English 
Spanish 
3 min read 
0 comments 
The underground city where people live in tunnels surrounded by million-dollar jewels! In Coober Pedy, Australia, more than 60% of residents live in underground caves to escape the 45°C desert heat. Carved into old opal mines, the city has houses, churches, schools and even a cemetery underground. Known as the “Opal Capital of the World”, the place attracts 150 thousand tourists a year and has been the setting for films such as Mad Max.
Have you ever imagined living in a place where the scorching sun never hits your window because… well, there are no windows? In the middle of the Australian desert, there is an underground city where life literally happens underground. And it’s not just any place, we’re talking about one of the most unique places on the planet, where residents live surrounded by precious stones worth a fortune.
This town is Coober Pedy, known as the “Opal Capital of the World”. But don’t think it’s just a bunch of miners looking for gold. Here, the houses, shops, churches and even the cemetery are underground. And why? Because the heat on the surface can reach an absurd 45°C in the summer! Living underground is not just a curious detail, it is a matter of survival.
Coober Pedy, the underground city
If you look at Coober Pedy on a map, you’ll see a small town in the middle of nowhere, lost in the Australian desert. But the truth is that this “hole in the map” hides a real treasure. Ever since the first opal was found by a young man named Willie Hutchison in 1915, the town has become a magnet for adventurers and miners.
- China invests in 78 ports in Africa and expands logistics dominance in 32 countries
- Balneário Camboriú will have its own 'Brazilian Times Square' with the opening of the New York Food Lounge
- Researchers electrify seawater to create carbon-absorbing cement — materials that could replace sand and gravel used in concrete production
- Mega water project advances! São Francisco River Integration Project guarantees water security for 12 million people in the Northeast
The name “Coober Pedy” comes from the Aboriginal language and means something like “White Man’s Hole.” And it makes sense, because since then, thousands of people have dug their homes underground, not only to find more opals, but also to escape the insane heat of the surface, becoming known as the Underground City.
Houses carved into the earth
Living underground here doesn’t mean giving up comfort. Quite the opposite! The underground homes, known as “dugouts,” are cool all year round, maintaining a stable temperature of around 23°C. And it’s not just a hole in the ground, either — these homes have everything a normal home would have: electricity, running water, internet, and some even have an underground pool.
The only strange thing? Most of them don't have windows. If you need to see the sunlight to wake up in the morning, maybe you won't do very well here...
In addition to houses, the underground city has everything underground: schools, shops, churches and even an underground cemetery. Yes, people continue to live underground here even after their deaths.
Gold? No way! Here the treasure is made of stone!
Unlike the gold rush, in Coober Pedy what made everyone move to the middle of nowhere was the opal. This precious stone is found in abundance here, and some residents have made real fortunes digging for it in their backyards.
Many people start digging in their homes thinking they might find something valuable along the way. Imagine remodeling your bathroom and suddenly finding a rock worth thousands of dollars? Well, that happens here!
Mining is still strong in the underground city, but today tourism has also become one of the drivers of the economy.
An otherworldly setting that attracts tourists and Hollywood
With its post-apocalyptic look, Coober Pedy has caught the attention of the entire world. The city receives around 150 tourists a year, people who come to see what it's like to live underground.
And if you think this place looks familiar, it might be because it has appeared on the big screen. Movies like Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, Total Darkness and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert were filmed here. After all, with this lunar landscape and underground houses, the place already looks like a natural film set.
