Perpetuating small-town Australia's established tradition of building 'big' objects to attract the tourists (banana, crayfish, pineapple etc), Coober Pedy's Big Miner is a very lanky lad – 6m of earnest metallurgy out the front of an opal shop. Are you enticed to enter?
Big Miner
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.68 MILES
This interesting warren of tunnels was mined in 1916, and then hidden by the miners. The mine was rediscovered in 1968 when excavations for a dugout home…
0.47 MILES
Check out this amazing leftover prop from the film Pitch Black, which has crash-landed on Hutchison St (a minor Millennium Falcon?). Intricate, creative,…
3.8 MILES
As seen in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, this wildly eccentric underground abode was once home to Arvid Blumenthal, a Latvian-born runaway (quite possibly a…
Kanku-Breakaways Conservation Park
10.83 MILES
The Breakaways Reserve is a stark but colourful area of arid hills, mesas and scarps 32km north from Coober Pedy along a rough road − turn off the highway…
0.28 MILES
Next to Coober Pedy's improbably quaint Greek Orthodox Church, with its wrought-iron bell tower, this dusty plot began when James Conly became the town's…
0.49 MILES
For a terrific introduction to Coober Pedy – including history, fossils, desert habitats, Aboriginal culture, ecology and mining – take a wander through…
0.6 MILES
You can't miss the Big Winch with its big dangling bucket, from which there are sweeping views over the Coober Pedy rooftops. A planned 'world-class…
0.82 MILES
The best place to check out a working excavation is Tom's, 2km southwest of town: miners continue their search for the big vein; visitors noodle for small…
Nearby attractions
1. Coober Pedy's First Cemetery
0.28 MILES
Next to Coober Pedy's improbably quaint Greek Orthodox Church, with its wrought-iron bell tower, this dusty plot began when James Conly became the town's…
2. Catholic Church of St Peter & St Paul
0.3 MILES
Coober Pedy's first underground church still has a sweet appeal, with statue-filled nooks and hushed classical music.
0.47 MILES
Check out this amazing leftover prop from the film Pitch Black, which has crash-landed on Hutchison St (a minor Millennium Falcon?). Intricate, creative,…
0.49 MILES
For a terrific introduction to Coober Pedy – including history, fossils, desert habitats, Aboriginal culture, ecology and mining – take a wander through…
0.6 MILES
You can't miss the Big Winch with its big dangling bucket, from which there are sweeping views over the Coober Pedy rooftops. A planned 'world-class…
0.68 MILES
This interesting warren of tunnels was mined in 1916, and then hidden by the miners. The mine was rediscovered in 1968 when excavations for a dugout home…
0.77 MILES
Faye’s was hand dug by three women in the 1960s – an exercise in persistence, to say the least. It's now a time-warp museum and a window into life in…
0.82 MILES
The best place to check out a working excavation is Tom's, 2km southwest of town: miners continue their search for the big vein; visitors noodle for small…