Infernal temperatures… in the middle of winter. In this small town, the inhabitants only dream of one thing: the cold!
The cold will gradually set in over a large part of France in the coming weeks, causing temperatures to drop almost everywhere. Something to delight those who prefer blankets and hot chocolates instead of swimsuits and glasses of rosé. A change of season which will accompany the arrival of winter. In this city, residents dread this time of year… because they are hot. Too hot.
Indeed, in the heart of winter the thermometer rises to such extreme levels that the atmosphere becomes almost unbreathable. The inhabitants are forced to use their ingenuity to escape the heat that they hate so much. In this unusual city, there are around 2,000 people. A very low number of inhabitants which testifies to the aversion aroused by this place where it is difficult to live. To escape the suffocating heat, residents dug their homes underground, transforming the homes into a veritable network of shelters. There are nearly 1,500 underground dwellings, nestled between 2.5 and 7 meters deep, where coolness is king. On the surface, entertainment is rare, reinforcing the unique atmosphere of this underground city…
But what is this city that has to endure such heat in winter? This is the municipality of Coober Pedy. Here, we have to deal with a unique lifestyle. But it can be explained by scientific logic: in Australia, the seasons are reversed compared to Europe. When winter sets in here, it’s summer there. And in Coober Pedy, a city located in the southern hemisphere, temperatures reach peaks precisely when the cold dominates in our regions. The feeling can reach up to 51 degrees! BBC channel even reported that he did “so hot that birds have fallen from the sky and electronic devices have to be stored in refrigerators.“
Added to this are formidable dust storms, frequent depending on the season. But then, what drives people to stay in such an inhospitable place? The answer is in one word: opal. Coober Pedy lies in the heart of the largest opal mining region in the world. An Eldorado for those looking to make their fortune, even if it means sacrificing a little of their comfort and sometimes, their health.
