COOBER PEDY REGIONAL TIMES PROFILE

THE PAPER
The Coober Pedy Regional Times is an Independent Newspaper established in 1982 by the dedicated volunteer work of local residents in the town. It has a history dating back to it’s original title of “Opal Chips” which graduated into the Coober Pedy Times then eventually incorporated into the Coober Pedy Regional Times Association. In 2006 the Coober Pedy Regional Times was sold locally and remains independent and in local hands maintaining the traditional Coober Pedy Regional Times Masthead and signature of content. The Newspaper continues to be operated and produced from Coober Pedy maintaining the towns “made in Coober Pedy” production and an historical record of the Far North Region, thus making it an important forum for regional activities and local Historical Societies.

The Coober Pedy Regional Times Circulation includes world wide internet access. It is delivered every second Thursday to all local supermarkets and other local venues and road houses. It is also distributed from its base in Coober Pedy through Australia Post, the Outback Mail Run service and by north bound buses to remote regions and stations mid and far north, tourist destinations, caravan parks, bus terminals and Tourist Information Centres.

It is the only Far Northern S.A. newspaper with this far reaching, all encompassing distribution and provides the only free newspaper in the immediate area, thus enhancing the opportunities that advertisers and businesses present to the overall South Australian regions. Its advantage and support being the paper’s long history with the extended community of families connected to the local regional towns and pastoral stations. Therefore distribution from the mid to far north including east and west of the Stuart Highway incorporating Adelaide and Port Augusta, then right along the Stuart Highway route to Ayers Rock and onward to Alice Springs and beyond is of vital importance.

The Coober Pedy Regional Times is the only newspaper that delivers to the APY Lands, serving to enhance family connections and provide other vital indigenous information and opportunities.

THE FILM INDUSTRY

Coober Pedy has a diverse and unique terrain, subject to an atmospherically changing landscape causing its popularity as a sought after location by local and international film companies, with high profile movie credits including:
1973 Mad Max 3 Beyond Thunderdome
   - Mel Gibson, Tina Turner
1984 Fire In The Stone
   - Alan Cassell, Linda Hartley
1984 Where The Green Ants Dream
   - Bruce Spence, Ray Barrett
1987 Ground Zero
   - Jack Thompson, Donald Pleasance
1989 Salute of the Jugger
   - Rutger Hauer, Joan Chen
1991 Until The End Of The World
   - William Hurt, Ernie Dingo, Sam Neill
1993 Stark
   - Colin Friels, Ben Elton, Bill Hunter
1994 Priscilla Queen of the Desert
   - Terence Stamp, Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce
1999 Siam Sunset
   - Linus Roache, Henry Sveps
2000 Red Planet
   - Val Kilmer, Carrie-Ann Moss
2000 Pitch Black
   - Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell
2003 Kangaroo Jack
   - Dyan Cannon, Bill Hunter
2004 Opal Dream
   - Vince Colosimo, Jacqueline McKenzie released 2006
2005 “Stranded With Cash Peters”
   - USA Travel Channel

The unusual landscape lends itself as a constant port of call for local and overseas advertising campaigns and documentaries who are attracted to locations such as the nearby Painted Desert, The Breakaways, The Moon Plain and of course the Opal Fields which bear a strong resemblance to a Lunar Moonscape.

Ironstone Lagoon

Lake Eyre

MAJOR DISTRIBUTION AREA
By transport to:

SA: ADELAIDE CENTRAL & Suburbs., Cavan, Bute, Pt. Pirie, Dublin, Minlaton, Pt. Broughton, Pt. Augusta, Snowtown, Pt. Wakefield, Streaky Bay, Ceduna/Thevenard, Pt. Lincoln, Woomera, Roxby Downs, Hawker, Leigh Creek, Arkaroola, Marree, Copley, Parachilna, Lindhurst and Stations, Innamincka, Andamooka, Pimba, Glendambo, Kingoonya, Tarcoola, Cook, Prominent Hill Village, COOBER PEDY, Cadney Park and Stations, Marla, Mintabie, Oodnadatta, William Creek and Stations, Witjira - Dalhousie, All Communities: APY LANDS.

NT: Kulgera, Erldunda, Yulara Stuart Well, ALICE SPRINGS, Aileron, Kings Canyon, Tennant Creek.

Queensland Opal Fields and many others, including national and state libraries, government departments, The Coober Pedy Regional Times is carried by tourists to all parts of the country and overseas, many seeking mail or internet subscriptions. It is also mailed interstate and overseas fortnightly.

ABOUT THE REGION

MINING AND EXPLORATION IN THE MARKETPLACE
The Far North of South Australia is the largest statistical area in the state. It boasts a variety of mining industries such as:

The Allied Opal Fields of South Australia; Andamooka, Coober Pedy, Lambina and Mintabie, all of historical interest and destinations in their own right have rightfully pioneered and mapped a major presence in the far north of South Australia dating back to the turn of the century. These areas are of major historical significance and their communities consist of true, blue pioneer blooded individuals unaltered by time.

Other major mining operations include: gold, copper, silver uranium at Olympic Dam; the nearby Oxiana Prominent Hill project, heavily serviced by Coober Pedy council; the Northern Regional Development Board and local contractors.
The exciting new Cairn Hill Magnetite/Copper/Gold Project, who’s workforce will be based in Coober Pedy has already generated a real estate boost in Coober Pedy which will obviously force an increase in the population and economy.

Western Plains Resources an Australian mineral resources company have advanced projects in the Far north of South Australia. The Peculiar Knob and Hawks Nest projects in the GAWLER CRATON contain significant deposits of iron ore. Initial resource development will be directed towards the Peculiar Knob haematite deposit that has the potential to produce up to 2 Mt per year of direct shipping ore. This activity is another major boost to the economy in the region.

Phillipson Coalfield Coal Project 58km SSW of Coober Pedy.

Many other mining projects are now in the pipeline making the far north a mining and mineral exploration hot spot, causing the current real estate boom, in particular the recent discovery of major minerals inside the precious stones opal mining area.

Natural gas from the nearby Cooper Basin is piped to Adelaide. Livestock and livestock products account for all of the agricultural commodities in the region. Computer technology and related services are creating a wealth of opportunities in the region for youth and employment.

The growth of Petratherm Geothermal hot rocks activity is of particular excitement to the growth of the Far North’s credits with it’s focus on clean, no waste sustainable energy currently gaining momentum and notoriety both Australia wide and overseas. Petratherms Mission is to explore for and then develop, emission-free, geothermal energy that is commercially sustainable. Petratherm has been successful in obtaining project endorsement from the Asia Pacific Partnership on Climate and Clean Development (AP6) to undertake a study to “Identify high prospect geothermal energy projects in China and more recently in Spain.”

OPAL AND TOURISM

Opal has been the life blood and motivation of the opal mining towns of South Australia being very reason for their existence. Andamooka, Coober Pedy, Mintabie and Lambina all have separately interesting and spectacular formations of opal. Allan’s Rise, an old field recently revisited near Coober Pedy is currently producing a popular strain of dark based opal, similar to that of both Minatabie and Lightning Ridge. The opal is hard, stable, flashy and dark based creating a lot of interest both locally and overseas. There is a great deal of excitement about Allan’s Rise opal amongst local miners in South Australia along with interstate and overseas buyers. Visitors to the town are now targeting this beautiful solid stone.

Coober Pedy is one of Australia's best known opal mining areas - the Opal Capital of the World is the only major town on the Stuart Highway midway between Port Augusta and Alice Springs. It has always been a curiosity and a major tourist attraction for travellers packaging the remote regions of South Australia. Gem hunters and interstate visitors find great pleasure in taking in the Opal Trail, starting at Andamooka, Coober Pedy and Mintabie. In the last decade or more, Lambina has developed as a field in its own right. There is much to see of this historical region that involves a great deal of untouched and intriguing Australian history that visitors admit is beyond the obvious. The South Australian opal fields combined, produce approximately 90% of the world’s opal. Coober Pedy hosts an annual Opal Festival each Easter, which is a major draw card to visitors nationally.

Pre-historic Coober Pedy in recent years has become a further curiosity as one of Australia’s most important prehistoric fossil sites in Australia. A mutual alliance has been formed with the South Australian Museum through the Umoona Opal Mine and Museum in Coober Pedy, particularly with the recent identification of the Umoonasaurus found in Coober Pedy and the Opallionectes from Andamooka, both species found by opal miners. The two species date back 115 millions years as being the last of the prehistoric marine creatures known to survive the ice age.

The Great Inland Sea declined and created the miracle of opal. It is now thought that the sea itself was once a breeding ground for prehistoric marine creatures and holds vital evidence as to what created the last demise of planet earth. There is undeniable evidence in the aftermath of the subsided seas that massive icebergs swept across South Australia many millions of years ago. The only legacy from this era is the existence of the spectacular inland salt lakes like Lake Eyre and smaller remnants, which are frequented by visitors to the area. The magnificent and vast Moon Plain is a mass of polished and other interesting rocks which are native to the Gawler and Flinders ranges. When the original Inland Sea subsided it created that which we now know as the Great Artesian Basin.

The Coober Pedy Golf Course is the only golf club in the world with reciprocal rights to the famous home of golf, St. Andrews in Scotland. In 2007, Channel 7’s Great Outdoors put to air their documentary on the history of the union. Only the hardy are prepared to put their clubs on the line at the Coober Pedy Golf course. In 2006, Andrew Daddo brought his shiny clubs to Coober Pedy and golfed with the boys.

EDUCATION
The Spencer Institute of Tafe’s campus in Coober Pedy offers the following courses for career opportunities right in the heart of the outback: (courses subject to change)

Aboriginal Education
Business & Information Services
Community Services and Health
Manufacturing, Construction & Transport
Expressive and Visual Arts
Hairdressing and Cosmetology
Primary Industries
Hospitality
Textiles Clothing and Footwear
Tourism, Travel and Recreation
Vocational Preparation
Adult Community Education Courses

Opal Cutting (Solids)
Certificate II
Involves all procedures to cut and polish rough opal to a finished solid suitable for mounting into jewellery. Occupational Health and Safety guidelines are followed encompassing machinery set up, workshop requirements, operating machinery in a safe manner and maintenance of equipment and workshop. Emphasis of the course is the selection of the material to be cut, the importance of preparation and the final cutting and polishing of the opal to a standard that is acceptable to the jewellery trade.

Methods of obtaining opal, and storage and handling of rough or cut stones are also covered within these course modules. Students entering this course come from all walks of life, age and gender is not a barrier. It is an ideal course for the hobbyist or for those who may wish to enter into a very exciting industry.

SERVICES IN COOBER PEDY

Coober Pedy is the only large town in the far north of South Australia which has a fully fledged District Council. It is a central base for PIRSA operations; has a proactive Northern Regional Development Board, Commonwealth Centrelink office, central Post Office with online banking facilities; billpay etc. Westpac Bank; Families SA office; Coober Pedy Area School; Child Care Services and Kindergartens, an interstate airport; bus terminal and nearby rail. Coober Pedy also provides major allied health services for all sectors of the community, including Aged Care Facility; has a large volunteer base for Mine Rescue/SES, Ambulance, Country Fire Service, South Australian Police Force, District Court House and many youth projects. It is also represented by the Carers Association of South Australia. These services have enhanced the opportunities of the offspring of the original pioneers of the Coober Pedy mining town but have not detracted from the uniqueness of the town itself. The town is self sufficient with adequate services to accommodate growing regional needs.

The Coober Pedy Football Club, a member of The Woomera and District Football Association recently won the SA Great Regional Sport Award. The Coober Pedy Regional Times supports many not for profit organisations through media exposure, highlighting local, regional and multicultural activities.