Take a look inside Coober Pedy, the Australian mining town where residents live, shop, and worship underground

Erin McDowell,Chris WellerJul 25, 2021, 20:25 IST

Residents have turned the old opal mines into makeshift homes to escape the oppressive heat.Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Coober Pedy is a small town in the Outback of Southern Australia.
Many of Coober Pedy's residents live underground to escape the region's immense heat.
Homes, bars, a church, and more can be found underground in what the locals call "dugouts."

Coober Pedy is located in South Australia, over 1,000 miles from Canberra, the country's capital city.

The location of Coober Pedy. Google Maps

The town's summer months can reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

The barren landscape surrounding the outback opal mining town of Coober Pedy. Reuters

Due to the dry climate, water can be scarce sometimes.

A sign telling people to conserve water in Coober Pedy. Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

While Aboriginal people have long inhabited the region, miners first moved to the town in 1916.

A miner holding an opal stone. Ian Waldie/Getty Images

Coober Pedy was once covered by an ocean, which helped create the town's opal mines.

Rare boulder opal in Coober Pedy, Australia. Dmitry Chulov/Shutterstock

As opal mining settled into a steady - but less booming - business, Coober Pedy residents began turning discarded opal mines into permanent dugouts.

Coober Pedy. Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

With the homes' cave-like exteriors, the process of going underground may seem like a venture into the unknown.

Coober Pedy. Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

But some 80% of the local population have made homes inside the sandstone.

A home in Coober Pedy. Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Once visitors are down there, it's actually pretty homey.

Faye's Underground Home. Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Faye Nayler and two friends managed to build a bar, a swimming pool in the living room, and a full eat-in kitchen.

Faye's Underground Home. Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Today, it's billed as a tourist attraction called Faye's Underground Home.

Faye's Underground Home. Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

It's still inhabited by the caretakers of the home, who give guided tours on a daily basis.

Faye's Underground Home. Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Guests can also attend a church service.

A church in Coober Pedy. ChameleonsEye/Shutterstock

Inhabitants can also buy a good book at the town's bookstore to pass the time.

A bookstore in Coober Pedy. Eric-Paul-Pierre PASQUIER/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

Tourists looking for the authentic Coober Pedy experience can check out the Desert Cave Hotel.

The lobby of an underground hotel in Coober Pedy. Reuters/Dave Pratt

The hotel features a bar, pool room, restaurant, and gift shop.

An underground game room in Coober Pedy. Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

People do need to come up for food, however.

Supermarket in Coober Pedy. Travel Outback Australia

There are also a number of tourist shops in the town.

The Opal Bug in Coober Pedy. fritz16/Shutterstock

Other souvenir shops cater to both locals and tourists.

Store in Coober Pedy. Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Holes in the ground from the old mine shafts are found throughout the town.

Mining shafts around opal mining town Coober Pedy, Australia. Fat Jackey/Shutterstock

The town makes sure people know the dangers of the deep mine shafts.

Signs in Coober Pedy. Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Mining equipment and abandoned vehicles can also be found scattered around Coober Pedy.

Abandoned mining equipment. SusaImages/Shutterstock

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Take a look inside Coober Pedy, the Australian mining town where residents live, shop, and worship underground

Coober Pedy is located in South Australia, over 1,000 miles from Canberra, the country's capital city.

The town's summer months can reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

Due to the dry climate, water can be scarce sometimes.

While Aboriginal people have long inhabited the region, miners first moved to the town in 1916.

Coober Pedy was once covered by an ocean, which helped create the town's opal mines.

As opal mining settled into a steady - but less booming - business, Coober Pedy residents began turning discarded opal mines into permanent dugouts.

With the homes' cave-like exteriors, the process of going underground may seem like a venture into the unknown.

But some 80% of the local population have made homes inside the sandstone.

Once visitors are down there, it's actually pretty homey.

Faye Nayler and two friends managed to build a bar, a swimming pool in the living room, and a full eat-in kitchen.

Today, it's billed as a tourist attraction called Faye's Underground Home.

It's still inhabited by the caretakers of the home, who give guided tours on a daily basis.

Guests can also attend a church service.

Inhabitants can also buy a good book at the town's bookstore to pass the time.

Tourists looking for the authentic Coober Pedy experience can check out the Desert Cave Hotel.

The hotel features a bar, pool room, restaurant, and gift shop.

People do need to come up for food, however.

There are also a number of tourist shops in the town.

Other souvenir shops cater to both locals and tourists.

Holes in the ground from the old mine shafts are found throughout the town.

The town makes sure people know the dangers of the deep mine shafts.

Mining equipment and abandoned vehicles can also be found scattered around Coober Pedy.