South Australia
Everything to do in Coober Pedy
The opal capital of the world, underground. Find eateries, mines, attractions, tours and day trips - then turn them into a trip worth the long drive.
Kanku–Breakaways Conservation Park 33 km north of town
Welcome to the opal capital
A town above ground.
A whole other world below.
Coober Pedy is not polished, predictable, or remotely ordinary. That is exactly the point.
Use this field guide to find working mines, dugout homes, desert lookouts, local tables and the gloriously odd landmarks that make the town itself the attraction.
Read how the opal rush beganChoose your way in
What brings you out here?
- Attractions The Big Winch, underground churches, museums and must-sees.
- Opal & Mining Working mines, noodling, opal shops and mine tours.
- Eateries & Cafés Where to eat and drink, from pizza to underground bars.
- Stay Underground motels, hotels, caravan parks and camping.
- Tours Guided mine, town and outback tours with the locals.
- Day Trips Breakaways, Moon Plain, the Dog Fence and beyond.
- Shopping & Services Rentals, supermarkets, fuel, post and everyday needs.
- Events Festivals, races, the speedway and what's on in town.
- Essentials Hospital, police, visitor centre and emergency info.
Start with these
Only in Coober Pedy
Day tripsKanku-Breakaways Conservation Park
Stunning Aboriginal-owned tablelands and colourful hills, 30 min north - unmissable at sunrise or sunset.
- Good with kids
AttractionsOld Timers Mine
Hand-dug 1916 opal mine turned museum, with an original underground home and self-guided tours.
- Good with kids
- Underground
Opal miningPublic Noodling Area
Free, beginner-friendly fossicking on Jeweller's Shop Road - sift the mullock heaps by hand and keep any opal you find. Open 24/7.
- Free
- Good with kids
AttractionsUmoona Opal Mine & Museum
Walk through a real underground mine, a free museum and a preserved dugout home - Coober Pedy's biggest attraction and a perfect first stop.
- Good with kids
- Underground
AttractionsThe Big Winch Scenic Lookout
Coober Pedy's highest point - 360° town views, a café and the famous Big Winch sculpture.
- Free
- Good with kids
The surface is only half the story
Sleep, eat, pray and explore underground.
For more than a century, miners and families have carved life straight into the sandstone. Step through an ordinary-looking doorway and the desert heat, glare and noise disappear.
Go below the surface
Half a minute in the opal fields
Ten things.
One very unusual town.
A quick look at what waits above, below and just beyond Coober Pedy.
Dig into the full guide
Road-tested starting points
How long have you got?
ItinerariesOne Perfect Day in Coober Pedy
The ideal one-day Coober Pedy itinerary - mines, museums, opal and a Breakaways sunset.
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ItinerariesA Weekend in Coober Pedy
A relaxed two-day Coober Pedy itinerary with mines, the Breakaways, a tour and a dugout stay.
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ItinerariesCoober Pedy Stopover on the Stuart Highway
Driving Adelaide to Uluru or Alice Springs? How to make the most of a Coober Pedy stopover.
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Stories from the opal fields
How a town this unlikely came to be.
HeritageThe Opal Rush: How Coober Pedy Began
A boy's 1915 find did not create one rush but three. Follow Coober Pedy from camel-carted water and Tottie Bryant to migrant miners and the blower.
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HeritageA Town of Many Nations
How a tiny, brutally hot speck of desert came to be one of the most multicultural towns in Australia - drawn together, and divided, by opal.
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HeritageCoober Pedy On Screen: Movies, TV & Media
The lunar landscape that doubled as another planet - the films, TV shows and documentaries that came to Coober Pedy.
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