Coober Pedy

 19 - 23 April 2022

After a rainy night at Bon Bon Rest area Mick ventured out in the morning for some bird photos before we packed up and set off for Coober Pedy. The rain had cleared fortunately and it was shaping up to be a beautiful day. We stopped just south of our destinatoion for a quick look at a possible birdy spot with a view to returning in the late afternoon or early morning one day. We continued on and arrived at the caravan park we had chosen just on lunch time.

We set up and had lunch before a relaxing afternoon - Mick had hundreds of photos to go through so he was quite busy. In the morning we drove back down to the Hutchison Memorial to look for birds, but no luck with the desired Gibberbird. We'd have to try somewhere else. On returning to town we called in to the Visitor Information Centre to purchase a permit to go out to The Breakaways, and also to get some more ideas about what to do in and around Coober Pedy. The chap we spoke to gave Mick some information about more birdy spots - in particular the water treatment plant. 

We went back to the caravan park for morning tea then went down to find the water treatment plant and it looked like it would be a great spot. We had a quick look around town, including a drive up to the Big Winch 360 Lookout. In the late afternoon Mick returned to photograph birds around the water treatment plant. 

One of the "must do" activities when in Coober Pedy is to drive out to the Breakaways, so we did. We decided to try for sunrise but just missed it as the sun popped over the horizon while we were still on the highway. This loop drive travels through some geological marvels in the Kanku - Breakaways Conservation Park. The Conservation Park forms part of the traditional country of the Antakirinja Matuntjara Yankunytjatjara people. The landscape is truly amazing. There are a number of lookout points and some interpretative signage but no other facilities. 

The drive also travels along the famous "dog fence" - the longest fence in the world, constructed to keep dingoes out of grazing areas. It is an interesting juxtaposition to see the natural wonder along side this man-made one. We made lots of stops along the drive to photograph the landscape and look for birds. Heading back to town we stopped again near the water treatment plant, and returned home in time for morning tea. 

We treated ourselves to dinner at the on-site pizza "restaurant" on Thursday night. More like a licenced cafe, the pizza was good and service friendly. Pre-ordering in the afternoon was preferred and our pizza was ready just after we arrived. 

On Friday morning I set off to one of the tourist attractions - Old Timers' Mine. Mick gets very claustrophobic when underground so chose to stay home and edit some of his photos. I found the self-guided tour to be very interesting and great value for money. As with everywhere we had been in Coober Pedy, the staff were friendly and knowledgable. This tour takes in part of an original mine from 1916, as well as a home dug in the 1960's. There are lots of signs explaining the exhibits and stories of the original miners. After winding your way through the tunnels and caverns you emerge into the obligatory gift shop selling all kinds of opal jewellery and souvenirs.

On our last morning we packed up and picked up some supplies, then drove to the Wellbeing Labyrinth. This is fairly new and not well signposted but can be seen from the road into town if you know what to look for. I spent about 10 minutes quietly walking the labyrinth while Mick looked for birds - of course!

From Coober Pedy we headed north with Marla as our proposed stop for the night.