Finding outback gems and opals in Coober Pedy

Our adventure in Coober Pedy starts early. Somewhere between the massive, almost dry salt lakes, the brush and the red dust along the Stuart Highway we hear a conversation over the CB radio. We’d just left Woomera and the words ‘Coober Pedy’ piqued our interest

It’s a conversation between two men, one telling the other all the best things to see and do in Coober Pedy – the opal capital of the world. Turns out he’s the CEO of the council, I jump on to our CB and say ‘Thanks’. “We’re also heading to Coober Pedy,” I tell him. “And those are some great tips you’ve just given us,” so he keeps going.

“Don’t miss the Breakaways,” he says. “But go the back way, through town, as you’ll see so much more.”

And that’s the thing about Coober Pedy, we soon discover everyone is full of helpful tips on things to see and worthwhile experiences.

The guy on a mine tour tells us about an opalised fish in one of the many jewellery stores, the guy in the jewellery store tells us about another tour and on it goes.

Coober Pedy is renowned for its stunning landscapes, underground buildings (it’s too hot to live above ground in the desert plain) and for its opals which were formed from silica settling into cracks in the ground millions of years ago when the then ocean waters receded (hence the opalised fish in the middle of the desert). The result is coloured gemstones that we know as opals.

It’s all about the mining in the town’s centre, of course, so Coober Pedy is not a particularly pretty town, but the landscape is fascinating. From a lookout in the centre of town – there are a couple you can walk or drive up to so take your pick – you can see relics from Star Wars and the surrounding lunar-like landscape. While many of the buildings are underground there’s enough above ground to keep it interesting.

Coober Pedy is Aboriginal for ‘white man in a hole’, and you’ll definitely need to get underground if you want to see what this place is all about.

We called in to the Unoona Museum to learn about the mining history of the city and then walked across the road to Waffles and Gems, which had just appeared on the TV show Travel Guides. We didn’t know about the café’s claim to fame until we arrived in town and everyone was still buzzing about it.

The waffles were amazing (have the berry waffles – they are to die for) and the couple who run it – she’s Scottish, he’s German – are fascinating and very entertaining. Of course they sell opals here, every shop does. It soon becomes clear that pretty much everyone who lives in town mines for opals.

We take the underground tour at Riba’s – the caravan park we’re staying in – and learn about explosives and water divining and how to get a licence to mine for opals. We visit the underground bookshop and the excellent café next door, Downunder Café which had an excellent selection of Aboriginal art for sale. 

We stop in at the Serbian Orthodox Church, which is also underground and John and Yoka’s opal store to see the opalised fish and walk away with an opal or two

High above ground we watch a movie about the town at the Big Winch, which was really well done (but at $35 each it’s a little pricey) and enjoy a lovely cup of tea overlooking the city.

We are entertained on the tour at Tom’s Working Mine, where our guide explains the intricacies of mining and tells us how to spot a good opal.

But the real highlight is the sunset at the Breakaways, just outside of town. Leave early as there are quite a few things to see along the way including a Moon Plain, the Dog Fence and amazing scenery. 

The Breakaways are a mountain range that rise up out of the otherwise flat landscape about 30 kilometres from Coober Pedy.

The sunset provides a kaleidoscope of colours in the sky overhead. But it also brings out the amazing colours in the rock formations that make up the Breakaways. It is a truly stunning outback scene.

Read more about our adventures travelling around Australia here.

Fast Facts

We travelled in 2021.

We stayed at Riba’s Caravan Park.

We were here for two nights.

Highlights: Watching the sunset at the Breakaways, the waffles at Waffles and Gems, the friendly locals.

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