Olive Garden in the Desert

Recently we went to Coober Pedy for a holiday.  Coober Pedy is a town in outback South Australia, it is located in the largest desert in Australia - the Great Victoria Desert.  

In Coober Pedy many houses have been dug underground, they do this as the climate is too hot and hostile above ground.  Not surprisingly, there are not many gardens out that way.  

While we were in Coober Pedy we went and had a look at the Serbian Orthodox Church.  Out front of the church was a garden.  The garden consisted of a few olive trees and fig trees.  

Look at this garden, isn't it incredible!

Olive Garden in Coober Pedy

The picture above is taken when I was standing in the desert.  The fence marks the edge of the garden.  The garden is noticeably different to the surrounding landscape. 

The picture below was taken when I was standing in their garden.  It clearly gets more water, and has different soil, to the land outside of the fence.  I really wish there had been someone there who I could ask a few questions, as this type of garden is very foreign to me.

Their garden was remarkable.  

Coober Pedy Olive Garden

It is difficult to judge tone in a written blog post so I will be clear.  I am not being sarcastic, I truly found this garden to be remarkable.  I wish I could have learned more about it.  

Most of the olive trees were barely surviving, they were struggling even though they were well established and even with the extra water that they were given.  The locals kept stressing that this had been a very 'wet' year and everything was 'much more green than usual'.  Even so, these olive trees were doing it tough.  

I regret not being able to take cuttings and be able to grow a Coober Pedy olive tree at home, it would be cool to grow a Coober Pedy olive tree.  Sadly there was no one from the church around for me to ask and I didn't want to just take cuttings without asking someone first.  

Olives are well known for thriving under incredibly harsh conditions.  As olive trees and figs barely survive there with supplemental water, it really highlighted how extremely harsh the desert climate must be.  Even though these trees were barely hanging on, and most had died back, I was told that they produce fruit in season.  There was an old olive grove on the edge of town, its trees were not looking as good as the ones near the church.  

To give a little perspective on how harsh it is out there, look at the photo below.  The sign in the distance is next to a road.  It is warning drivers that there are no fences, and to beware of wandering stock.  There have been bores sunk so the stock have enough water to survive.  This was a very 'wet' and 'green' year, yet there is not a single grass growing out there.  The stock survive by eating the native shrubs that exist in that part of the desert.  Interestingly these animals are not fed grains or concentrates, they find enough food to survive in the desert, but that is a story for another time.  

Unfenced farm near Coober Pedy

Interestingly, there were very few dugouts with succulents or cacti growing out the front.  The few that did have anything growing appeared to be under cover and were provided with shade.  

I asked someone about this, and was told it is too hot and dry for succulents to survive unless they were under shelter and were provided with extra water.  This person gave me some cuttings from their string of beans succulent (Senecio radians) that they kept partially shaded and watered often.  This cutting has grown very fast since being planted back at home.  

Serbian Orthodox Church in Coober Pedy

The Serbian Orthodox church, the members of which had tended the garden, had been dug into the side of a hill.  Underground the temperature was far more stable and bearable.  This church was very interesting.  

Dug Out Church tunnel leading down

The Coober Pedy Serbian Orthodox Church is dedicated to Elijah.  For that reason the story of Elijah (from 2 Kings) is depicted on the walls.  

Some of the story is carved into the rock that the church has been excavated from, and some is depicted in paintings.  I am no photographer, so these pictures do not do justice to its beauty.  

Ornate carvings behind glass to protect them

Like any Orthodox church, there are no pews.  

This church had had the smell of an orthodox church (from the incense that is used), mixed with a curious salty, rocky smell of the earth.  

It was interesting seeing a dug out Orthodox church.  I would have loved to have been able to attend a service, but we were not there on the right times/days.  

It was fascinating seeing a desert garden.  It was interesting to see a garden survive (and produce fruit) in an area so arid and harsh that cacti and succulents do not survive without protection and being provided with extra water.  While I found it interesting, I am glad that I do not have to garden under such harsh conditions.