Coober Pedy! Trying to draw a comparison to it without knowing another place like it….? To be honest I had typed a few places here *** but all were unfair comparisons? Mind you it's only a few days before the annual Easter Opal Festival so one could imagine some vibrancy to the place but alas? Put it this way…..night time is perhaps better than day? In CP's case…..(I call it that now I'm a local?) the flies won't drive you insane, the heat (not that it's that hot rather mild presently only got to 34) is gone, the ugly, dirty, ungraded, potholed and depressed state of the place is hidden by the billion starts and magnificent night sky.
We drove around town checking this and that as the proverbial tourist and I swear if I had arrived in a semi depressed state I would be found hanging from the nearest desert oak tree (Cue in 'Hang down your head Tom Dooley' ). I'm hypothesising that the GFC ripple effect has caused no-one to buy the crappy $10 potch and opal jewellery that every opal store is overflowing with and covered in cobwebs, dust and belonging in a 20cent slide machine at the Local Show!
They only turn the lights on when you enter the store (keep out the flies was the reason we were told and fair enough they drive you insane)! The image is this….picture a mangy, dirty, fly blown*-hole (excuse the expletive but what else do you use?) street and a flaked and faded painted sign something like 'Jonesy's jewels and opals' with two old unshaven and unkempt 60+ men sitting at the front in the shade. You approach as a tourist complete with camera, kids, clean clothes and a positive attitude! They discretely sense your approach pretending to be customers themselves at a table out-front and bob up and walk inside first, flick the 20 watt light bulbs that barely illuminate the dusty dirty second hand jewel boxes and display cabinets that have the same crap the last shop had! Then comes the sales pitch as though you are in the Mumbai markets…..Enter stage left Greasy Joe that just switched the lights: "aaaaah my friend you are first customer today 40% off for you………you have children?" Mick: "Yeah mate 2 daughters….thats them there! " Greasy Joe: " Ahhhhh 4 daughters!!! (Kerriann and Cheryl enter)…… you must see these, I only bring these out for special people……..40% off best in town!" this one only 100 dollars for your little girl....more crap jewellery and I'm walking out the door smiling and nodding my exit not wanting to offend with comment….. Then the girls feel the same unease being individually coaxed to look at cheap crap and follow me to then have the mutterings that unmistakably were an insult that I would guess the equivalent of : "Toddle along then you irrepressible reprobates (google translate this to Australian bush slang and don't let Mum see). I was impressed with one shop (no names) when I asked: "Mate can you show me an opal that is Black on Red as they say that is o.k.? " He of course immediately corrected me with "Red on Black mate……here….." and presented a nice stone with that red sparkle on a dark background that was priced at $3,000.00. He then went on to explain that the chances of finding one like that were quite rare. That sold it for me! Imagine digging through the chalk (it's like chalky clay and in itself very beautiful) for as long as it takes to hope to find your mother load and then sell that to pay for the monthly aero-guard account and start again?
On the positive! We chance decided to stay at a place about 10 k out of town on the Williams Creek Road called Riba's underground caravan and camping (i think) and it is fantastic! Although the TV room has a 12 inch old box TV that if we turned on could possibly still be black and white and the internet cafe doesn't work….the staff, grounds and facilities were the best you could hope for…..best part is we're 10k out of town!
Tommorrow we go and fill up our water tanks at the only place you can (20 cents for 30 or so litres of beautiful water but the line up worries me?) and head North…..I went to the police station to pop in but there were SOC, Forensic's and 2 police cars down near the middle of town parked outside an address and the bully-man (my mission influence is returning) said to me who was parked out the front the equivalent of: "nothing to see here, just move along!".
Coober Pedy is…..different. More different than any place I have ever been to is Australia so far. Currently it is extremely depressing, no one is smiling, AND!!!! we go to the flashiest joint in town..the Underground something or other Hotel whatever it's called and find the Underground bar……splendid in opal and all that…..I ask with a puzzled look at the distinct lack of taps in sight….."what do you have on tap here love?" and the reply….."sorry, we only have stubbies!" Toddle Coober Pedy!
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