Growing Up Underground - Atlas Obscura
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Growing Up Underground

Coober Pedy, located in South Australia, calls itself the “opal mining capital of the world.” It’s also a remote and extreme place to live—due to the extreme temperatures of the Australian desert, 70 percent of the population have chosen to live underground. Since 1915, miners have hunted for opal in the surrounding rocks, and despite grueling conditions, mining continues today. Take a tour of Coober Pedy with Desrey, one of the few working women miners in the town.

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