Exiles of the Sun: about the town of Coober Pedy, where people live underground

In the southern part of Australia, in the middle of the Victoria Desert, there is a mining town of Coober Pedy, which means "white man's hole" in the Aboriginal language. In these parts, 50-degree heat is the norm of life. As well as regular sandstorms. Therefore, the townspeople (more than two thousand people) live in houses dug into the ground. Moreover, in the underground part of the city, without rising to the surface, you can go shopping, swim in the pool, go to church or even to the cemetery.

The exposition of the local museum of the history of opal mining.

Currently, it is forbidden to dig mines on the territory of the town, so many residents have moved to traditional houses with all amenities. And they protect air conditioners from breakdowns like the apple of their eye. But there are also many who remain faithful to traditions. Their "dugouts" are quite comfortable - electricity, water supply, sewerage.

The spaceship left after the filming of the "Black Hole".

A reasonable question arises: what did people forget there at all? And they forgot the opals and are very actively looking for them. Almost a third of the world's reserves of this mineral, which is highly valued by jewelers, are concentrated in the bowels of the earth in the vicinity of Coober Pedy.

The extraction of opals was launched here in 1915, and people quickly realized that it was elementary to escape from the heat: not to appear on the surface and live in dug mines. In an underground dwelling, the optimal temperature is maintained by itself - around 22 degrees Celsius all year round.

The exposition of the local museum of the history of opal mining. Currently, it is forbidden to dig mines on the territory of the town, so many residents have moved to traditional houses with all amenities. And they protect air conditioners from breakdowns like the apple of their eye. But there are also many who remain faithful to traditions. Their "dugouts" are quite comfortable - electricity, water supply, sewerage.

There are two types of underground apartment decoration in Coober Pedy: natural and modern. With natural, all the finishing is limited to the fact that the walls and ceiling are covered with a special solution so that they do not get dusty.

And if the owners choose a modern option, then after the formation of the room, it is sheathed with dry plaster. It looks almost like an ordinary apartment, but only without windows.

The decoration of some houses is quite rich — the sale of opals brings good money.

Over the years, the locals have built a whole underground city. In addition to the residential part, branching corridors lead to a gallery of shops, a restaurant, a bar, a swimming pool, a church, a cemetery…

It is not surprising that such an unusual city attracts many tourists. Thousands of exotic lovers come to Coober Pedy every year. Moreover, it is not difficult to get here: the Adelaide— Alice Springs railway runs nearby. Of course, a museum, a hotel and a souvenir shop were opened for tourists.

Films are often made against the background of Coober Pedy. For example, the filming of "Mad Max 3" with Mel Gibson and "Black Hole" took place here — the first part of the series about Riddick's adventures. And in 2012, NASA specialists conducted an expedition to Mars near the city.

The spaceship left after the filming of the "Black Hole".