Reese Barcelon
- In Australia, a town called “Coober Pedy” exists beneath a huge hole.
- The temperatures are too extreme and living underground is the best solution they came up with.
People have unique living conditions around the world.
There are some who built their homes on caves, trees, plastic bottles, and even from old containers – which proves how creative people can be.
One great example for that is the mining town of Coober Pedy in South Australia.
Coober Pedy derived its name from the Aboriginal term ‘kupa-piti’ which literally means white man’s hole.
Of all the places possible, why did the locals decided to build a shelter underground?
The answer is because Coober Pedy is the largest opal mines of the world, a good reason to resist the extreme temperature of the area, and settle for a one-of-a-kind living condition.
Of course, the residents have considered living above the ground but it wasn’t possible as the temperature in the day would get as high as 125 degrees Fahrenheit and drops at insane levels when the sun goes down.
Houses that were built underground are known as ‘dugouts’ and continue to increase, reaching a total of 1,500 homes in the present. Aside from the protection from heat, they also have soundproof rooms which allow them to play loud music without earning themselves an angry neighbor.
Furthermore, some of these homes have indoor swimming pools, and spacious rooms.
Even though Coober Pedy is far from civilization, they really don’t have much reason to leave their safe haven as already have their own establishments in their small town to cater for their needs such as bookstores, bars, motels, and even churches.
As a matter of fact, residents often find opals whenever they are digging for new homes or rooms.
Indeed, the Australians found a wonderful way to provide for themselves along with building a better community in Coober Pedy.
What do you think about the residents living conditions? Would you like to live in one of these dugouts?
