Coober Pedy belongs on the set of a science fiction movie and in fact has been a number of times. More than 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. And as well as houses, 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 there including Red Planet, Ground Zero, Pitch Black, the Osiris Child and Mad Max – Beyond Thunderdome. There is also a US “reality” show shot outside Cooper Pedy called Stars on Mars, hosted by 93 year old William Shatner (AKA Captain Kirk in Star Trek). The movies have mostly been shot in or near the Breakaways, an area with a Mars-like landscape. And of course there are the opal mines, which is why it’s called Coober Pedy. It’s indiginous for “white fella in a hole”.
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