We made our way toward Coober Pedy, stopping at a free camp around 100 km north of Coober Pedy for the evening. It was a great spot to stop because we had road gravel to set up on. I can't tell you much you get sick camping, walking in and cleaning up red dust. The stuff gets into everything.

The next day (Thursday the 9th of July) we arrived at Coober Pedy and checked into the Oasis Caravan Park. The weather had definitely turned now and the wind was chilling. Locals told us that the cold snap they are currently having is very rare and some can't remember it being as cold as it currently was. Lucky for us our plan was to do some underground tours. One thing that strikes you coming into Coober Pedy is the amount of dirt and rock piles on the ground, they are everywhere. In the afternoon we went to Toms Mine which is working opal mine that has been around since 1988. We did a self guided tour and learnt all about opal mining. Then we went outside and did some noddling for opals. We had a little bit of luck too, however I'm not sure if the opals we found are worth too much money. We had a quiet evening back at the caravan park getting organised and ready for the next day. The following day the weather was cold and windy, however the sun was shining. Coober Pedy has a population of 3,500 and consists of 45 nationalities. It is one of three places in the world where the rock so stable it can be dug out and no supports are needed, it won't move. We checked out the Catholic, Catacomb and Serbian underground churches, which was really interesting. We also went to another major tourist attraction called Faye's Underground Home. The home was built 30 years ago by then 29 year old Faye by pick and shovel. Faye was a notable character in Coober Pedy for many years. She established many organisations and charities and paved the way for women in the opal mining industry. Faye is still alive and now lives in a nursing home in Brisbane. In the afternoon we took a drive out to the dog fence, which is the longest fence in the world (5,300 km long). It was started in the late 1880's it was established to keep wild dogs out of sheep grazing areas. Without the dog fence it is believed there would be no sheep industry in South Australia. We followed the dog fence through the Breakaways Reserve. It is a group of colourful hills which have broken way from the Stuart Range, hence the Breakaways. The hills are also white and red and are referred to as salt and pepper hills. It's a really pretty part of the world to visit. The following day we planned to pack up and start making our way south toward Port Augusta. Once we reach Port Augusta we will have completed around 18,500 km and a massive loop of Australia's coastline covering SA, WA and the NT.