Coober Pedy Articles

Surface Indications

You don't have to dig very deep to find colourful stories in the desert town of Coober Pedy, writes Christina Pfeiffer.

The Poster Child Nike Could Just Do Without

Young American anti-globalisation author Naomi Klein headed into the Australian bush this week to meet anti-nuclear campaigners in the remote South Australian town of Coober Pedy. Ms Klein, in Adelaide for the three-day Festival of Ideas, became the poster girl for the S11 anti-globalisation protest movement after the publication..read more

Speaking Of Labels

YOUNG, American, antiglobalisation author Naomi Klein headed into the Australian bush this week to meet antinuclear campaigners in the remote South Australian town of Coober Pedy.

East Meets West In Sa

Fourteen-year-old Nathan East is heading west for a unique insight into life in the opal mining town of Coober Pedy. The Lake Illawarra High School student was selected ahead of his classmates to take part in a special school exchange program. For one week, starting August 5, Nathan..read more

Soft On The Centre

It's just as well the Australian outback is so vast. The long list of films shot there increases again this month when filming of The Red Planet, a Hollywood production about a reconnaissance mission to Mars, starts at Coober Pedy. But there have been plenty of recent Australian films..read more

5 Hot Properties in Coober Pedy

Coober Pedy

Coober Pedy, the famous Australian opal mining town, is positioned 850 kilometres north of Adelaide and about 700 kilometres south of Alice Springs.

You can reach Coober Pedy via the Stuart Highway and also by regional airlines.

The mining area at Coober Pedy runs over an area of 4,954 square kilometres and approximately 70 per cent of the world's opal is mined from the area.

Coober Pedy has a population of around 3,500 that comprises 45 nationalities.

Coober Pedy quirky attractions

Apart from the Coober Pedy mines, other attractions include its graveyard and the underground churches.

The first tree of the town is also an interesting attraction as it was welded together with scrap iron and sits atop a hill that overlooks the town.

Coober Pedy's eccentricity doesn't stop there. When you play on its local golf course, you take around a small square of turf to tee off from as it has no grass.

It's also more popular to play at night using glowing balls due to the hot day time temperatures.

Coober Pedy landscape

The landscape of Coober Pedy is particularly exotic and stunning, which is explains why it has been used as the setting for many renowned Australian films.

Mad Max Beyond Thunderstone, Priscilla Queen of the Desert and the TV series, The Amazing Race, were all filmed in the area.

Coober Pedy Opal Festival

When you come to Coober Pedy, maybe you'd like to time your visit with the Coober Pedy Opal Festival. Enjoy events such as a street parade, open air cinema and the Opal miners Hall of Fame inductions.