Helling temperatures … in the middle of winter. In this small town, the inhabitants dream only of one thing: cold!
The cold will gradually settle on a large part of France in the coming weeks, dropping temperatures everywhere. What delight those who prefer plaids and hot chocolates instead of swimwear and rosé glasses. A change of season which will accompany the arrival of winter. In this city, the inhabitants fear this period of the year … because they are hot. Too hot.
Indeed, in the heart of winter the thermometer climbs to levels so extreme that the atmosphere becomes almost irrespirable. The inhabitants are forced to cunning with ingenuity to escape this warmth which they hate so much. In this extraordinary city, there are about 2,000 people. A very low number of inhabitants who testify to the aversion that arouses this place where it is difficult to live. To escape suffocating heat, the inhabitants have dug their houses underground, transforming homes into a real network of shelters. There are almost 1,500 buried dwellings, nestled between 2.5 and 7 meters deep, where the freshness is queen. On the surface, animation is rare, strengthening the singular atmosphere of this underground city …
But what is this city which must undergo such warmth in winter? It is the municipality of Coober Pedy. Here, we have to deal with a unique lifestyle of a kind. But it is explained by a scientific logic: in Australia, the seasons are reversed compared to Europe. When winter moves to us, it’s summer there. And in Coober Pedy, a city located in the southern hemisphere, temperatures reach summits precisely when the cold dominates in our regions. The feeling can climb up to 51 degrees! The BBC channel even reported that he was doing “So hot that birds have fallen from the sky and electronic devices should be stored in refrigerators.“”
Added to this are formidable dust storms, frequent depending on the season. But then, what pushes people to stay in such an inhospitable place? The answer is in one word: opal. Coober Pedy is in the heart of the largest Opal mining region in the world. An Eldorado for those who seek to make a fortune, even if that implies sacrificing a little of their comfort and sometimes their health.
