Day 4, Thursday 30/6/2016, Coober Pedy, day trip to "The Breakaways"

It still felt like night when we woke at 0730hrs with it being pitch black underground. Eliza and Amara were having a great time playing on the 'roof'. Watch out for the vent shafts! After breakfast Siân and Jack started the clothes washing. Jordan did the dishes and then helped with the clothes, while Col and I went grocery shopping. Col then needed a nap as he has a mild flu. Siân gave him some drugs, so I didn't even have to get my trusty 1st aid kit down. Leah was about to go and do some sightseeing without us. I thought it might be fun to spend some quality time together and asked if she could do her grocery shopping now while Gary was doing the washing, so that we could all do something together later (gosh I'm bossy).

After lunch I took everyone to Umoona 1st as it has a good museum and opal display, then Morgan's took us to Faye's house for a tour of a house that 3 women dug by hand over a 10 year period.

Next I wanted to see the "Breakaways" which is about 20km north of town on a dirt road. 

Bugger! We got almost there, but the 2nd dirt road was closed. I was so keen to get there that I decided to try from the other direction which is up the Stuart Highway and then in. The others followed which made me happy. The roads were open from the other direction, yay!!

Wow! It blew us away. It was an amazing vista of colourful mesas. Everyone managed to shift a few of those driving cobwebs. Jack ran straight down to the valley floor, Gary went across to an 'island', Eliza and Amara found some caves and Leah got to play with her camera, with Peter quite taken with her work. Jordan and Siân were my models, with Jordan and Siân then pretending to fall off a cliff. Siân had her first drive of a manual (on a dirt road). I just love rocks!

On getting back to Riba's we realised we had forgotten to top up our water so Col and Gary ducked back into town. We got the clothes off the line with everyone then grabbing their own to fold and pack away. Then an early dinner so we'd be on time for the mine tour.

Leah wasn't so fussed on it but I thought it was great. Very real and factual. Not over commercialised.  He talked us through each stage of getting your claim: counsel applications, license, staking it out and lodgement. How to find, dig and blast a slip, and most interesting, the science behind it all. 

We all had a chance to use the divining rod, and having gone in sceptical found that I had the power! My rods would go crazy everytime I passed the slip! I've had a wonderful day.