Homeowner Offers a Captivating Tour of the Underground Homes of Coober Pedy, Australia

Great Big Story traveled to the unusual town of Coober Pedy, Australia, where, due to the constant blazing heat outdoors, all of the homes and shops are built underground. Homeowner Andy Shells spoke about the nature of the unique desert town.

We’re right out in the middle of nowhere. It takes a day to drive here from Adelaide. I’d say that there’s about 1,000 underground dwellings and at least 1,500 people living underground. We’ve got five underground churches, we’ve got underground motels. There are some amazing underground homes here with many bedrooms, underground workshop, you-name-it underground, we’ve pretty well got it.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.