After taking off from Alice
Springs marvel at the vastness of the Australian outback and
try to spot in the distance the moon type landscape of Coober
Pedy dotted with shafts and mullock heaps from underground
opal mines.
Recognised as the largest producer of opals in
the world and with a population of around 3,500 Coober Pedy
is one of the most
ethnically diverse communities in Australia with over 45 nationalities
represented.
On arrival at Coober Pedy you are transferred to
the award winning Desert Cave Hotel, the world’s only
underground international hotel, where you have the choice
of staying in an underground
or above ground room, both offering 4 star comfort.
Relax
over lunch in the underground Crystal Café before
embarking on your Desert Cave Tour of Coober Pedy. Visit
the famous Umoona Opal Mine & Museum which features an
original opal mine and underground house, an Aboriginal interpretive
centre
and various displays depicting the history of opal mining
and the Coober Pedy area. Quality opals are available at
local prices.
From here visit the underground Serbian Church,
underground potteries and the unique Coober Pedy Golf Course
before returning
to the
hotel.
A relaxing two course dinner at Umberto’s restaurant
is included and is the perfect way to end the day.
Next morning,
after breakfast, continue your tour to the
Outback and the Opal Fields, Moon Plain and the Dog Fence
(the longest
fence in the world, longer than the Great Wall of China)
before visiting the magnificent Breakaways.
From Coober
Pedy we fly to New Crown Station* a working cattle station
with over 7000 head of cattle 450 kms south-east
of Alice Springs. The station is approximately 2.2 MILLION
ACRES
(3,500
sq miles) or the size of a small European Country and
is home to some of the most rugged and outstanding territory
in Central
Australia. Here we have an genuine Aussie Bar-B-Que lunch
at the historic station homestead before embarking on
a
tour
of
the station operations.
Return to your hotel for a leisurely
lunch before transferring to the airport for the return flight
to Alice Springs. |
