Congratulations to Andrew and Tricia of Burnside Library for organising such a great program of events for SA History Week 2010. I was fortunate to hear Anne Johnson in the library on Thursday afternoon talking about the history of Coober Pedy and some of the characters that have lived and still live in the town. Anne quoted from a newspaper article written in 1935 saying that few people were left in mining and that Coober Pedy was slowing down. Well, people have been saying those sort of things about Coober Pedy for 95 years and it hasn't ended yet.
Opal was first found in the area in 1915 by the son of prospectors searching for water while looking to find gold. The lack of water has always been a problem for this town in the Stuart Ranges. In 1951 an underground tank was built, but it took five years to fill with water. Even then fierce dust storms would cover it in sand. Later came an evaporation or condensation process and then a desalination plant in 1961 costing $33 million. Building materials were another item in short supply and this was solved by building homes in disused mines or the mullock heaps. The sandstone rock is easy to carve and yet very stable. Arguments often broke out over who owned particular dugouts, it was a case of possession was ownership and if a home was left empty anyone could move in. There were no building restriction on what was underground, only above. Official surveys came into being in 1961. There are still more dugouts bought and sold than above ground houses.
Anne, who comes from Oregon in the United States, first came to the area 36 years ago. She wanted to see the world and came for one year. She worked on a sheep station where Coober Pedy was the nearest town. After moving into town she worked in a bar and met her partner Jozo. In 1988 they opened an underground restaurant. They also run an underground bed and breakfast. Anne and Jozo now spend six months of the year in the Adelaide Hills and six months in Coober Pedy. Anne's book titled 'Digging around Coober Pedy' is full of stories about the people who have left their mark on the town, traditions in which almost everyone takes part, about the often odd pets kept, and the surprise explosions that sometimes take place.
It was lovely to meet Nadia Jacoby at this talk. Nadia is a friend and neighbour of Anne's in Adelaide. She was one of the organisers for the Ukranian Arts and Food Festival last Sunday, a great success. Read the comments board to hear from visitors who loved the event.
