Red Dirt and Road Trains

Coober Pedy, Australia

Soon after we left Adelaide, the countryside became arid and then quickly turned to desert.  We were now entering what is considered Australia's Outback and the Red Centre.  It was easy to see why this is called the Red Centre... we were surrounded by red rocks, red dirt, and red roads.  Even the sheep looked a gradient red from lying in this red, red dirt.  We, too, had red dirt on our clothes, in our shoes, and in our campers. The area is so red that the color can actually be seen from outer space.  Researchers say that this section of Australia is much like the surface of Mars and the coloration is caused by the oxidation of iron ore.

We also now saw road trains... semi tractors pulling three to five trailers behind them. This Outback phenomena is definitely a sight to see.  They're also a formidable obstacle to overcome if you're traveling faster than they are.  When passing a road train, drivers must reckon a clearing ahead capable of overtaking the equivalent of two or three tractor-trailer rigs at one time.  The turbulence alone can catch the driver of a small vehicle off guard... whether you are passing or being passed.  It definitely took both hands to keep our top-heavy camper van on the road when one of these heavy rigs sped by us.

Australian Road Train

Road trains can weigh up to 220 tonnes and are up to 175 feet in length, including the couplings between trailers.  They do not stop quickly.  Because of this, all road trains come equipped with enormous grill guards.  Much of the Red Centre is not fenced, and cattle often roam the highways.  The road train grill guards take even a huge bull and simply push them aside to die on the roadway if they are not killed immediately.  In one area we saw five or six dead cattle within several kilometers, including a huge Angus-mix bull.

We made the town of Coober Pedy the day after we left Adelaide.  Coober Pedy is known for two things:  opals and underground living.  The area looks much like a moonscape with its many mullock heaps from opal mining.  Australia has 95 percent of the world's supply of commercial opals with the largest percentage coming from Coober Pedy and its 70 opal fields.

Mullock heaps near Coober Pedy

More mullock heaps near Coober Pedy

It is believed that WWI soldiers returning from the trenches in France were the first to begin living underground in dugouts.  Today over 50 percent of Coober Pedy's 2,500 inhabitants live underground.  Known for its extreme weather, temperatures can reach around 120 degrees (49C) in the summer and below freezing at night during winter months.  Underground homes maintain even temperatures between 65F to 75F (19C to 25C) all year round.  Even the name Coober Pedy refers to this underground living, it is aboriginal for "white man living in hole."

Underground homes in Coober Pedy

Water is the greatest need in this unforgiving desert.  Coober Pedy receives a mere five inches of rainfall each year.  To supply residents with fresh, clean water, in 1922 the government installed a 500,000 gallon underground water tank.  The water supply remained unreliable, however, until 1985 when a reverse osmosis desalination plant was installed.  Salty water is now pumped from 60-meter-deep artesian bores.  The water travels a 23-kilometer pipeline to the desalination plant before filling the town's water tanks.

We spent the morning after our arrival touring the area and visiting two underground churches before meeting up with Liz and Walter for lunch in an underground restaurant.  Both of the churches we visited were dug with tunneling machines.  You can see the whirls from the revolving cutting head in these photos of the Serbian Orthodox Church built in 1993.  The older Catacomb Church was built in the 70s and excavated by a Caldwell-type drill.

Entrance to Serbian Orthodox Church, Coober Pedy

Serbian Orthodox Church, Coober Pedy

Outside of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Coober Pedy

Catacomb Church, Coober Pedy

Inside Catacomb Church, Coober Pedy

Altar, Catacomb Church, Coober Pedy

We also saw the famed Dog Fence near Coober Pedy (although we did not get a photo of it).  Over the past 130 years, Australians have tried to keep the dingo from sheep country.  In 1946 the Dog Fence Act was passed, allowing a dog-proof fence to be built, spanning 2,230 kilometers (1,385 miles) between the Great Australian Bight and Queensland.  The fence is twice as long as the Great Wall in China.  South of the fence is sheep country, and north of the fence is cattle country.  I must say... I can't wait to photograph a dingo!

Our journey up the Red Centre continues.  Our next stop... Uluru.