OZ Encounter 09: Discover Opal Town of Australia (Part II)

The town of Coober Pedy, located in the northern part of South Australia, is also called the Opal Town of Australia.

A historical story goes like this. In January 1915, a consortium of prospectors came to explore gold in Copper Pedy. When they were camping and looking for water, Jim Hutchinson's only 14-year-old son William found a flashing colorful gorgeous gem, this gem was never seen before and never heard of by people, then they named it Opal. Over the past century, this land has attracted immigrants from Europe and other places around the world to explore the Opal mine.

The origin of Coober Pedy in aboriginal language is Kupa Piti, which means ‘white people who live in caves’. In the north of Coober Pedy, large areas of wasteland carry aboriginal’s common belief: ‘Dream Time’. "We Aboriginal people have the responsibility to protect this wasteland, to maintain ‘Dream Time’ story, mythological stories,” local indigenous people Ian said.

When you walk or drive on the streets of Coober Pedy, you can often see the pipes attached to the ground, that is, an important ventilation channel connecting the ground and underground. As more than half of the inhabitants live underground, the underground caves are equipped with ducts to promote air circulation. "Just as you open the windows at home to ventilate, we live here underground, too, and these pipes allow us to feel the slightest breeze passing through," says Nicholas Troyi, curator of the Umoona Opal Mine& Museum.

OZ Encounter is a video program produced by People’s Daily Online with introductions and comprehensive information on Australia’s tourism, food, leisure culture, news etc. The program brings information on beautiful views and delicious food around Australia, lead audience to experience the unique landscape and cultural glamour of Australia with micro-video.