Oodnadatta Track: Layover at Coober Pedy − 10 November, 2000
Jim, one of our neighbors and a fellow Yank, asked me the other day if I was interested in taking a long weekend to drive the Oodnadatta Track with him. There is a lot of historical significance to the track, which I won't go into here, but it sounded like a fun trip.
We packed up his old SUV and got going early. Heading south on the Stuart Highway is a long, bleak drive, with only a rare road house to break the monotony. Ok, it really wasn't as bad as all that. There was quite a bit of desert vegetation and the colors (lots of reds and oranges) of the countryside were amazing. We even came across the occasional animal, though it was usually a carcass on the side of the road, rendered unrecognizable by an unfortunate encounter with a road train.
Just north of Coober Pedy, we saw signs for a point of interest: the Breakaways. It was a bit of a drive off the highway on unpaved road. I really can't imagine anything less than an SUV on that road; it would destroy a regular car. Oddly, though, at the parking areas there were information signs about the area for tourists, as well as picnic areas. The views from the mesas were amazing. Each hill and outcropping had an aboriginal story or legend tied to it. Such a rich history in an area most people wouldn't consider remotely habitable.
We noticed on one of the signs that another point of interest was nearby: the Moon Plains. Now that sounded intriguing. We made our way there over even rougher track. Once there, I was at a loss for words. It's no wonder they call it the Moon Plains; the landscape just doesn't look like it belongs on Earth. Bizarrely flat, barren expanse of nothing. Apparently, a number of movies have been filmed here, like "Mad Max."
Driving into Coober Pedy was another weird experience. As we approached, there was an increasing number of giant mole hills everywhere. Ah, these must be the opal mines. Very post-apocalyptic. Coober Pedy itself struck me as a deserted frontier town -- a small scattering of buildings and a few dusty roads. Damn, but it has to be a hard life out here.
We elected to stay at the Experience Motel -- an all-underground motel created out of a converted opal mine. It was brilliant: great tourist gimmick and it stayed cool without air conditioning (and it got fucking hot here). It was a little unsettling to not have any windows or means of emergency exit.
After checking in, we took a brief walk around the town. Not much to see, really. There was the Big Winch, which allowed for a bird's-eye view of the town; but why you would want a bird's-eye view of the town is beyond me.
We stopped in one of the many opal/jewelry shops to get something for our wives. I picked out a necklace with a boulder opal pendant -- I really don't have a very good eye for jewelry, so I took a bit of a gamble spending that kind of money. Lucky for me, my wife doesn't care that I'm a fashion moron.
Out in front of one of the opal shops was a big spaceship-looking thing. When we stopped for a bite of pizza across the street, we found out it was a prop for a movie that was filmed out on the Moon Plains recently.
After a long day of driving and hiking, I was looking forward to sleeping in the cave -- I mean dungeon -- I mean death-trap -- I mean underground motel. Fuck. It's going to be a long night.
We packed up his old SUV and got going early. Heading south on the Stuart Highway is a long, bleak drive, with only a rare road house to break the monotony. Ok, it really wasn't as bad as all that. There was quite a bit of desert vegetation and the colors (lots of reds and oranges) of the countryside were amazing. We even came across the occasional animal, though it was usually a carcass on the side of the road, rendered unrecognizable by an unfortunate encounter with a road train.
Just north of Coober Pedy, we saw signs for a point of interest: the Breakaways. It was a bit of a drive off the highway on unpaved road. I really can't imagine anything less than an SUV on that road; it would destroy a regular car. Oddly, though, at the parking areas there were information signs about the area for tourists, as well as picnic areas. The views from the mesas were amazing. Each hill and outcropping had an aboriginal story or legend tied to it. Such a rich history in an area most people wouldn't consider remotely habitable.
We noticed on one of the signs that another point of interest was nearby: the Moon Plains. Now that sounded intriguing. We made our way there over even rougher track. Once there, I was at a loss for words. It's no wonder they call it the Moon Plains; the landscape just doesn't look like it belongs on Earth. Bizarrely flat, barren expanse of nothing. Apparently, a number of movies have been filmed here, like "Mad Max."
Driving into Coober Pedy was another weird experience. As we approached, there was an increasing number of giant mole hills everywhere. Ah, these must be the opal mines. Very post-apocalyptic. Coober Pedy itself struck me as a deserted frontier town -- a small scattering of buildings and a few dusty roads. Damn, but it has to be a hard life out here.
We elected to stay at the Experience Motel -- an all-underground motel created out of a converted opal mine. It was brilliant: great tourist gimmick and it stayed cool without air conditioning (and it got fucking hot here). It was a little unsettling to not have any windows or means of emergency exit.
After checking in, we took a brief walk around the town. Not much to see, really. There was the Big Winch, which allowed for a bird's-eye view of the town; but why you would want a bird's-eye view of the town is beyond me.
We stopped in one of the many opal/jewelry shops to get something for our wives. I picked out a necklace with a boulder opal pendant -- I really don't have a very good eye for jewelry, so I took a bit of a gamble spending that kind of money. Lucky for me, my wife doesn't care that I'm a fashion moron.
Out in front of one of the opal shops was a big spaceship-looking thing. When we stopped for a bite of pizza across the street, we found out it was a prop for a movie that was filmed out on the Moon Plains recently.
After a long day of driving and hiking, I was looking forward to sleeping in the cave -- I mean dungeon -- I mean death-trap -- I mean underground motel. Fuck. It's going to be a long night.
breakaways, top
breakaways, bottom
moon plain
moon plain detail
experience motel
motel room
dork in front of...
