Coober Pedy

Coober Pedy was our half-way point on the drive and we stayed there on the way out and on the way back.  On the way back we did the actual tour of the town and one of the old Opal mines.  The town was founded when soldiers were traveling through and had to dig underground to escape the heat.  In the process of digging they came upon opals and decided to stay and continue to dig.  Houses were even dug underground as that was the only way to stay cool in the extreme temperatures of the desert.