Property hunters are literally going underground in search of a bargain, digging into old mine shafts in NSW to unearth some of the country’s coolest homes.
From the surface it looks like nothing more than red dirt and desert scrub. But if you go underground in the outback town of White Cliffs, 200km northeast of Broken Hill, you’ll find an underground suburb, where residents live below the surface in cavernous houses known as dugouts.
And some of those dugouts have recently been put up for sale for less than $200,000.
Residents reportedly began living in dugouts in the early 1890s, when miners created the homes by converting old opal mines into shelters and carving houses into the hills in the area.
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This year a three-bedroom dugout was put up for sale. Image: Facebook
The dugouts are old Opal mine shafts that have been converted into homes. Image: Facebook
White Cliffs Underground Motel features 44 excavated style motel cave rooms
Beneath the partially underground structure is the White Cliffs Underground Motel, which has been operating in the region for 20 years. It features 44 excavated style motel cave rooms, all fully furnished and equipped.
The motel’s website says people took refuge underground due to the scorching heat of outback NSW and discovered the “unique and magical lifestyle”.
The motel is said to stay a steady and comfortable 22 to 23 degrees all year round.
Although these quirky homes rarely come to market, a post on the ‘Whitecliffs Buy, Sell, Wanted’ social media page received widespread attention for its unique offering.
White Cliffs dugout for sale $190,000. Image: Facebook
One of the dugout bedrooms for sale.
The August post listed a price of $190,000 for the dugout and drew a mix of reactions.
“This is amazing,” wrote one Facebook user, “I could live here in this beautiful house. Cheap,” said another, while another commented, “This is our retirement plan.”
Residents living in the outback community of White Cliffs were granted permanent leases in 2021, following an agreement between the NSW Government and the Barkandji people, who the NSW Government says are Indigenous title holders to the land.
The agreement was labeled a ‘win-win’ to provide permanent security for White Cliffs residents and recognition of the Barkandji Aboriginal community and its traditional and enduring ties to the land.
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In the underground excavated house that is for sale. Image: Facebook.
The Federal Court in 2015 approved a native title claim over the White Cliffs area by the Barkandji Registered Native Title Body Corporation.
Many of the residents who live in the dugouts are hobbyist miners or opal seekers.
The surrounding stone remains rich in opals, which can sometimes be extracted directly from the houses themselves.
Other residents are drawn to the city’s leisurely pace, home to just 200 people, and its affordable lifestyle.
Founded during a mineral boom in the 1890s, the town once had a population of 5,000 but today has been reduced to one shop, a pub and a school with 15 students.
The city’s approximately 140 dugouts rarely come up for sale.
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