Man visits rural town where 'everyone lives underground' and is told shocking story by local
A YouTuber has shared his experience of visiting an unusual town in the Australian outback where people 'live underground' - and here's what happened.
Now when most of us set off on our holidays the goal is usually to relax, explore the cultural wonders and sample the local cuisine.
But what about going on holiday to mine opals and stay underground?
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One man who did exactly this while travelling Down Under was YouTuber Ben Morris, who ventured to the small mining town of Coober Pedy last year.
The reason why he decided to visit 1,437-person strong town instead of, say Sydney or Melbourne, may seem like a strange one to most of us.
However, Ben has built his following off of the back of heading to unusual spots across the globe.
So when the content creator came across Coober Pedy in an article titled 'The 7 Most Unusual Towns in the World', it was time to pack his bags and head out to the Australian outback.
After exploring what the town had to offer and meeting the local residents, Ben showed us around the place he called home for his duration of the stay - a subterranean Airbnb rental.
Now you may hear the words 'underground home' and imagine a dark cave dwelling without electricity or running water, however, his accommodation couldn't have been any further from that.
In fact, the Airbnb had all the amenities of a regular modern home, just with exposed rock on the walls.
Now you're probably wondering why the locals of Coober Pedy have settled on an underground lifestyle - and it turns out there's a very practical reason for it.
Ben explained that summer months in Coober Pedy can often be unbearable as temperatures reach highs of 50°C.
"A dugout pretty much stays the same temperature all day long, all year round and it doesn't cost a penny," Ben explained.
Now you may be thinking the underground homes would be the most unusual part of Coober Pedy, right? Wrong.
Later on in the video, Ben has the privilege of visiting a mine late at night, where he sees images of scorpions glowing under their torch light. He is even told an unsettling piece of local lore by one of the miners, who reveals that he once discovered a cross underground.
The man was obviously creeped out to come across a relic in the mine and asked his co-worker for advice, with the pair agreeing to bury it and 'don't ask questions'.
However, don't let the local wildlife or rogue crosses put you off Coober Pedy, as one of the miners later explained that he loves the 'lifestyle' of the place.
"How many other places in the world could you be out in the middle of the night mining, [with the] Milky Way above your head and just sitting back relaxing." he said.
Brenna Cooper