Coober Pedy, South Australia looms so large in the Australian imagination, many people are surprised to learn that the town's permanent population numbers just 3,500. Although it is a small town, Coober Pedy can be said to be one of the world's most cosmopolitan, with permanent residents coming from 45 different countries.
The explorer, John Stuart, was the first European known to have visited the Coober Pedy region. The barren, if beautiful landscape of Coober Pedy was not attractive to European settlers until 1915, when Willy Hutchinson discovered opal 57 years after Stuart's brief visit. By 1916, Coober Pedy had become a permanent settlement and continued to grow. In 1999, the Australian government finally decided that it was time to limit the exploitation of the region after a survey discovered over 250,000 mine shafts in the Coober Pedy area. Today, large scale mining operations are forbidden in the area, but small scale mining continues on claims not exceeding 165 square feet.
Because the intense heat of the outback of South Australian makes it difficult or impossible to live above ground, the miners created cave homes . Called 'dugouts', many of these are not ordinary, cramped cave dwellings. In fact, many of them are two or three bedroom homes that include lounge rooms, full kitchens and bathrooms.
Until 1987, Stuart Highway, the famous outback road, was a dirt road. After it was sealed, Coober Pedy began to experience a new form of prosperity. . This time it was a tourist boom. The three main attractions of Coober Pedy for tourists are the opals, the fascinating lifestyle of the local miners and the stunning scenery. All of these, combined with the fact that Coober Pedy lies just about halfway between Adelaide and Alice Springs, make it particularly attractive to visitors.
Buying opals in Coober Pedy is a much more fascinating experience than buying them in a shop far removed from their source. For many tourists, the biggest drawcard of Coober Pedy is opals, which they buy from underground shops or even go mining for. While they are there, they discover an amazing underground world of shops, restaurants, accommodations, churches and museums.
Coober Pedy's most remarkable above ground attraction may be the Coober Pedy Golf Course. This 18 hole course has the distinction of holding reciprocal playing rights with St. Andrews Golf Club in Scotland, the "birthplace of golf." The Coober Pedy Golf Course has also earned worldwide fame as one of the world's ten most unusual golf courses. It is a grassless course and night golf with glow-in-the-dark balls is very popular, partly because, with daytime temperatures that can become intolerably hot, the only time golf can be played is at night.
If you are looking for a unique place to stay, then look no further than a Coober Pedy accommodation. There are many wonderful cave accommodations for visitors in the town - so many, in fact, that you can choose between budget and luxury accommodations. For a completely unique experience you will thoroughly enjoy, go a little out of your way and stay in Coober Pedy.
Need a break away, find <a target="_new" href="http://www.bookitnow.com.au/accommodation/sa/flinders-ranges-outback/coober-pedy/1/">Coober Pedy accommodation</a>, things to do and other travel related information about the area on <a target="_new" href="http://www.bookitnow.com.au/">'Book it Now'</a>. Or visit our <a target="_new" href="http://travelblog.bookitnow.com.au/">travel blog</a> for more Australian holiday ideas.
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