Later on, about four more hours, we hit Coober Pedy, which, apart from some MASSIVE wind turbines (that look really tiny in the pic below, at right) . . .
. . . . . . was comple
tely unchanged in the 17 years since we'd last passed through from Sydney via Lake Eyre in the wet. The Greek cafe was still at the top of the main street, the weird ventilation shafts from the underground dwellings had perhaps had a coat of paint but not much more, the under-inspiring opal shops were still under-inspiring.The only thing that had changed was the campground just south of town that we'd stayed in last time . . . chicken wire fencing rather appropriate for that cooped up feeling that was missing from the less organised site from a couple of decades ago. The other change is climactic as it was December 2000 last time, so really a bit hot. Not hot now. At all. In fact the fingers are starting to get a bit numb writing this as the sun goes down and the wind picks up (ah yes, those happy turbines).
