Outback South Australia - Opal mining magic

Coober Pedy is a deceptive town. On first impressions, it looks like a raw, dusty, hard-working mining town that makes few concessions to beauty. But invest a little time and you'll find there's far more to it than first meets the eye. The reason for Coober Pedy's existence is the opal.

This town on the edge of South Australia's Great Victoria Desert is the world's major source of precious opal, and the town's economy revolves around this shimmering, electrifying stone. Although Coober Pedy has a population of around 3,500, there is practically nothing that looks like a conventional house. The doors in the hillsides provide a clue. Most of the population lives underground, in comfortable dugout homes that remain pleasantly cool even when the mercury soars outside.

To get a feel for what opal mining was like in the early days, call in at the Old Timers Mine. In 1916 this was a working mine, yet it was forgotten until 1968, when an underground home extension broke through a tunnel wall, revealing the labyrinth that is now the museum. Visitors don a hard-hat and walk through the passageways, where the days of pick-and-shovel mining are brought vividly back to life, complete with seams of opal still in the walls.

With its warm and welcoming ways, Coober Pedy can be surprisingly addictive. Half the population will tell you that they pulled in one day with the intention of filling up with petrol and having a quiet beer, and five years later they still haven't got around to leaving.