Far beyond the green edges of Australia’s coastal cities, a strange landscape appears in the middle of the outback. Low hills of pale earth rise from the red desert, scattered across the horizon like unfinished sculptures. They are not ancient ruins or natural formations, but traces of a town built around one of Australia’s most unusual industries. Beneath this harsh landscape, thousands of tonnes of rock have been removed over decades, creating a place where homes, churches and businesses exist below ground. This is Coober Pedy, a remote settlement where living underground is not a curiosity but a practical response to one of the world’s toughest climates.
Get breaking news anytime, anywhere. Download the TOI app now!
