One of Coober Pedy's most distinctive features is the fact that many locals (approximately half of the 3,000-person population) live in underground homes.
One reason for their unusual housing is that for about three months of the year, daily high temperatures average 94 to 98 degrees Fahrenheit (about 35 to 37 Celsius) or more -- and can soar to well above 100 -- while underground temperatures remain comfortable and nearly constant year-round (about 77 degrees Fahrenheit, 25 degrees Celsius).
If spending some time underground appeals to you, these bed and breakfasts and hotels in Coober Pedy, Australia, may be just the getaway you're looking for.
(Be warned that Coober Pedy can be a rough place to visit, with about 250,000 mine shafts in the area and a landscape so stark it was used for such films as "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome" and "Red Planet." Plenty of advance research will help your trip proceed smoothly.)
Anne's Dugout B&B
Coober Pedy, South Australia
At Anne's Dugout Bed and Breakfast, guests can choose from two hand-dug bedrooms with a shared bath: one room, with a queen bed, was part of a 1939 opal mine and an original mine shaft forms its skylight and the other room has two single beds. The home's kitchen and lounge room were also dug by hand.
Coober Pedy Experience Motel
Coober Pedy, South Australia
Mined from 1918 until the 1960s, this site was converted into lodging during the 1990s. In addition to a queen-sized bed and at least one single bed, each room contains crockery, cutlery, coffee and tea, and a toaster; the motel provides a dining room and lounge area. Guests can opt to take a guided tour of the motel's property, which includes a former working mine where opal is embedded in sandstone walls and a collection of opalized seashells, or can reserve a charter flight or a day trip in a four-wheel-drive vehicle.
Desert Cave Hotel
Coober Pedy, South Australia
Built into the side of a sandstone hill, the Desert Cave Hotel houses a total of 50 suites, 19 underground and 31 above ground. Among its amenities are a gym, spa, sauna and pool as well as an underground cafe, bar, gaming room and historical display gallery. Tour offerings include meeting and drilling with a local miner, traveling through the outback with a mailman, bushwalking in the Painted Desert, and surveying the wilderness from a train or helicopter.
Fred and Wilma's Underground Bed and Breakfast
Coober Pedy, South Australia
This dugout bed and breakfast next to The Opal Cave contains a queen-sized bed and a sofa bed as well as lounge room, dining room and kitchen. Another option is the Bedrock Underground Family Accommodation, which offers four large bunks per room, a TV lounge and refrigerator. Several guided tours of the area can be arranged.
PJ's Underground
White Cliffs, New South Wales
Although it's not in Coober Pedy, this bed and breakfast in the far western reaches of New South Wales (which borders South Australia, where Coober Pedy is located) also provides underground sleeping quarters. A total of 17 guests can be accommodated in its five rock-hewn rooms; a dinner featuring homegrown vegetables and homemade bread can be booked.
Underground Motel - Bed and Breakfast
Coober Pedy, South Australia
This motel, which arranges tours and welcomes pets, bills itself as "The World's First Underground Bed and Breakfast." It includes an underground guests' kitchen and a children's play area.