Cooper Pedy: A Town Built to Survive in the Australian Desert

As I first arrived in Cooper Pedy, I had no idea what to expect. This small town in the middle of the Australian desert is eight hours' drive from the nearest city, and I had to take two flights to get there. The landscape was unlike anything I had ever seen before - endless red dust stretching out as far as the eye could see, dotted with piles of dirt that looked like ant hills. Cooper Pedy is a mining town, and these piles of dirt were just left over from mine shafts.

But it's not just about mining here in Cooper Pedy. In the summer, it gets insanely hot, while in winter, when I visited, it was absolutely freezing. So, most of the town is actually built underground to escape these extremes. As I walked through the town, I couldn't help but think - how do people actually live here? How do they survive, and most importantly, how do you get technology to work when you're in the middle of the Australian outback and living underground?

More than half the town lives in dugouts, which are the name for these homes built inside the sandstone into the rock. They blow them out with explosives, dig them out with excavators, and they're kind of like rabbit warrens - the rooms are circular, with round ceilings that wind every which way into the rock. There's really no consideration for architecture here, but it's cool to see how the people have adapted to their environment. The best part is that they don't need air-conditioning or climate control because when you build into the rock, the rooms stay cool all year round.

The only thing they need is basic ventilation - just a tube that runs up to the ground above and keeps air flowing into the house. It's amazing to see how the townspeople have incorporated technology into their lives despite being underground. They use Wi-Fi hotspots to stay connected, and Australia's National Broadband Network has started installing satellites so people can get internet in their underground homes. They even have plumbing and electricity like any normal house.

However, the whole town is completely off the electricity grid, which used to mean relying on diesel generators and trucking in diesel from out of town. But now, they have a big renewable project that has brought wind turbines and solar power, meaning they can power the town with renewables. The town was built on opal mining, and people still mine there - they have converted trucks called blowers that sucked out opals from the ground, blast out mine shafts with explosives, and dig out opals by hand.

They finish the opals by hand too, cutting and polishing them into beautiful iridescent gemstones that look like shards of rainbow. Cooper Pedy is like something from a completely different world - people living hundreds of miles from anywhere in the middle of the outback in the most extreme conditions. Yet, somehow, this community has survived by jury-rigging technology to work for them. It's like something from Mad Max - one last outpost of humanity in the harsh Australian desert.

The town's unique adaptation to its environment is a testament to human ingenuity and resilience. Despite being in one of the most extreme conditions on Earth, the people of Cooper Pedy have found ways to thrive. Their underground homes are not just practical solutions but also works of art, showcasing the beauty of their adapted architecture. The town's renewable energy project is another example of how technology can be harnessed to support sustainability and environmental responsibility.

Cooper Pedy is a fascinating destination that offers a glimpse into an unconventional way of life. Visitors can explore the underground homes, learn about the history of opal mining, and experience the unique culture of this desert town. Whether you're interested in technology, architecture, or simply want to see something new and unusual, Cooper Pedy is definitely worth a visit.

The town's reputation as a "ghost town" may be misleading, as it's actually thriving despite its remote location. The residents of Cooper Pedy are proud of their community and have worked hard to make it sustainable. They've developed innovative solutions to the challenges posed by living in a desert environment, making it an inspiring example of how human ingenuity can overcome even the most daunting obstacles.

In conclusion, Cooper Pedy is a remarkable town that offers a unique perspective on life in the Australian desert. Its underground homes, renewable energy project, and opal mining history make it a fascinating destination for anyone interested in technology, architecture, or simply wanting to experience something new.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwhen I first got to coober pedy I had no idea what to expect this is a town in the middle of the Australian desert it's eight hours drive to the nearest city I had to take two flights to get there and when I was flying in it's kind of like flying into Mars everywhere you look there's just red dust as far as the eye can see and the whole landscape is dotted with these piles of dirt kind of like ant hills Cooper Petey's a mining town so all of those piles of dirt I just left over dirt from mine shafts but it's not just about mining here in summer it gets insanely hot and in winter when I visited it was absolutely freezing so most of the town is actually built underground to escape these extremes and all I could think was how do people actually live here how do people survive and I guess most importantly how do you get tech to work when you're in the middle of the Australian outback and you're living underground so more than half the town lives in dugouts which is the name for these homes built inside the sandstone into the rock and they blow them out with explosives they dig them out with excavators and they're kind of like rabbit warrens the rooms are kind of circular they have round ceilings they wind every which way into the rock there's really no consideration for architecture but the cool thing is that they don't need air-conditioning or climate control because when you build into the rock the rooms stay cool all year round the only thing they need is really basic ventilation so that's just as simple as a tube that runs up to the ground above and keeps air flowing into the house it's amazing so Cooper Petey looks kind of like something out of the Flintstones but I was really surprised that the townspeople actually use a lot of tech they use things like Wi-Fi hotspots to stay connected underground and Australia's National Broadband Network has started installing satellites so people can get internet in their underground homes there's plumbing and electricity like any normal house and often the people who build these houses why are they electricity in themselves stringing the wires over the rock the whole town is completely off the electricity grid so while they used to have to rely on diesel generators and diesel trucked in from out of town now they have this big renewable project that has brought wind turbines and solar meaning they can power the town with renewables the whole town was built on opal mining and people actually still mined there so they have these converted trucks called blowers that sucked it out of the ground they blast out mine shafts with explosives and they still go over Rock seams digging out opals by hand they finish the opals by hand too they cut and polish them into these beautiful iridescent gemstones that look kind of like shards of rainbow coober pedy is like something from a completely different world people living hundreds of miles from anywhere in the middle of the outback in the most extreme conditions and yet somehow this communities survived by jury-rigging tech to work for them it's kind of like something from Mad Max this one last outpost of humanity in the middle of the harsh Australian desertwhen I first got to coober pedy I had no idea what to expect this is a town in the middle of the Australian desert it's eight hours drive to the nearest city I had to take two flights to get there and when I was flying in it's kind of like flying into Mars everywhere you look there's just red dust as far as the eye can see and the whole landscape is dotted with these piles of dirt kind of like ant hills Cooper Petey's a mining town so all of those piles of dirt I just left over dirt from mine shafts but it's not just about mining here in summer it gets insanely hot and in winter when I visited it was absolutely freezing so most of the town is actually built underground to escape these extremes and all I could think was how do people actually live here how do people survive and I guess most importantly how do you get tech to work when you're in the middle of the Australian outback and you're living underground so more than half the town lives in dugouts which is the name for these homes built inside the sandstone into the rock and they blow them out with explosives they dig them out with excavators and they're kind of like rabbit warrens the rooms are kind of circular they have round ceilings they wind every which way into the rock there's really no consideration for architecture but the cool thing is that they don't need air-conditioning or climate control because when you build into the rock the rooms stay cool all year round the only thing they need is really basic ventilation so that's just as simple as a tube that runs up to the ground above and keeps air flowing into the house it's amazing so Cooper Petey looks kind of like something out of the Flintstones but I was really surprised that the townspeople actually use a lot of tech they use things like Wi-Fi hotspots to stay connected underground and Australia's National Broadband Network has started installing satellites so people can get internet in their underground homes there's plumbing and electricity like any normal house and often the people who build these houses why are they electricity in themselves stringing the wires over the rock the whole town is completely off the electricity grid so while they used to have to rely on diesel generators and diesel trucked in from out of town now they have this big renewable project that has brought wind turbines and solar meaning they can power the town with renewables the whole town was built on opal mining and people actually still mined there so they have these converted trucks called blowers that sucked it out of the ground they blast out mine shafts with explosives and they still go over Rock seams digging out opals by hand they finish the opals by hand too they cut and polish them into these beautiful iridescent gemstones that look kind of like shards of rainbow coober pedy is like something from a completely different world people living hundreds of miles from anywhere in the middle of the outback in the most extreme conditions and yet somehow this communities survived by jury-rigging tech to work for them it's kind of like something from Mad Max this one last outpost of humanity in the middle of the harsh Australian desert\n"