Australia So Much to See
Coober Pedy - Life in and around Coober Pedy past and present
Minnie loved the outback and vowed never to live in the city again. When the trader’s van took them to Coober Pedy, Victor and
Minnie had to try their hand at opal mining and stayed there. When Víctor left for a job on Anna Creek Station, Minnie continued
with her passion for opal mining. With finds running low, Minnie was offered afternoon job as a storekeeper, which enabled her
to continue mining in the mornings.
Minnie became skilled at working with a pick and shovel, while doing her own cooking and
making her own clothes. She also improvised her own furniture. She was described by other miners in Ernestine Hill’s book
“The Great Australian Loneliness” as “Sure footed as a goat and so independent that she wouldn’t let you pull a bucketful for her. Minnnie’s a great girl and a great worker.”
In 1933 Minnie left Coober Pedy for the opal fields of Andamooka where she continued
to mine. She enlisted in the women’s army in 1942, after the war returning to become Andamooka’s first Post Mistress.
Minnie wrote a book “Stones of Fire” during the 1950s about her experiences in the opal fields. She died at the age of
103 in Adelaide in 2001.
Near the Old Timers Mine, drive up the hill to see the Big Winch, with views from the hilltop across Coober Pedy and to the Kanku
Breakaways. The first winch was constructed in 1976, but it was destroyed by high winds, to be replaced by the present display
in 1986.
High on a hill across from the Big Winch, stands a large COOBER PEDY sign with the letters standing three metres high. At night this is lit up in opal colours.
Coober Pedy sign, which faces the main street, can be seen from behind from the
Big Winch (at right).
Many colourful formations are found in the Kanku Breakaways which are close to Coober Pedy, and can be seen in the distance from high points around the town (above right). This area was declared a National Park in 1986.
Coober Pedy drive-in cinema dates
back to 1965 when movie entertainment venues were popular. After television arrived in Coober Pedy in the 1980s, regular screenings
were no longer shown.
In 1996 a private group operated the drive-in cinema for a few years, then a group of volunteers
took over with fortnightly film showings.
Still managed by a community committee, currently movies are screened each Saturday
evening, maintaining one of the few operational drive-in theatres in the country.
The drive-in theatre screen is central to photo above right.
While the hard hot and dry work of digging for opals was considered a man’s domain, but the story of one who defied the odds is about a lady miner. Minnie Berrington was slightly built gentile Englishwoman, who travelled from England in 1925 with her youngest brother Victor. While Victor gained a job with outback traders, while Minnie stayed in Adelaide doing domestic work. Victor’s stories in his letters enticed Minnie to join him for an outback adventure.