Two Local Identities

You visit places and do the tourist thing. See this, do that. It’s not until you have a yarn with the locals that you develop a somewhat different and more realistic understanding of the place.

We met several locals and they were always keen to stop and have a chat. Today we visited the underground homes of two local identities whose homes are open for viewing. Both settled in Coober Pedy many years ago and each has its own unique story.

Faye Nayler ventured into Coober Pedy from Queensland when she was in the early twenties. A brave young woman! She worked as a cook at the local pub. She was later sacked by the publican for refusing to cook up meat that had gone off. The local miners got wind of this and banded together to build Faye her very own café. She then purchased a small dugout, which would become her home and began mining for opals nearby. It was here that Faye made her fortune. She found the best quality opal and this area is now known by locals as ‘The Jewellery shop’ as it contains some of the best quality opals. Faye invited two other friends both women to join her at Coober Pedy and together they hand dug a six room home including an indoor pool. The home is as Faye left it. It’s a step back into time. Faye was clearly a resilient and inspiring woman and greatly admired in the community.

Crocodile Harry is another infamous local identity. The locals reckon the character Crocodile Dundee was based on Harry. He was a Latvian immigrant who ended up hunting crocs in the Northern Territory. When the Government decided that crocs were a protected species there was no more work for Harry so he moved to Coober Pedy.

Crocodile Harry doesn’t get a mention in any tourist brochures and if it weren’t for the Internet you wouldn’t know he existed. And for a good reason. Harry had a very colourful reputation.

Curiosity led us down a three kilometre corrugated dirt road to Harry’s dugout. I think the images speak for themselves.