German family lives in underground cave in Australia due to extreme heat

Sabrina T. from Stuttgart fell in love with an Australian and emigrated with him. The 38-year-old now lives with her 14-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter in Coober Pedy, a remote town in South Australia . Temperatures there rise well over 40 degrees Celsius in the shade. To escape the dangerous heat, the family lives in an underground house.

Their home boasts two living rooms, two bathrooms, a spa, and even a pool table. The soft sandstone construction allows for stable structures without additional support. The family paid £132,000 (approximately €112,078) for their unusual home.

"The underground is simply fascinating. That's why we thought Coober Pedy was 100 percent the right place for us," Sabrina, an office manager at a mine, told The Sun. Living there is also cheaper, as no heating or cooling of the rooms is required, and only the interior lighting is needed.

Above all, however, she enjoys the peace and quiet underground. "There's no noise from outside. When you close the door, everything disappears. It's completely dark, completely quiet, perfect for sleeping. I love sleeping underground."

Sabrina's children, who were still toddlers when the family moved in, barely remember life above ground. "When we go on vacation and stay in hotels, they notice every little noise," Sabrina says. However, there is one catch to living underground: To avoid unpleasant surprises at the dinner table, the dust accumulation must be regularly removed.

There's interest in cave dwellings not only in South Australia, but also in the USA. Bryant Gingerich, a 34-year-old mechanical engineer from Ohio, gave up his job to convert a cave into a luxury vacation home. "There's nothing like it out there; people come from miles around to see the cave," he told Fortune . And the guests pay well. Gingerich earns the equivalent of €680,000 a year from his cave.

• Underground dwellings: Due to the region's extremely high temperatures, many Coober Pedy residents have built their homes underground. These "dugouts" provide shelter from the heat and are one of the main attractions for visitors. Underground living provides a comfortable living environment in an area where temperatures often exceed 40°C in summer.
• Opal Capital of the World: Coober Pedy is considered the opal capital of the world. Since the discovery of opal deposits in 1915, the town has attracted people from all over the world hoping to find this precious mineral. More than 70% of the world's opal production comes from Coober Pedy.
• Culture and Diversity: Despite its isolated location, Coober Pedy boasts remarkable cultural diversity. The town is home to people from over 45 different nationalities, many of whom originally came to the town as miners. This cultural mix is ​​reflected in the town's diverse culinary and social offerings.