Rowan Ramsey (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It was my privilege over Easter to attend the hundredth celebration of the discovery of opal at Coober Pedy by Willie Hutchison, a 14-year-old in 1915. What a fabulous community it has become. It is unique. The Opal Festival, which has become an annual event, was staged over Easter. There was a street parade, lots of things for people to do at the oval and a fabulous gem show that is organised by the Coober Pedy Miners Association, which is led by Paul Reynolds.

Coober Pedy is a tourism mecca. We have working mines and we have historical mines for visitors to explore. We have some of the world's best accommodation and certainly the world's best underground accommodation. There are wonderful underground restaurants, showrooms and dugouts. About 70 per cent of the population live subterraneously. Just out of town, there are the wonderful Breakaways. In fact, a number of movies of the shot around the Coober Pedy area. It is interesting: there is a lot of focus on Mad Max at the moment. In Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, Coober Pedy is where Tina Turner came out of the spacecraft, which is still in the main street. Of course, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert was filmed there.

This is a great place. What I am trying to tell people is that if you have been all over the world and you are jaded, come for a look. As Molly Meldrum would say, 'Do yourself a favour.'