Camping Underground: Coober Pedy
Dear Adventurous Reader,
Tonight we are sleeping underground. Our tents are pitched with no pegs, some corners held down by large sandstone rocks, within three walls and everyone is asleep. Except me.
Today was a big driving day. We finally got out of Port Augusta later than we wanted.
The luscious blue, clear sky stretched far overhead. The sun shone upon the road heating the expanding bodies of dead kangaroos. The outback eventually took over the landscape; drying out the trees and salt bush until a low lying cover of grass could be seen growing from the red sand.
In the distance the watery haze of a mirage sat always at the end of the road where it joined the horizon. Occasionally a truck with three containers behind would rocket past in the other direction, a road train on the job.
It was not hot, yet; 28 degrees is not hot when the forecast is saying 38. Those ten degrees can change a lot and it caused me to start dreading those coming days.
The Change was Too Soon
I was watching the temperature gauge when it started to rise. It moved slow, at first and the sudden jump was when I caught a glimpse. Turn the heater on inside the car and allow the needle to drop. Crisis averted for now, but from then on I watched the needle with interest.
I broke the news to our companions over lunch. They were not familiar with the foibles of our car. I do hope and pray that band-aid solutions will see us to the end of this road trip.
So We Are Underground
We pitched out tent using boulders of sandstone that are everywhere. Coober Pedy is a mining town and a few houses are constructed underground. "I have always wanted to do this, even though I never knew it." one of the boys said as he walked down into the old mining tunnels.
The walls were cool, despite the 38 degree day outside, all over them etched deeply with the claws of a heavy mining drill. The ground was covered in small sandstone peddles, cast from the walls, which made it impossible to walk silently through the hallways. Elijah's voices echoed off the hard walls, followed by the "shushing" of an adult or older brother following behind. Excitement was high.
The spare day we had we spent seeing some of the attractions in the small town. Feeding baby kangaroos at an art store and visiting an underground church, carved out of the sandstone. I took the car to the mechanic.
Coober Pedy is build upon sandstone. It can be seen from the highway, heaped into small white piles on the surface while the miners are below the ground looking for opals. It lays under the region which is how the underground camping was constructed, etched and clawed below the land the sun beats down upon.
The region gets around 13cm of rain each year. It is hot with the sun baking down upon the vast, open earth and the little shade does not help in finding a cool place. At least we can retreat underground to get out of the sun.
Kids, Older Kids and Uno
The boys are enjoying having company past themselves. The Miller boys are fun to be around, they understand the little guys love hanging out with them and they have time for all of our guys.
It is lovely to watch Gabe hang out with Adeline. It is fantastic to see Elijah give everyone a smile with his antics. Joash is fantastic for a discussion, with his observations explained with detail.
With the hot days Nathanael, Ezekiel and Levi have been spending their time making new friends. I walked into the eating area at our accommodation to find our boys, the Miller boys and a few German tourists playing Uno.
The road is a great place to make new friends, even if it just for an afternoon card game. We were planning on meeting them up at Uluru, as they were heading our way for the next few days.