Coober Pedy, the underground town

Today the train arrived at Manguri siding, from where we were taken by coach to the nearest town - Coober Pedy - 40 km away. 
In the early 20th century Coober Pedy became the world centre of opal mining. As it is in the desert, it made sense for the miners to live underground in the tunnels they had constructed, where the temperature remained cool and comfortable, by day and by night, all year round. More than half the residents still reside in "dug-outs". There is even an underground Serbian Orthodox church which we visited, and later,we were served  lunch at long tables in a large tunnel in the Quest Mine. The first extra shows a view over the town, which looks so desolate as so much is underground. The second extra shows an old dug out  in the Umoona Opal mine and museum. All around the town are unattractive spoil heaps from the mining, and nowadays there is much less mining and the population has declined. However, further afield is the dramatic natural scenery of the Breakaways rock formation shown in the third extra.
My blip shows Sturt's Desert Pea which was flowering in profusion outside the museum, and which I was very pleased to see. Aside from the beautiful opals on display in the museum, it was the loveliest thing I saw in Coober Pedy.