Coober pedy

[Blossom]

Call me crazy, but I'm thinking of taking a trip up this summer! I know, I know, it's gonna be hot. I work outdoors, so I'll be well acclimatised by then.

 

Anyway, has anyone stayed at any of the underground hotels? Any recommendations would be great.

And what is actually worth doing there. Noodling is a must, and probably a drive to the painted desert and lake eyre. Anything else I shouldn't miss?

 

Thanks. :-)

[spanners]

Not been to CP but have been to Lighting Ridge and am taking my elderly parents to the underground hotel in White cliffs in a few weeks. Theres nothing beautiful about the opal mining landscape but it is interesting. I'll tell you about the hotel when I return..

[Anne B]

I visited Coober Pedy over 20 years ago on the way up to Alice Springs when I was backpacking. We did a tour down a old opal mine, you also went through an underground house, it was really interesting. We walked around the town, visited the underground church and some opal shops but there wasn't really much there to do (without a car), it wasn't that big a place. Very surrreal, scruffy, messy, untidy, weird. As 2 females we didn't stay out alone at night! I also had an overnight stop there a few years later with my husband and we stayed in luxury in the Desert Inn underground motel. It was an awesome experience sleeping underground, there's no sound and no light so you have to hope your alarm clock works in the morning, otherwise I am sure you would sleep in! I think there are some cheaper places there now that are undergound. We visited a guy my husband knew in his underground house, they are quite bizarre. I haven't been out to the Breakaways or noodling, just make sure you don't go in the middle of summer because it will be unbearably hot, and make sure you have a decent vehicle (and plenty of water!). Woomera is worth a look on the way up, I've only driven through but it's so 1960's! There's not much else on those roads so it's nice to have a detour.

 

Coober Pedy is certainly well worth a visit, I haven't been anywhere else that is anything remotely like it.

Edited September 15, 2013 by Anne B

[zebedee]

Heading up there at the end of October - looking forward to it, you gotta get out there and see these places

[debbie lawrence]

hi we've just done this trip took us 12 hours (with a few stops), its a VERY long and boring road make sure you fill the car up in Port Augusta as there are only 2 more petrol stations on the way (we made this mistake lol), Woomera and somewhere starting with a G, we went to the Breakaways fantastic views, the Underground Museum and even the drive in movies, we stayed at The Lookout Underground Motel and would recommend it fantastic underground rooms and you can see over the whole place when you climb the ricketty ladder to the top, they made us very welcome, fired up the barbie and put the lights on and we ate overlooking the town, its very barren and literally a town in the middle of no-where but worth a visit. Oh and the flies they are a pain in the desert even at this time of year so take loads of repellant and a hat with corks. Have a lovely time

Debbie

[Lily Rainbow]

I've never been Blossom,but I would like to go!I was only looking at CP online yesterday!!!! I know some people might say there's not alot to do,but I find the place intriqueing.Sometimes.......doing nothing is .....doing everything!

[Blossom]

Yes, I came here on a whv and really wanted to go but never made it. I'm. Not sure why, it just seems to have some pull.

 

Thanks very much everyone. :-)

[John Browning]

Call me crazy, but I'm thinking of taking a trip up this summer! I know, I know, it's gonna be hot. I work outdoors, so I'll be well acclimatised by then.

 

Anyway, has anyone stayed at any of the underground hotels? Any recommendations would be great.

And what is actually worth doing there. Noodling is a must, and probably a drive to the painted desert and lake eyre. Anything else I shouldn't miss?

 

Thanks. :-)

 

 

-Well there is one thing you will need to remember in an undergroung hotel

 

...if you are sharing-don't forget to take a torch. It really is pitch black at night.

 

I needed to get up and didn't want to wake the wife by switching the light on.

 

So i just ran my hand along the wall to feel my way.

 

Sadly hadn't noticed that the room was curved without corners, and lost my bearings

( -ended up falling over her side of the bed, having done a complete circuit of the room)

 

endless hysteria!!

[Lily Rainbow]

Thats funny JB!Also a good tip about the torch too!lol

[malkitek]

Hi Blossom

i was also lucky enough to pass through years ago as a backpacker and the memory has really stuck with me, plan to take hubby soon. The tour of an underground is a definite must, we had lovely invite to Italian miners club and had a fab cheap meal, who knows if it's still there! I was too chicken to stay underground! Claustrophobic and scared of the dark! Silly!

i do remember the most glorious sunset , and amazing navy and oranges colour right at the edge, gorgeous.

Gill x

[Guest Claire-n-tel]

Hi Blossom!

 

Just a word of warning!......we were in CP a few years ago, we were repeatedly told about how quiet the underground motels were.....well they are unless you end up with a dog at the top of your "chimney" who barks ALL NIGHT like we did!.....not only the barking but the fact that it amplifies and echos around the room, i have never been so glad for morning to arrive!.....and CP is not short of dogs either!

[flossybeth]

It's my 40th this week and we're heading off to Coober Pedy to celebrate. I can't think of anything better - we've moved half way round the world AND I get to sleep in an underground hotel

[zebedee]

Back from Coober Pedy after the weekend and we found the 2000 km round trip anything but boring - drivers waving at you, strange things on the way to spot (like the shark fin in the salt lake), road trains to overtake......it's all going on in the outback in a strangely nothing but something way. Can't explain it, but coming back to McLaren Vale just feels so - ordinary. Can't wait to head back out there.