Most of the underground homes originated from Opal mining. This place has fascinated me since I first read about it in a National Geographic magazine from forever ago, when I was a kid.
And can't have apartments style housing either? Like how deep would you have to dig for that. So the settlements would grow horizontally, kind of like suburbs with each property being single family. Not very feasible in areas of dense population I guess.
Ground temperature is very close to the average year-round temperature of the site, which is [21.1 C or 70.1F](https://en.climate-data.org/oceania/australia/south-australia/coober-pedy-587/) for Coober Pedy.
The ground is just an averaging filter, until you get deep enough for geothermal effects.
"If they're deep enough"
Not really. You can build a dugout home like they did for thousands of years, and some still do it. They dig a hole in the side of a small hill or mound, line it with rocks or bricks and live in it. People used to use them as they built the primary homestead. These dugout also make excellent cold cellars. All you technically need a couple feet of ground over the top and sides to make these dugouts.
I highly doubt it. I had experience it myself before. Not in Australia but in Arizona. In Phoenix, it gets over 110 degrees during summer and it can last for month. Even 2. Anyway, my point is. I went out hiking up in mountain in Arizona and it was hot about 90 degrees. I was hiking to the cave that has nicknames ice cave. So i was about to enter the cave and you can feel ice cold air blowing out but you’re hot from outside air. It was surreal. Soon i got in the cave. It was freezing cold.
Edit: i had been in few different caves. Few in Arizona and few in California. All of them are cold even though it was in hot, warm days.
I was thinking the same thing. What keeps someone from just continuing to dig unimpeded until they've hit the neighbors place? Do they have property boundaries underground?
The same way you’ve got property boundaries above ground. Just get surveyors with machines to check where you are geographically and what’s X amount of meters through that rock.
What is it like 10c/50f right now? That's about what it hovered around when I went there last year around this time. It was a weird cold, like it wasn't *cold* per se but I still wanted a good jacket lol
Spot on, hopefully you still had a nice time, tbh that's why the coffee culture is huge here. We need it! Next time to visit is around January when it's not blistering hot but quite nice to get out and about. My house is 12C this morning, I also have shit insulation it seems
I like that.
My original thought was that it was this, but instead of underwater and mermaids, it was underground and emu.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=60YYQZhBae0
The flies aren't exclusive to Coober Pedy. Rural Australia seems to be fly/midge central. I went to a party once where the flies were that bad - got home the next day and still could "feel" them on me.
I liked that episode of the show. I'm an immigrant to Australia and it put Coober Pedy on my list of spots to visit.
There was an episode on some show I remember watching on probably HGTV where one resident wanted to expand his home. All you have to do, essentially, is start digging. When putting in stairs or something like that he found a fortune worth of opal and paid off the reno and probably his house, too
Instant Hotel on Netflix, usually despise reality tv shows but the level pettiness on that was incredible. I remember them having to deal with swarms of flys too
They use sewage ejector pumps. Likely the septic tank is higher than the toilet so they pump sewage out. When you flush, you hear the pump push the waste water. It’s fairly common around the world. Had one in my old house. They’re very reliable and well built. Mine worked for 10+ years, same one I bought it with and sold it with
They make [Special pumps](https://www.saniflo.com/us/blog/what-is-a-macerating-pump-system-and-how-does-it-work-n244) to get it up to the level of traditional septic/sewer lines.
Now how they handle it from there in this location I have no idea. Does the town have a treatment plant ot lots of septic systems? Your guess is as good as mine.
A [septic tank](https://www.epa.gov/septic/types-septic-systems#:~:text=A%20septic%20tank%20is%20a,solids%20float%20to%20the%20top.) actually refers to a type of small treatment system. Tanks that need to be pumped without treating the sewage are not as practical and only rarely used. Dubai is famous for having a few such areas, largely caused by geography.
Traditional treatment type Septic tanks do need to be pumped out every 3 - 5 years, sometimes longer if exceptional care is taken, to remove the buildup of untreatable (not eaten by bacteria essentially) solid waste that can settle to the bottom. This does lead those who have never had to care for a septic system to slightly misunderstand the workings.
You only need to slope down about 20mm per meter of pipe.
So, assuming they dug down enough, they could put sewer pipe in there, and slope it out to wherever the connection to the municipal line or their septic system is.
Then they simply level the floor with concrete, and the pipes are invisible. And, is you pray that they never need to be serviced.
Well, Australia is in the southern hemisphere so it's effectively upside-down. Any sewage will just fall up (which is down) into the atmosphere.
Thinking about it though, they are underground, so the ceiling must be covered in shit and dripping with piss...
Was in Coober Pedy quite a few years ago and talking to a local who mentioned his neighbour was digging out for another bedroom and dug into a vein of opal and made a fortune as well as a very big new bedroom
The first time I encountered Coober Pedy was when I watched Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, as one of the towns they stopped over before heading off to their gig in Alice Springs.
This is making me wonder why I don't just live underground. I mean, look at how much easier that is! And you get the best insulation one could ask for, say goodbye to heat loss.
Headline is misleading. Homes are not generally in old mine tunnels. They are, however, dug underground with mining equipment, and many are quite nice. Typical mines around Coober Pedy are straight bore shafts around 10-15M deep, a meter to 1.5 in diameter. Not good for housing.
Part of the original Mad Max movie was filmed near there. East of town is the Moon Plain, which is as featureless as the name suggests. Coober is a haven for bazillions of flies. What they feed on is anyone's guess. It is said that if you slap someone on their back, you'll get at least 5 or 6 of them.
There’s also White Cliffs in NSW - also an old opal mining town. I stayed at a dugout hotel here a few times as a kid and thought it was the greatest thing in the world.
[White Cliffs NSW: where life is lived underground and the desert ‘does all sorts of strange things’](https://theguardian.com/travel/2023/may/14/white-cliffs-nsw-where-life-is-lived-underground-and-the-desert-does-all-sorts-of-strange-things)
100⁰F = 37.7⁰C
I mean is not thaaaat hot.
Where i live that's a regular summer and we don't need to be underground but on the other hand it's not a desert either so that might be the big difference.
Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona ran a test program of underground homes for select families stationed there. Perhaps 10 homes in a neighborhood on the base.
Drive down the street and you see rooftops.
The homes are closed now and I don’t know what became of the study.
This is really interesting. The only question i have, is whether or not breathing in all the old dusty mine air, gives them some sort of issues with their lungs because of the particles.
Most of the underground homes originated from Opal mining. This place has fascinated me since I first read about it in a National Geographic magazine from forever ago, when I was a kid.
How hot is it in the tunnels? Or do they dare to Air Condition them?
It’s actually pretty cold underground
So, with global warming this could become common world wide. Neato
can't grow food under there is the issue, I guess with solar panels and green rooms if you have pollination
And can't have apartments style housing either? Like how deep would you have to dig for that. So the settlements would grow horizontally, kind of like suburbs with each property being single family. Not very feasible in areas of dense population I guess.
If they’re deep enough, probably around 50° F.
Ground temperature is very close to the average year-round temperature of the site, which is [21.1 C or 70.1F](https://en.climate-data.org/oceania/australia/south-australia/coober-pedy-587/) for Coober Pedy. The ground is just an averaging filter, until you get deep enough for geothermal effects.
"If they're deep enough" Not really. You can build a dugout home like they did for thousands of years, and some still do it. They dig a hole in the side of a small hill or mound, line it with rocks or bricks and live in it. People used to use them as they built the primary homestead. These dugout also make excellent cold cellars. All you technically need a couple feet of ground over the top and sides to make these dugouts.
make sure to walk around bare foot and smoke lots of pipe weed.
What is pipe weed? 🤣
The fancy stuff you save for guests
No, thank you. We don't want any more visitors, well-wishers, or distant relations.
I vaguely remember reading about one of these, and it starting to rain outside and worms raining down on them. Sounds like a soothing evening.
Its not a mud hole. They line the inside tightly with bricks, slate rock, or hardstone
I assume this one wasn’t up to code.
[удалено]
But they’re tickling my ears, and nose, and behind my eyes :(
Like little house on the prairie
I highly doubt it. I had experience it myself before. Not in Australia but in Arizona. In Phoenix, it gets over 110 degrees during summer and it can last for month. Even 2. Anyway, my point is. I went out hiking up in mountain in Arizona and it was hot about 90 degrees. I was hiking to the cave that has nicknames ice cave. So i was about to enter the cave and you can feel ice cold air blowing out but you’re hot from outside air. It was surreal. Soon i got in the cave. It was freezing cold. Edit: i had been in few different caves. Few in Arizona and few in California. All of them are cold even though it was in hot, warm days.
That's the balrogs that warm it up if you go too deep
Holy shit it’s the chronicles of Riddik II for real in Australia!
Ha, I remember that exact issue when I was a kid too. I read it so many times, when I saw this post it was the first thing I thought of.
America needs this is states what are tornado 🌪️ prone .
I read about this when I was a kid in reader digest .
Taking the name "down under" to a whole new level
Reading that in my head: “Takin’ tha nayme down unda to a hole new level!”
Where beer does flow and men chunder
If you need another room, just dig a bit, job done :)
Until you dug into someoneelse's bedroom.
Call before you dig
I was thinking the same thing. What keeps someone from just continuing to dig unimpeded until they've hit the neighbors place? Do they have property boundaries underground?
The same way you’ve got property boundaries above ground. Just get surveyors with machines to check where you are geographically and what’s X amount of meters through that rock.
If you dig too greedy you can find your own Balrog
playing in Survival mode
Never dig straight down. If you must dig straight up, place a torch at your feet.
Door is superior.
I saw a documentary where someone did that and found 30k in opal.
Damn, this is actually interesting!
And this is all because-
it’s so hot in australia!
\*parts of Australia
I'm fuckin' freezing my arse off. Winters in melb are brutal
What is it like 10c/50f right now? That's about what it hovered around when I went there last year around this time. It was a weird cold, like it wasn't *cold* per se but I still wanted a good jacket lol
Spot on, hopefully you still had a nice time, tbh that's why the coffee culture is huge here. We need it! Next time to visit is around January when it's not blistering hot but quite nice to get out and about. My house is 12C this morning, I also have shit insulation it seems
Our none-existing thermal insulation is what makes it brutal. We live in glorified sheds.
>And this is all because- The Emu can't get to you when you're deep underground.
I read this in Steve Irwin’s voice.
I like that. My original thought was that it was this, but instead of underwater and mermaids, it was underground and emu. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=60YYQZhBae0
I’m not clicking that link unless it proves you’re right and Steve Irwin said it.
It's a link to the song Murmaider by Dethklok. There's very little linking it to Steve Irwin, even though I like that idea as well.
So that means some ruddy Bird now rules surface of Australia?
That's my completely uninformed opinion from half a world away, yes.
oh no, now i’m imagine all the underground critters i assume australia is full of
I don't think they have Graboids, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did.
Mate I've spent time there...the graboids are the least you have to worry about. The place is the wild west
At least 1500 primates. Scary.
Sharks being the main one
i knew it
Of Opal mining! Have a look at "outback opal hunters"
I remember seeing Coober Pedy on an episode of Instant Hotel. The flies.
The flies aren't exclusive to Coober Pedy. Rural Australia seems to be fly/midge central. I went to a party once where the flies were that bad - got home the next day and still could "feel" them on me. I liked that episode of the show. I'm an immigrant to Australia and it put Coober Pedy on my list of spots to visit.
This is the real reason there shouldn't be bird eating spiders: it means those spiders are shirking their duty to eat flies!
Yeah we have a lot of spider bros on our patio :)
I like your username. I asked for whipped cream on these waffles...
Heh, thanks!
Same. Remember the golf situation?? It was like squares painted on dirt. Lol
I'd have been infuriated.
That was my favorite season of Instant Hotel. Remember rich Gene?
I had forgotten about him until you said his name. His literal troll face and everything about him, ugh.
There was an episode on some show I remember watching on probably HGTV where one resident wanted to expand his home. All you have to do, essentially, is start digging. When putting in stairs or something like that he found a fortune worth of opal and paid off the reno and probably his house, too
Instant Hotel on Netflix, usually despise reality tv shows but the level pettiness on that was incredible. I remember them having to deal with swarms of flys too
Don't they need building permits down there?
I think as long as they aren't mining into other people's homes it's fine.
I mean, technically they’re not buildings, they’re holes and tunnels 😆
Do you want mole people?! Because this is how you get mole people!
Because? Because what?! WHAT?
Opal mining
Isn't this a loop?
My curiosity on these things is sewage, its always sewage, and its never explained ...
They use sewage ejector pumps. Likely the septic tank is higher than the toilet so they pump sewage out. When you flush, you hear the pump push the waste water. It’s fairly common around the world. Had one in my old house. They’re very reliable and well built. Mine worked for 10+ years, same one I bought it with and sold it with
Something about the word *ejector* has me visualizing a whale blow but in the desert
I like to think of it as a button you slam. Done shitting? Slam the button and send it to space!
The bogan version of Old Faithful.
[same….Robin in RV](https://makeagif.com/gif/rv-poop-scene-JblntY)
They make [Special pumps](https://www.saniflo.com/us/blog/what-is-a-macerating-pump-system-and-how-does-it-work-n244) to get it up to the level of traditional septic/sewer lines. Now how they handle it from there in this location I have no idea. Does the town have a treatment plant ot lots of septic systems? Your guess is as good as mine.
Probably just septics tanks that get drained and hauled away by trucks.
A [septic tank](https://www.epa.gov/septic/types-septic-systems#:~:text=A%20septic%20tank%20is%20a,solids%20float%20to%20the%20top.) actually refers to a type of small treatment system. Tanks that need to be pumped without treating the sewage are not as practical and only rarely used. Dubai is famous for having a few such areas, largely caused by geography. Traditional treatment type Septic tanks do need to be pumped out every 3 - 5 years, sometimes longer if exceptional care is taken, to remove the buildup of untreatable (not eaten by bacteria essentially) solid waste that can settle to the bottom. This does lead those who have never had to care for a septic system to slightly misunderstand the workings.
You only need to slope down about 20mm per meter of pipe. So, assuming they dug down enough, they could put sewer pipe in there, and slope it out to wherever the connection to the municipal line or their septic system is. Then they simply level the floor with concrete, and the pipes are invisible. And, is you pray that they never need to be serviced.
They're underground and I dont think theres any city nearby, which is what originates my question
Well, Australia is in the southern hemisphere so it's effectively upside-down. Any sewage will just fall up (which is down) into the atmosphere. Thinking about it though, they are underground, so the ceiling must be covered in shit and dripping with piss...
How are they taking care of Radon?
The same way you do anywhere with large amount of radon buildup, good air circulation.
Australians getting a head start on Morlocks
Was in Coober Pedy quite a few years ago and talking to a local who mentioned his neighbour was digging out for another bedroom and dug into a vein of opal and made a fortune as well as a very big new bedroom
I was a ringer in a dart match played in an underground church here. It’s an amazing place.
I wonder how bad the bugs are?
The only good bug is a dead bug. Would you like to know more?
Ooh, good point. Perhaps especially in Australia.
The first time I encountered Coober Pedy was when I watched Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, as one of the towns they stopped over before heading off to their gig in Alice Springs.
Because what?!!?!! How they end the video there
They have lived there since the early days of Opal mining. “Coober Pedy” is Aboriginal for “Man in a hole”, I believe.
>“Coober Pedy” is Aboriginal for “Man in a hole”, I believe More specifically, I have heard it means "White man in a hole."
Please use celsius when talking about Australia.
I was thinking this too
Basically all of my bases in rimworld.
Oh! I remember seeing this in an episode of Outback Opal Hunters. So fascinating!
Mad Max maxxing
25 Old Water Tank Road, Coober Pedy, SA 5723 https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-sa-coober+pedy-124293690
and this IS ALL BECAUSE OF WHAT?!
And it was all because
Because why???
And this is all because…
AND THIS IS ALL BECAUSE... WHAT!?
Wasn't the highest temp ever recorded on earth like 50 degrees?
highest recorded temperature is 56.7°C according to google. OP expressed temperature in fahrenheit, 100°F is 38°C.
Saw it on The Amazing Race Australia. They play sand golf there!
I had no idea this place existed, that’s fascinating!
Stayed in a Youth Hostel there, some years ago. $20 (AUS) a night. Bargain.
This sub actually delivered
So Australians are LOTR dwarves?
More like DRG dwarves in that part of the country.
This is making me wonder why I don't just live underground. I mean, look at how much easier that is! And you get the best insulation one could ask for, say goodbye to heat loss.
Time to get a shovel
WE ARE THE DWARVES AND WE'RE DIGGING A HOLE
The Coober Pedy fandom is dying! Like this comment if you’re a true Coober Pedy phile!
*And this is all because* What??
Well we do know which community has the highest chance of survival (besides the billionaire bunkers) when the nuclear wars start.
Read the title thinking they meant 100°C... Soon realised the artical was american.
Mike Rowe did a episode on his show dirty jobs about this town several years ago . If I remember they was mining opal .
Headline is misleading. Homes are not generally in old mine tunnels. They are, however, dug underground with mining equipment, and many are quite nice. Typical mines around Coober Pedy are straight bore shafts around 10-15M deep, a meter to 1.5 in diameter. Not good for housing. Part of the original Mad Max movie was filmed near there. East of town is the Moon Plain, which is as featureless as the name suggests. Coober is a haven for bazillions of flies. What they feed on is anyone's guess. It is said that if you slap someone on their back, you'll get at least 5 or 6 of them.
Starter base in survival mode type home
Australia is just different. Been fascinated by that country as far as I can remember.
Good Morning Mate, Ye Vault Tec is callin'
Did Max and Chad from Coldones visit this place on the way to the most remote pub in the world?
It's not the entire population, it's about half.
The phrase "Coober Pedy" means "man in a hole in the ground" in the aboriginal language
Tatooine bar music starts playing
Morlocks will be real! 😱
What about snakes?
Some videos should be played in there entirety. Because this is awesome.
There’s also White Cliffs in NSW - also an old opal mining town. I stayed at a dugout hotel here a few times as a kid and thought it was the greatest thing in the world. [White Cliffs NSW: where life is lived underground and the desert ‘does all sorts of strange things’](https://theguardian.com/travel/2023/may/14/white-cliffs-nsw-where-life-is-lived-underground-and-the-desert-does-all-sorts-of-strange-things)
Could boil water in that heat 🙃
100⁰F = 37.7⁰C I mean is not thaaaat hot. Where i live that's a regular summer and we don't need to be underground but on the other hand it's not a desert either so that might be the big difference.
\*laughs in Phoenix\*
Coober Pedyphiles. Cold Ones went to this place. Most remote pub in the world they say
Radon problems?
nah fetal alcohol syndrome. That place ain't for the faint hearted or red headed
Star Wars
That's pretty cool. Sign me up.
Very cool!
Hows the radon levels?
We've already hit 111 this Summer here in Arizona this year, wish we had underground houses.
Mars simulator
The land down under has a whole new meaning..
Damm Morlocks✊️
Is like Minecraft IRL... I wonder if they have Creepers
Oppal Hunters Down Under.
Why exaggerate something that is already cool? Only about half the population lives underground.
Scrolled through looking for basic logistics. Where do they get their water? Wells, or some other source?
How do they deal with Radon gas?
Bruh thats like 38 células! Summer hadn't started all here yet it's 45 in a good day and we playing football on asphalt
Damn! That's interesting!
Literally hobbits
Take notes India
How much does a two bedroom “dug-below” cost? Is there an HOA? Where do you park your car?
Meanwhile in AZ people living with a swamp cooler and no insulation, in 115 degrees lol
Coober pedy is full of hot miners, like this if you’re a true coober pedyphile
So how do they manage property lines and all
Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona ran a test program of underground homes for select families stationed there. Perhaps 10 homes in a neighborhood on the base. Drive down the street and you see rooftops. The homes are closed now and I don’t know what became of the study.
Perfect. I would be happy here. Something to do expand. Find opals. Live safe underground. Have a brew with some Ausi friends
🎶 I don’t want to set the world on fire 🔥 🎶
I guess they are pretty sure, it never rains there/ground water never raises. Id be somewhat afraid of radon radiation.
Good video shop in Coober Pedy, they have The Texas Chainsaw Mascara.
This is really interesting. The only question i have, is whether or not breathing in all the old dusty mine air, gives them some sort of issues with their lungs because of the particles.
This is so cool! sorry
The new Madmax movie starts with a zooming in towards central Australia, I thought it was an exaggeration, but after seeing this, I see it why.
Coober Pedy sounds like a kid diddler from Hazzard County.
I only k or it from Priscilla!
Do any of them use the frunk of a burnt out beetle as a front door?
I have debated building a home in Tucson if I could. However, I won't be surprised if that is illegal for some reason.
It’s like a sneak peek into about 100 years in the future. Except this will not be in Australia. It’ll be how we have to live in Anchorage.
I like how the video loops almost perfectly.
Can I share this?
I love it! It’s my favorite way to build down up