William Creek to Coober Pedy

Our final unpaved stretch for a while is a  bit more of the Oodnadatta track, before turning left to Coober Pedy on William Creek Road. It is about 165 km of more corrugations, some wheel ruts and bull dust holes, which haven't had much of up till now. Overall, the road quality is quite good if you drive to the conditions. The worst pat of the road was the last km into Coober Pedy where there was a bull dust hole that could swallow a small car.


Willam Creek Road



We had our usual standoff with two black angus bulls who stood in the middle of the road until we came to a complete stop, only then did they choose to move on.
  


The scenery started to change as we approached Coober Pedy

We made remarkably good time and traversed the distance in 2.25  hrs. It was far to early to check in to our hotel, so we had a bit of a look around the main street first, checking out the Home Hardware store and The IGA Supermarket, picking up a few things at each. They were both very good stores and well stocked with everything your would need. The hardware store had a good range  of goods for campers and 4wd's.


The main street of Coober Pedy

It was only around 12.30pm but we went to our motel to see if we could check in early. The room was ready, so we unpacked our car and settled in. At this stage we are the only guest at the motel.




Whilst it is not an underground motel, the walls are very thick, solid stone so the inside temperature is very comfortable.

The room is large and will do us fine for the next 2 nights.


Lunch is our next challenge and one of the better rated restaurants in town, The Outback Bar and Grill is just across the road.




It was very modern and clean inside, with quite a few customers for lunch


The menu had a Greek influence, so we both opted for a Greek Salad with Chicken. It was a huge bowl of food and very tasty.



The restaurant is attached to a large Shell Roadhouse and a never ending stream of caravans pass through refueling on their way along the Sturt Highway. They are all very clean, so no dirt roads involved on their journeys.

It is still early afternoon, so we figure we can do a bit of sight seeing this afternoon, and then have all tomorrow to check things out in detail. One highlight that has caught our interest, is the Coober Pedy Opal Fields Golf Club, the only golf club in the World to have been granted reciprocal rights with Royal St Andrews Golf Club in Scotland (The home of golf). Furthermore, they claim to be the only golf club where the greens are black and the fairways white.





Driving off the tee has a different meaning here, rather than a buggy, it is just as easy to drive your ute around the course.



The 1st Tee, a patch of artificial grass

There is no need for green keepers, as their is no grass. You carry a small piece of artificial grass around with you and place the ball on it for each shot.


There are some spectacular holes


Next we thought we might go to the Big Winch, both a lookout over the town, and a venue for a cinematic experience of the history of Coober Pedy. We just went to see the lookout today.



Great Views of the town



There are mullock heaps everywhere


I think I have worked out where all of the damaged tyres go, they make great retaining walls


There is a Big Winch


and quite a large restaurant with outdoor seating, I guess to observe the sunset

Not far away is the Catacomb Church, originally built in 1977, it has been carved out of the hillside in the shape of a cross.


Catacomb Church






On the way back to our motel we went past the Desert Cave Hotel which looks like it is the biggest hotel in town, and a favourite with bus tours.


We had a wander around and discovered they have an underground walkway that has a pictorial representation of the history of Coober Pedy,  the Opal Mining techniques used and a lot of information on opals in general. Best of all, it was free !




They have gone to a bit of trouble with this display


Enough sightseeing for today, we went back to our motel which now starting to fill with other arrivals.

Dinner time comes around and we are getting a tired of schnitzels and burgers, so decide to order a takeaway pizza from the Outback Bar and Grill across the road. We walk across and have a drink at the bar whilst we wait for the pizza.


The sunset when we stepped out was worth a photo


Excellent pizza with creative packaging






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