Day 29 20/08/11
Marla to Coober Pedy today, just under 300kms…….. so we enjoyed the sleep until Billy decided it was light enough to get up! On the road by 8.30am, about 80 kms down the road was Cadney Homestead serving Coffee & Cake for $4 sounded like a plan to me!! So we pulled in and enjoyed, only Sara Lee's Muffins & self service coffee/tea/milo but enjoyed just the same………….. can't expect too much for $4 these days I suppose! We arrived in Coober Pedy just before lunch settled on the Big 4 Caravan Park which was a short walk from most shops…………… the other Park was on the outskirts and we decided to give the car a rest today and use our 2 legs! We enjoyed Snags in Bread on the BBQ for lunch, then headed for the showers………….. 20c for 3 minutes & you can only put in one coin at a time! Water is a little precious out here! Fairly small cubicles so was a bit of a challenge with Billy as well, but fresher feel now! So with Washing also washed and on the line we decided to discover Coober Pedy. We trekked for the Old Timers Mine ………. Self guided tour through a mine which was started back in 1916 ……….. very interesting walk through. It also included a Museum which had lots of interesting material then it continues on to the Dug out which had been the home of the Gough Family in the 60's & 70's. It was actually when a room extension was being dug out for the Family Home that the old mine was discovered. A lot of Opal which has been discovered has been left for us to see today! One seam of Opal has been found near the original mine dig out that the miners in the early days missed by 25cm……. wouldn't you be upset ! Worth around $60,000 back then - today's terms they would have been Millionaires'!! Next we headed up the street checked out a couple of the open Galleries, once was advertising Baby Kangaroo feeding at 5.30pm so Billy thought that would be a good idea to return! So we picked up some supplies from the local IGA ………… Fruit being on top of the list of course! Dinner was Pizza at John's Pizza tonight …. Highly recommended by Ron! So with the shopping back at the Camper we headed on 2 legs again for the Kangaroo feeding - these Kangaroo's our looked after by this lovely couple taking in Orphaned Joey's/ Kangaroos either as a result of Road Kill/ Injury or the local tribes hunt the mother and the baby is therefore Orphaned. Sometimes the local kids play with the Joey for a few days before handing in. These Kangaroo's are like this couples dogs/children, they even share their bed with them. They do have release program which starts when the Joey is between 14 months and 16 months, it's a small window of opportunity! A couple of their older ones are unable to be released but they are very loved …………. One even enjoys a aged bottled red wine, don't offer her anything after 2009 or in a cask she'll turn it down!! Pizza is also her favourite food, so in the wild she would not survive, unable to use the phone to call in for Pizza and is unable to show id to purchase that good bottle of Wine! Was a great little experience and such a nice couple with lots of love for these lovely unique Australian Animals. We left a donation and headed up the street for Pizza………… yummy Pizza it was too……….. Thanks Ron! We ordered the large, which was 18" Pan size… when it arrived we knew we couldn't eat it all. Luckily they allowed us to take it with us, by this stage Billy had fallen asleep on my lap so Toby carried him back! That completed our stay in Coober Pedy we didn't see everything but we have to keep chugging along.