In the middle of South Australia’s outback, where summer heat can be relentless and shade is scarce, there is a town that chose an unusual solution. Instead of building higher or leaving, residents of Coober Pedy went underground. Homes, churches, and hotels were carved directly into the rock, creating a community that exists largely beneath the desert surface.

Coober Pedy was founded in 1915 after opal was discovered while a small group of prospectors searched for water. The find triggered an opal rush, and the settlement grew quickly around mining claims scattered across the plain. Opal mining is still active today, and the town remains one of the world’s most important sources of precious opal.

Many early miners began sleeping in their mine tunnels out of necessity. Over time, those rough shelters evolved into permanent underground homes.

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These underground homes, known as dugouts, are carved into soft sandstone. The rock naturally regulates temperature, keeping interiors cool in summer and mild in winter, often without the need for air conditioning or heating.

Dugouts can include full kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms, and living spaces. Some are modest, others surprisingly spacious. Life underground is quiet and protected from dust storms, wind, and extreme heat.

Above the dugouts, the landscape is stark and striking. The ground is pockmarked with mine shafts and mounds of pale stone known as tailings. Vegetation is sparse, with low shrubs and wide stretches of exposed earth. From a distance, the area looks almost lunar.

The town sits far from major cities, surrounded by long highways, open skies, and dramatic desert sunsets. At night, the lack of light pollution makes the stars especially vivid.

Coober Pedy is not just underground housing. There are underground churches carved by hand, underground hotel rooms, and underground museums that explain the town’s mining history. Visitors can stay below the surface and experience daily life as locals do.

Despite its remote location, the town draws travelers from around the world. Some come for opal. Others come out of curiosity. Many leave with a strong sense of how adaptable human settlement can be when the environment demands it.

Until next time,

Emails From Afar Team

While this newsletter brings you the magic, the strange, and the downright odd by email, Letters From Afar takes it a step further—with real letters sent through the mail.

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Written from the perspective of an explorer from the past, each letter invites you to journey to distant lands through the most old-world form of communication: a letter delivered to your door.