Down Under Down Under

Trip Start Mar 14, 2007

Trip End Ongoing

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Flag of Australia Coober Pedy, Australia
Saturday, December 1, 2007

And so, we continued south through the Australian Outback. At some point, we crossed the border from the Northern Territory into South Australia. And, all of a sudden, time moved forward an hour, which makes a ton of sense. What little vegetation there was began to steadily decline until we reached the moonscape of Coober Pedy, an opal mining town in the middle of nowhere. Being a mining town, there were giant piles of dirt and rock everywhere, which was strange. Aside from the opals and the desolation, the real draw to Coober Pedy is all the underground homes, stores, and churches that were constructed to beat the extreme temperatures of the desert.

Sam and Jaana didn't want to camp so I went around with them as they looked at some underground hotel rooms. They were pretty sweet - it was like something out of the Flintstones. After they found a place, they dropped me off at an underground campsite, which is a funny concept. It was nice down there, and I just slept on my tarp as there was no need for a tent. I made dinner, met some nice people, watched some t.v., and went to sleep. Sam and Jaana picked me up in the morning, and we continued on south.

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