Photo: Coober Pedy signs

Coober Pedy, the opal capital of the world. Half of the population of this town lives underground in dugout caves. The conditions in summer are extremely harsh here. Opal mining is the only reason for people to come over and live here. Together with two other mining towns, which are near to Coober Pedy, it produces over 85 % in quantity of the world's opal production.