UNDERGROUND VILLAGE

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 152, 24 December 1921, Page 8

UNDERGROUND VILLAGE

UNIQUE AUSTRALIAN SETTLEMENT.

(WOM OCR OWN COMIBSPOHDIHt.) SYDNEY. 6th December. One of the most extraordinary villages in the Commonwealth is that named Coober Pcdy, on the Stuart's Range opal fields, 170 miles north from Kingoonya, on the East-West transcontinental line. The population is between 70 and 80, and, with the exception of the galvanised iron lock-up, there are no public buildings in the ordinary sense of the term, and no licensed premises, yet two polioemen are stationed there. The inhabitants reside underground in, dug-outs, consisting in some cases of two or more rooms. The name of Coober Pedy was given to the place because in aboriginal Hniro it means "white man (join? in hole." It was hers that opal was first discovered in South Australia, and it is still the only field in that Stats in normal times. This opal is valued up to £30 an ounce.

As muoh as £3 has been paid for .100 gallons of water. Boring has proved tbortivo, »nd the Government, has decided to spend many thousands of pounds to construct an underground concrete tank. The Commonwealth Post Office is unique in Australia. It is located in one of the <Uijr-outs, in which a sronersj store is oond\icted. This is the only post office of its kind_ in tho Commonwealth service, and is visited by en inspector. ./

To s'-rpplornent the scanty and costly meat simply, rabbits are kept in .condition by potato pooling and other tenps from the table, and killed when required. Ono dicrger is maintaining a family of ten in this mann™;\