In the middle of the Australian Outback, there's a town where chimneys rise from the sand and big red signs warn people of "unmarked holes."
Welcome to Coober Pedy, the town that lives underground.
What began in 1917 as perhaps the largest opal mining operation in the world has since expanded into a subterranean community that is safely out of reach from the region's 120-degree summers.
Entire bedrooms, bookstores, churches, and bars are installed in the carved underground walls of Coober Pedy — and after 100 years of living in these "dugouts," the folks who call it home have no plans of stopping.
Smack-dab in the middle of nowhere in South Australia, Coober Pedy is located over 1,000 miles from Canberra, the country's capital city.
The town's summer months can reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Even in the shade, it's common to feel temperatures of 100-plus. And there's little rainfall to provide relief.
After World War I, soldiers returned home and began mining the terrain for opal — a precious gem. Many turned the mines into makeshift homes to escape the oppressive heat.
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