M-whY

Wakie Wakie!

It was only fitting, then, that we drove by the Dingo Fence later on that morning. Originally 9,600kms long, only about 5,200kms of it remains intact. It's still the world's longest fence though.

We were back on paved highways around noon and arrived in the town of Coober Pedy in time for lunch. We unpacked and got settled in some underground accomodation. After another exceptional meal, it was time for a tour of town, led by one of the locals.

If your birthday is in October, you maybe be aware that opal is your birthstone. If you happen to own any opal, there's a good chance it came from the mines at Coober Pedy. 80% of the world's opals are supplied from here.

Steve drove while Gina provided the commentary. Unlike previous Outback towns we had passed, tap water at Coober Pedy was excellent. The purification was done by some sort of reverse osmosis, a very expensive process. Both locals and visitors alike were encouraged to conserve water.

"We have a saying here at Coober Pedy," she said. "If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down."

We visited an underground church and drove past opal jeweller after opal jeweller. She pointed out the local school and library.

"There's free internet at the library," she informed us. "It should be open til 5:00pm today." I made a mental note to stop by later.

Our tour included an opal cutting demonstration and a visit to an actual underground home. Though it might be fun to perpetuate the myth that everyone here lived underground, the truth is only half still do. The advent of air conditioning and other modern technologies have allowed for more traditional homes to be built.

I don't know why anyone wouldn't want a cave dwelling though. Underground homes are really cool. They remained at a comfortable temperature all year round, even when it reached up to 120 degrees outside in the summer. To enlarge the living room, or add a new bedroom, a pick and some hard work is all that's needed. Basements doubled as opal mines, and you could conceiveably live in a five story home if you had the inclination to dig deep enough.

We had some free time in the afternoon to explore on our own. "Just be back here by 5:30, and I'll take you guys out for a drive," said Steve. Before embarking on my quest for internet, I went to the bathroom.

It was yellow. So I let it mellow.

Coober Pedy's Botanical Gardens

Vivian and I walked around in search of the library. Coober Pedy wasn't a big town, but for some reason, we had a hard time finding it. Along the way, we ran into Utta and another german girl, also looking for the library. The four of us retraced the steps of our tour. We finally found it. But it was closed for school holidays.

"Silly woman!" exclaimed Utta. "Why tell us the library is open when it's closed!"

On the way back, we ran into four more girls looking for the library.

"It's closed, don't waste your time."

Stupid Gina. She sure caused a lot of trouble!

Steve took us a for a drive out of town to see some of the opal mines. Sole proprietors operated all mines in the area, and as sole proprietors, they were exempt from the responsibility of cleaning up after themselves. Beside the mounds of sand were holes that ran quite deep. Falling in would almost mean certain death.

Coober Pedy has to be the most interesting town I've ever been in. Living conditions were quite harsh out in the desert, but everyone who lived out here did so by choice. It was the opal that everyone was seeking. Though you couldn't tell by the way the locals dressed, many of them were quite rich. They wore rags and drove broken down cars, but underneath their mattresses they probably had hundreds of thousands, even millions, of dollars. Opals were found in veins, and the presence of opal in one area often meant more opal was nearby. No one wanted to advertise success, or they'd wake up the next morning and find half a dozen other miner set up next to their own.

Watch your step!

Steve told us about a friend who had come to Coober Pedy in search of wealth and riches. In two years of hard work, he had found several hundred thousand dollars worth of opal. With the money, he took an extravagant 12 month tour of Europe. At the end of his trip, he found himself flat broke, and returned back to his mining business to start all over again. That's the type of mentality that reigns in Coober Pedy.

"It's almost guaranteed that you'll get rich here. Even if you're flat broke when you get here, as long as you're honest and hard working, the people here will help get you on your feet. If you're dishonest though, you'll likely find yourself tossed down one of these holes."

It took great effort to suppress my capitalistic instincts. I almost cut my trip short right then and there.

On the way back, Steve told us more stories about the wild west atmosphere. As a mining town, everyone knew how to make and detonate dynamite. It wasn't uncommon to hear explosions going off around town, as people blew up their basements in search of opal. It was a tight knit community, where people looked out for one another, yet at the same time, didn't take any bullshit from nobody. Several years ago, police from Adelaide drove up here and started harassing and pulling cars over for minor offences. Cut that out, warned the local police, who knew how the town worked and were basically present just to keep an eye out on things.

Of couse, the bigshots from the city paid no attention. Hey, we're from Adelaide, we can do whatever we want, they reasoned. Overnight, their patrol cars were blown up. They took a bus back home the next morning and were never heard from again.

"Same thing happened to the tax collectors when they came in town," said Steve.

Back in town, we had dinner at a pizza parlor. As we sat around the table, I found myself defending Americans.

"How come there aren't more Americans traveling?" "You're the first American I've met, why is that?"

I didn't know the answer myself. "Maybe we're scared?" "Maybe since not many Americans travel, the idea isn't as widespread as in Europe?" "Maybe everyone is more concerned about their careers?" Though they were intended as accusations or derogatory remarks, I could tell Americans weren't regarded in the brightest light.

Some people wanted to go out for some drinks. I hadn't set aside any money in my budget for beer, so I returned to the hostel and turned in early. Before going to bed, I had to go to the bathroom one more time.

It was brown. So I flushed it down.

Thanks to everyone for their support and comments! Knowing people are reading keeps me motivated to continue the updates!