We have a self contained unit and it’s great to have our own on site kitchen and bathroom. I’ve picked up a bug last couple days and was hoping I’d be feeling better for our flight to Lake Eyre today, but I am worse and not feeling like sitting on a little plane for a few hours with stomach cramps so we cancel the flight and I go get some drugs from the nice doctor and nurse at the hospital. So today turns out a quiet day and I get into the drugs in the hope of feeling better……
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| Old George Burford's "dugout" lived back in the 1920's |
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| Did I mention the awesome sunsets here, from the top of our cave |
At the peak of the mining boom there was 1000+ mining claims here. Today there are about 40. Opal workings extend for nearly 40kms around the town. Coober Pedy, Andamooka and Mintabie once produced over 90% of the world’s opal. Coober Pedy has approx 45 nationalities living here, one of the most ethnic communities in SA. Opals aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I quite like them, they are colourful and original, no two opals are identical. Price is influenced by colour, Base Colour, Dominant Colour and Colour Pattern. There is a marked difference in price of cut and uncut opals also.
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| Happy little noodler! |
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| The tricks of the trade |
Wednesday and I am feeling so much better so we decide to take a drive out to the Breakaways, a landscape that has broken away from the Stuart Ranges, via the Dog Fence and the Moon Plain desert. It’s about a 50km round trip, Nick said the road is dirt but not bad some corrugations (sorry wrong Nick, in the words of my Darl the road is F’n horrendous). Anyway we persevered our way around, it was bad in patches other parts not so bad. The Dog Fence is long! The Moon Plain is bare! The Breakaways, worth the drive!
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| Dog Fence is 5,600kms long running from SE Qld to the Bight in WA |
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| The ute is punished yet again...... |
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| A couple shots of the Breakaways - above is part of the Castle formation |
Back into town we get to see a mining operation in full swing, the opal field landscape blows us away, looks like a heap of giant ant hills.
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| Hard at work |
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