Business categories in Coober Pedy, SA

Welcome to Coober Pedy, SA

Known as the opal capital of the world, Coober Pedy is a town in northern South Australia. It’s located 846km north-west of Adelaide’s central business district and has a population of 1,695.

History

The first European explorer to pass the area was John McDouall Stuart in 1858. However, a town wasn’t established until 1915 when Willie Hutchinson discovered opal. Miners moved into the area in 1916. By 1999, there were more than 250,000 mine shaft entrances in the area.

Lifestyle and Entertainment

The area is a popular tourist destination and stopover. Visitors often come to see the mines and the underground churches.

Due to the extreme summer heat, residents prefer to live in caves built into the hillsides called dugouts. A standard three-bedroom cave with lounge, kitchen and bathroom can be excavated out of the rock for a similar price to building a house on the ground.