In the middle of the Australian outback sits a town that lives underground. The town of Coober Pedy often reaches 120 degrees Fahrenheit – in the shade.
Instead of moving away, residents chose to take control of the situation. By creating dugouts in an attempt to get away from the intense heat.
What started as small holes eventually grew bigger and bigger. Coober Pedy now has entire homes, dive bars, even a hotel underground.
The homes have everything you need from the internet, to running water and electricity. The only thing missing is sunlight.
The town was established in 1915 after a teenager discovered opal there. Since then it has been known as the opal capital of the world.
So much so that 70% of the world’s opal can be traced back to Coober Pedy. The town revolves around the precious gem. Many of the residents are miners.
Coober Pedy is doing well, and keeps expanding with more houses and attractions. Would you spend your life underground?
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