Coober Pedy and surrounding desert looks like the set of a science fiction movie. Others must have thought the same as it has been many times (more on that shortly). Over half the population of 2,000 live underground to escape the 40+ degree (celsius) summers and the minus 2 or 3 degree windy winters. Below the surface it’s a pleasant 21 to 25 degrees all year. As well as houses below the surface, there are three underground churches, all stunning in their own way. And the science fiction tag is appropriate. Numerous sci fi movies have been made in and around Coober Pedy including Red Planet, Ground Zero, Pitch Black, the Osiris Child, and Mad Max – Beyond Thunderdome. There has also been a US “reality” TV show shot outside Cooper Pedy called Stars on Mars, hosted by 93 year old William Shatner (AKA Captain Kirk from Star Trek). The movies have mostly been shot in or near the Breakaways, an area with a Martian-like landscape. And of course there are the opal mines and the miners who tend to be ‘unique’ individuals, which might explain why it’s called Coober Pedy. It’s indigenous for “white fella in a hole”. GH
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