We left Melrose and started our long drive north into the outback. First town we drove through was Wilmington. We were hoping for coffee (and a sausage roll) but there wasn’t anything open or even looking like opening. So glad I didn’t push those extra kms to Wilmington along the rail trail.
There was an old toy museum with a row of old cars out the front. They were all the different models of Land Rovers from over the years, except a Holden Kingswood, which Steve said was probably the most capable off road.
On the drive out we circled Mt Remarkable through some more beautiful Australian bush and eventually hit the main road into Port Augusta.
Once through Port Augusta we hit the Stuart Highway and into the outback. We saw a lot of road kill with crows and big wedge tailed eagles dining together. It’s like meals on wheels for the lucky eagles that live near the road. They wouldn’t be very good hunters.
The Stuart Highway goes all the way from Port Augusta to Darwin. The drive is called The Explorers Way. We have done most of it bar a little section between Tennant Creek and Mataranka.
We had a quick stop at Woomera which is known for its history of long range weapons testing and rocket launches from 1947 to 1971. During that time Woomera Village was built to accommodate those working on the missile and rocket projects. At its peak it could accommodate 7000 people. Today it is a RAAF base with a population of around 200.
We visited the Aircraft and Missile Park which had an array of different rockets and aircraft and then went onto the Heritage Centre which had further exhibits about Woomera’s history. The centre was also had a grocery store, a restaurant and bar and a small bowling alley for the RAAF base personnel.
Our stop for the night was at Glendambo Road House, about 350km out of Coober Pedy. We were definitely in the outback now. We enjoyed the afternoon by the van and then went across to the restaurant for dinner and a few drinks. (And aircon)
The following day we continued north to Coober Pedy.
I’ve always wanted to visit Coober Pedy to experience the town’s unique lifestyle of living underground.
Our first job was to find a place to stay. There were a few options but the Big4 won. It had security access and it was on the outskirts of town so we thought it would be a safer option after our drive through the town. And it had a pool and apparently the best pizza but we were out of peak season.
After we had checked in and set up we went into town. I originally thought staying in town would be better because we could walk everywhere but the town was really spread out and it was hot!! So we made the right choice.
There were a lot of places closed because it wasn’t peak nomad season, but there were still the usual things open that you should do in an opal mining town like Coober Pedy.
We went to the Old Timers Mine and Museum which gave a really good insight and history of the early 1900’s of opal mining. It was a self guided tour through the caves and tunnels. You could see the pick marks and streaks of opal that were left. It also had the underground home used by the miners which was fascinating. Opal mining today is definitely a bit easier than the difficult conditions the miners worked back in the 1900’s. It was really worth the visit.
We went looking for an underground pub and found the Desert Cave that advertised it had the worlds only underground bar and gaming room. We went in and after a while realised we weren’t actually underground! I went looking and it was closed too! So we went and played the pokies. No we didn’t win.
Next on the agenda was Coober Pedy’s newest tourist attraction Big Winch 360 which is advertised as Australia’s only 360 degrees Circlevision Cinematic experience.
But it was broken!! Yes broken. So we just took in the view which was pretty stunning. You could see most of the town and the outside of underground buildings.
We were ready to head back for a swim but I’d read about the Serbian Orthodox Church being a must see and it was! We were so glad we made the effort. It was of course underground and it was amazingly ornate inside.
After that we went back to spend the afternoon in the pool. Such a luxury!!
Coober Pedy was a was a bit quirky too.
It was great to see the town and take it off the bucket list, but it probably wasn’t what we had expected. It was a mix of indigenous village, opal miners town and theme park, not sure they blend well.