbling distance of each other on the main street.
