Many of the residents of White Cliff, Australia live underground, and used mining equipment to dig extensive homes in the hillside to avoid the intense heat outside. Outside, the thermometer is often over 100 F in summer, although it once almost hit 122 F. But inside these submerged homes, it hovers between 68 and 72 F.
White Cliffs was once an opal mining mecca. Now, a handful of people still try to eke a living from the glittering gemstones, while others depend on the tourists who come to stay in underground accommodations.
From above, the mining pit craters look like clusters of alien seeds or eggs, white against the red earth.
The opal mining settlement was part of a successful land title claim granted to the local Barkandji people by the Federal Court in 2015. Before the Barkandji were granted native title, many dugout dwellers had hoped to be given the opportunity to own…
Read full article originally published on naturalbuildingblog.com