Holy mole-y! Inside the Australian Outback town that's UNDERGROUND (and comes complete with a church, bar and pool hall)

There are 3,500 residents living in Coomber Pedy's dugouts or mud caves, with all the amenities of a home above ground

The curious underground haven, located in the outback of South Australia's far north, comes complete with a pool hall

It was built for residents to escape the blistering heat above - where temperatures reach a staggering 50 degrees - pictured, a guest bedroom

The beautifully carved underground Serbian Orthodox Church is one of five underground churches in Coober Pedy

Signalling its name and nodding to its industrial roots, a mining vehicle on stilts welcomes visitors to the arid settlement

The town's water supply comes from an underground source 24 kilometres north of the town - pictured, an abandoned dwelling

With no civilization for as far as the eye can see, the moon-like landscape is located 840 kilometres north of the city of Adelaide

Another of the town's underground churches, this one named the St Peter and Paul Catholic Church, and decorated with statues in the walls' hollows 

Living in one of the world's most inhospitable regions, the stony desert above has climbed to extreme temperatures of up to 50 degrees in the day and dropping to zero at night - pictured, a meal served in on the enclaves 

Coober Pedy even has its own theatre, complete with a sign at its entrance which only highlights how unusual a place it is

Judy McLean displays the dimly-lit subterranean bar and lounge of Faye's underground house, pictured in July 2005

The culturally diverse town is known for supplying the world with the majority of gem quality opal, which is their main source of income - pictured, an alternative view of the bar

Around 150 million years ago, Coober Pedy was under the ocean but after the water receded, the sandy silica minerals from the seabed flowed into the rocky cracks and solidified over time - pictured, a bedroom

It looks more like the setting for the Flintstones that a thriving real-world community, with its round walls and sparse furnishings

Miners began living underground back in 1915 to escape the heat of summer and the winter's cool desert nights

Business opportunities are limited in Coober Pedy, but intrigued tourists do visit the region, and there's even a Comfort Inn overground 

A general view of the opal fields in the town of Coober Pedy, where it's recognised as the largest producer of opal in the world

A techni-coloured boomerang sign attracts tourists to an underground art gallery, where visitors can by souvenirs and opal

The mining town is home to the world's hottest golf course - and despite the sign, there's clearly not much grass to go around

Golfers complete their round at the Coober Pedy Opal Fields Golf Course in June 2005

To make up the arid conditions, players carry their own patch of artificial grass to minimise damage to their clubs on the parched, stony ground

Mijo Markovic tees off for a round of golf on one of the world's most offbeat golf courses in July 2005

The Coober Pedy Golf Course has been awarded reciprocal rights for its members to the 'home of golf', St Andrews in Scotland - it is the first time since 1857 that St Andrews has bestowed this honour on another golf course