When I arrived in Coober Pedy via an 11-hour, 525-mile train ride
on
Australia's famous Ghan train from
Adelaide, the gateway to the
South Australian Outback (you can also fly there), I couldn't have
told you the difference between opal and an opossum. By the time I
left, I was determined to not only find opal but to retire on it
(why not, right?). It's very easy to get caught up in the frenzy
here. But there is also plenty more to do in Coober Pedy than dig
holes in the ground.
I CHECK INTO the Desert Cave Hotel, billed as the "world's
only underground international hotel." It's not so much
under ground as it's burrowed into the side of a hill, but
we won't get hung up on technicalities. Rooms here are carved from
sandstone (as the dugouts) and then sprayed with a brick sealant to
combat dust. The result, believe it or not, is less dust than a
traditional aboveground home. Go figure.
The best thing about sleeping underground is that there are no
windows in the underground rooms - so it will unequivocally be the
darkest night you will ever spend anywhere. Which is great unless,
of course, you need to go to the bathroom. (Note to self: Memorize
location of the light switch.) When I do emerge into the light of
the Outback sun, there's something strangely familiar about Coober
Pedy.
Not only are the town and its surrounding areas famous for opals,
but Hollywood thinks it looks a lot like the moon, or Mars, or any
other futuristic landscape that might be out there somewhere. It
all started with
Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome and has
continued with
Pitch Black and
Red Planet, among
other films. Leftover props, including a large spaceship from
Mad Max, are scattered about town and add to the strange
appeal of the place.