Coober Pedy Umoona | |||||||||||||
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.jpg) Town centre | |||||||||||||
  Coober Pedy | |||||||||||||
| Coordinates:29°0′40″S134°45′20″E / 29.01111°S 134.75556°E /-29.01111; 134.75556 | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | South Australia | ||||||||||||
| Region | Far North | ||||||||||||
| LGA | |||||||||||||
| Location |
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| Established | 1915 | ||||||||||||
| Government | |||||||||||||
| • State electorate | |||||||||||||
| • Federal division | |||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 1,437 (UCL2021)[2] | ||||||||||||
| Postcode | 5723 | ||||||||||||
| Mean max temp | 27.8 °C (82.0 °F)[3] | ||||||||||||
| Mean min temp | 14.2 °C (57.6 °F)[3] | ||||||||||||
| Annual rainfall | 144.2 mm (5.68 in)[3] | ||||||||||||
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| Adjoining localities[4] | |||||||||||||
Coober Pedy (/ˈkuːbərˈpiːdi/) is a town in northernSouth Australia, 846 km (526 mi) north ofAdelaide on theStuart Highway. The town is sometimes referred to as the "opal capital of the world" because of the quantity of preciousopals mined there. A blower truck is raised above the town sign, representing the importance of opal mining to the town's history. Coober Pedy is also renowned for its below-ground dwellings, called "dugouts", which are built in this fashion due to the scorching daytime heat.
The name "Coober Pedy" is thought to derive from theKokatha-Barngarla termkupa-piti, which translates to "whitefellas' hole", but in 1975 the localAboriginal people of the town adopted the nameUmoona, which means "long life" and is also their name for themulga tree.
Aboriginal people have a longstanding connection with the area,[5] which is considered by thepeople of the Western Desert to be the traditional lands of theArabana people, althoughKokatha andYankunytjatjara people are also closely attached to someceremonial sites in the area. The name of the town (decided in 1920)[6] is thought to derive from the words in theKokatha language,kupa piti, usually translated as "whitefella" and "hole in the ground", orguba bidi, "white man's holes", relating to white people's mining activities.[7][note 1] Further investigation into the words by linguists shows thatkupa may have originated from theParnkalla language and thatpiti may be the Kokatha word specifically created for "quarry" (a white man's activity).[7]
In 1858, Scottish-bornJohn McDouall Stuart was the first European explorer to pass near the site of Coober Pedy.[5]
On 1 February 1915, Wille Hutchison discovered the first opal in the area, after which the town was established.[5] Opal miners started moving in around 1916.[10]
In 1920, five years later, a meeting settled on the name of Coober Pedy, when apost office was established.[6]
In July 1975, the local Aboriginal people of Coober Pedy adopted the name Umoona, which means "long life" and is also their name for theAcacia aneura, or mulga tree, which is plentiful in the area.[6] The name has since been used for various establishments in the town (Umoona Opal Mine and Museum, Umoona Community Art Centre, Umoona Tjutagku Health Service Aboriginal Corporation).
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Coober Pedy is about halfway betweenAdelaide andAlice Springs,[11] in theFar North region of South Australia.[12]
It falls within theelectoral district of Giles for thestate government elections,[13] and in the federal governmentDivision of Grey.[14]
Coober Pedy is situated on the edge of the erosional scarp of theStuart Ranges, on beds ofsandstone andsiltstone 30 metres (100 ft) deep and topped with a stony, treeless desert. Very little plant life exists in town due to the region's low rainfall, the high cost of water, and lack of topsoil.[15]
The harsh summer desert temperatures mean that many residents prefer to live in caves bored into the hillsides (known as "dugouts"). A standard three-bedroom cave home with lounge, kitchen, and bathroom can be excavated out of the rock in the hillside for a price similar to building a house on the surface. However, dugouts remain at a constant temperature, while surface buildings needair conditioning, especially during the summer months, when temperatures often exceed 40 °C (104 °F). Therelative humidity rarely exceeds 20% on these hot days, and the skies are usually cloud-free. The average maximum temperature is 30–32 °C (86–90 °F), but it can get quite cool in the winter.[citation needed]
The town's water supply, managed by the District Council which operates a bore and associated treatment plant, comes from theGreat Artesian Basin. Problems with ageing pipes, high water loss, and lack of subsidies contribute to consumer water charges being the highest in South Australia.[16]
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Coober Pedy has ahot desert climate (Köppen: BWh), with very hot summers and mild winters. There is greatseasonal variation due to the town's inland location. Average maxima vary between 36.7 °C (98.1 °F) in January and 18.4 °C (65.1 °F) in June; average minima range between 22.2 °C (72.0 °F) in January and 6.3 °C (43.3 °F) in July.[17] The mean annualprecipitation is among the lowest inAustralia: 144.2 millimetres (5.68 in). It is well-distributed, spread across 38.8 precipitation days.[18][19] The town is very sunny, experiencing 173.8 clear days and only 63.7 cloudy days per year. Extreme temperatures have ranged from 48.3 °C (118.9 °F) on 20 December 2019 to −2.0 °C (28.4 °F) on 30 July 1976.[20][note 2]
Coober Pedy was flooded when 115 millimetres (4.5 in) – more than three-quarters of the mean annual rainfall – was recorded in 24 hours on 10 April 2014.[21]
| Climate data for Coober Pedy (29º01'48"S, 134º43'12"E, 225 m AMSL) (1994–2024 normals, extremes to 1965) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 47.8 (118.0) | 48.1 (118.6) | 44.4 (111.9) | 41.5 (106.7) | 33.5 (92.3) | 32.1 (89.8) | 32.0 (89.6) | 36.4 (97.5) | 39.4 (102.9) | 44.8 (112.6) | 45.9 (114.6) | 48.3 (118.9) | 48.3 (118.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 36.7 (98.1) | 35.6 (96.1) | 32.2 (90.0) | 27.2 (81.0) | 22.0 (71.6) | 18.4 (65.1) | 18.7 (65.7) | 21.2 (70.2) | 25.8 (78.4) | 28.9 (84.0) | 32.1 (89.8) | 34.6 (94.3) | 27.8 (82.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22.2 (72.0) | 21.5 (70.7) | 18.6 (65.5) | 14.4 (57.9) | 9.9 (49.8) | 6.9 (44.4) | 6.3 (43.3) | 7.6 (45.7) | 11.2 (52.2) | 14.2 (57.6) | 17.6 (63.7) | 20.0 (68.0) | 14.2 (57.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 9.4 (48.9) | 10.6 (51.1) | 9.2 (48.6) | 5.0 (41.0) | 1.4 (34.5) | −0.1 (31.8) | −2.0 (28.4) | 0.6 (33.1) | 1.7 (35.1) | 3.9 (39.0) | 6.7 (44.1) | 10.0 (50.0) | −2.0 (28.4) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 14.8 (0.58) | 14.3 (0.56) | 10.5 (0.41) | 14.3 (0.56) | 9.4 (0.37) | 13.4 (0.53) | 4.8 (0.19) | 6.6 (0.26) | 8.2 (0.32) | 13.1 (0.52) | 15.4 (0.61) | 19.3 (0.76) | 144.2 (5.68) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 2.9 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 3.9 | 2.7 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 38.8 |
| Average afternoonrelative humidity (%) | 18 | 22 | 22 | 26 | 33 | 41 | 37 | 29 | 24 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 26 |
| Averagedew point °C (°F) | 4.0 (39.2) | 5.7 (42.3) | 3.5 (38.3) | 3.1 (37.6) | 3.5 (38.3) | 3.4 (38.1) | 1.7 (35.1) | −0.1 (31.8) | 0.1 (32.2) | 0.1 (32.2) | 1.7 (35.1) | 3.3 (37.9) | 2.5 (36.5) |
| Source:Bureau of Meteorology (1994–2024 normals, extremes to 1965)[3][22] | |||||||||||||
Oral history suggests that Aboriginal people knew where opals were in the Coober Pedy area, but did not value them because food was more important.[23] In 1915, the first opals near Coober Pedy were found by a gold prospector. Earlier opal mining in Australia was mainly concentrated inNew South Wales in towns such asLightning Ridge andWhite Cliffs, and nearbyAndamooka in South Australia.[24]
FollowingWorld War I, returning soldiers sought employment in the opal mines, which were expanding rapidly, and followingWorld War II many refugees, veterans, and immigrants fromSouthern andEastern Europe found employment in the mines as well. At some points in the post-war period, up to 60 per cent of miners at Coober Pedy had Southern or Eastern European ancestry.[24] Aboriginal people were also employed in the industry from the 1940s.[23] A 2016 thesis by M. Harding suggests "the small-scale and informal nature of the opal industry attracted Aboriginal people because of the level of workplace autonomy it provided", and it also accommodated their cultural practices. While opal mining around the town had slumped in the early 1940s, it picked up after a local Aboriginal woman, Tottie Bryant, discovered a large deposit in 1945.[25]
In August 1956 at the Eight Mile opal field, theOlympic Australis opal was found approximately 30 feet below the ground. It is the largest and one of the most valuable opals mined to date, consisting of 99 per cent gem opal (the other 1 per cent being soil). The Olympic Australis measures 280 by 120 by 115 millimetres (11.0 in × 4.7 in × 4.5 in) and weighs 17,000 carats (3,400 g). It was valued at AU$2,500,000 (roughly US$1,708,000) in both 1997 and 2005, and is currently held in the offices ofAltmann & Cherny Ltd, one of Australia's most prominent vendors and authorities on opals.[26][24]
Starting around the 1970s, mechanized opal mining became more common, allowing for faster and comparatively less dangerous shaft digging, tunnelling, andtailings removal.
By 1999, there were more than 250,000mine shaft entrances in the area.Fossicking and mining laws discouraged large-scale mining by allowing each prospector a 165-square-foot (15.3 m2) claim.[10] These laws were also enacted in response to the hazards of walking around the town, with many mine shafts unmarked, abandoned, or merely dangerous to navigate. Coober Pedy supplies most of the world's gem-quality opal; it has over 70opal fields.[27] An opalized fossil skeleton of anUmoonasaurus, nicknamed "Eric", was discovered in the Zorba Extension Opal Field near to Coober Pedy. The fossil is now in the Westpac Long Gallery of theAustralian Museum.[28][29]
Around 95 per cent of the opals mined today are gray, white potch, orcommon opals, which are less valuable as they do not haveopalescence.Black opals and other precious opals are rarer, but much more valuable for their opalescence and other desirableoptical properties.
In May 2009, South Australian PremierMike Rann opened the $1.15 billionProminent Hill Mine, 130 kilometres (81 mi) southeast of Coober Pedy. The copper-gold mine is operated byOZ Minerals.[30]
In August 2010, Rann opened theCairn Hill iron ore/copper/gold mine operated byIMX Resources near Coober Pedy. It was the first new iron ore mining area opened in South Australia since the 19th century.[31] Due to low iron ore prices, the Cairn Hill mine was closed in June 2014.[32] It was sold toCu-River Mining who reopened the mine in 2016.[33]
In 2013, a potentially significanttight oil (oil trapped in oil-bearing shales) resource was found near the outskirts of Coober Pedy in theArckaringa Basin.[34] This resource was estimated to hold between 3.5 and 223 billion barrels (560×10^6 and 35,450×10^6 m3) of oil, providing the potential for Australia to become a net oil exporter.[35][36]
Coober Pedy is famous for its underground accommodation.[37] The town has become a popular stopover point andtourist destination, especially since 1987, when the sealing of theStuart Highway was completed.[citation needed]
Coober Pedy today relies as much on tourism as the opal mining industry to provide the community with employment and sustainability.[citation needed]
Visitor attractions in Coober Pedy include the mines, the graveyard and the underground churches (theSerbian Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church).[38] There are several motels offering underground accommodation, ranging from a few rooms to the entire motel being a dug-out.[39] The hybridCoober Pedy Solar Power Station supplies power to theoff-grid area.[40]
The dugout of crocodile hunter and WWIILatvian National Armed Forces soldierArvid Blumenthal [de] (or "Crocodile Harry") is a famous tourist spot, known as "Crocodile Harry's Underground Nest". It is known for its bone collection, art and graffiti, and messages written by tourists. The dugout is featured as a set in movies, includingPitch Black andMad Max Beyond Thunderdome.[41][42]
The Umoona Opal Mine and Museum is a popular attraction.[43]
The annual Coober Pedy Opal Festival takes place in June, with the 35th festival occurring in 2024.[44]
Coober Pedy has a number ofheritage-listed sites, including:
The Umoona Tjutagku Health Service Aboriginal Corporation was established in 2005 to provide health services for local Aboriginal people.[47]
Coober Pedy is home to theCoober Pedy Regional Times, a free community publication released fortnightly since 15 March 2001.[48] Under a previous name, it had begun as a newsletter called theCoober Pedy Times, which was first issued in August 1982,[49] itself continuing from a publication known asOpal Chips.[50] After some financial difficulties, theTimes was bought by its editor, Margaret McKay,[51] in 2006 and now includes online versions.[50]
Coober Pedy is served by both local and national radio and television services. The government-ownedAustralian Broadcasting Corporation provides three broadcast radio stations — local radioABC North & West SA 106.1FM and the national networksABC Radio National 107.7FM andTriple J 101.3FM.
Community radio is provided byindigenous broadcasterCAAMA Radio 102.9FM and Coober Pedy's own Dusty Radio 104.5FM. Commercial radio is provided by Flow FM 99.7.
Five broadcast television services operate in Coober Pedy: commercial stationsImparja Television,Southern Cross Central (now branded as Seven Central) and10 Central, and the government-ownedABC andSBS.
The local golf course – mostly played at night with glowing balls, to avoid daytime heat – is completely free of grass, and golfers take a small piece of "turf" around to use for teeing off. As a result of correspondence between the two clubs, theCoober Pedy Golf Club is the only club in the world to enjoy reciprocal rights atThe Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.[52]
The town also has anAustralian rules football club, the Coober Pedy Saints, established in 2004, which competes in theFar North Football League (formerly the Woomera & Districts Football League). Due to the town's isolation, to play matches the Saints must make round trips of over 900 kilometres (560 mi) toRoxby Downs, where the rest of the league's teams are located.
The town has adrive-in theatre. It opened in 1965, but became less popular after 1980 with the arrival of television to the town, and ceased regular operation in 1984. It was re-opened in 1996,[53][54] and with the closure of the Mainline Drive-in atGepps Cross in February 2022,[55] became the last drive-in in the state.[56][57]
A board for the Umoona Community Art Centre was established in 2021, but needs government funding to establish a permanent location in the town. A group of artists has joined theAPY Art Centre Collective, which helps to create employment opportunities for Indigenous artists in the region. An exhibition in the Adelaide gallery of the collective in September 2021 featured the work of 24 of these artists.[58]
A rare exhibitioncachet, signed by Coober Pedypostmaster Alfred P. North, was discovered inMemphis, Tennessee, by philatelist David Saks on 3 February 2016. To date, it is the only known example of this cachet in the world.[59][60]
Both the town and itshinterland, for different reasons, are photogenic and have attracted filmmakers.[61] The town itself is the setting for several films, and its environment has also attracted movie producers. These include:
We Travelled 10,000km to the World's MostRemote Desert Pub - Cold Ones 2023
The town is served by daily coach services from Adelaide byGreyhound Australia.The Ghan train serves the town through theManguri Siding, 42 kilometres (26 mi) from Coober Pedy, which is served by trains once weekly in each direction. Passengers onThe Ghan are not usually allowed to disembark at Manguri unless they have prearranged transport, due to the siding's isolation and the extremely low temperatures at night.[70]
Coober Pedy is a gateway to the outback communities ofOodnadatta andWilliam Creek, which are both located on theOodnadatta Track. There is a twice-a-weekmail run from Coober Pedy to these communities and other outback homesteads. It carries the mail, general freight and passengers.[71]
Rex Airlines also has direct flights to Adelaide, fromCoober Pedy Airport.
| Preceding station | Journey Beyond | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alice Springs One-way operation | The Ghan towards Adelaide only | Adelaide Terminus | ||
Coober Pedy travel guide from Wikivoyage| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
