I enjoy lux living & fab sleep in my cut-price home – in an UNDERGROUND CITY…when you see the weather you'll understand
Sabrina Troisi, 38, is from Stuttgart, Germany - but now lives in Coober Pedy - a remote South Australian town with a twist.
9
Sabrina Troisi lives underground with her husband, son and daughter
Credit: TURBO360
9
The family lives in a cave-like home called a 'dugout'
Credit: TURBO360
9
The dugouts are carved into the hillside
Credit: SWNS
With temperatures soaring to a sweltering 55 degrees in the shade, residents have been forced to think outside the box.
To escape the dangerous heat, Sabrina lives in a "dugout" with her husband, Nick, son, Thomas, 14, and daughter, Leah, 13.
"Dugout" is the local term for homes carved out of the hillside.
The
family
paid £132,000 for their unusual underground property - which has two living rooms, two bathrooms, a
pool
table, an indoor and an outdoor spa - all tucked beneath several metres of rock.
read more in world news
Sabrina, who works as an office manager at
our house
is just walking into a hill, basically."
The living space at the house is about four metres underground, while Sabrina's workplace - further into the hillside - sits around six metres down.
Coober Pedy, with a population of around 1,600, is known for its unique underground lifestyle.
Around 60 per cent of the residents live in dugouts - made easier by the soft gypsum-rich sandstone which holds its shape without extra structural support.
Most read in The US Sun
Originally trained as a childcare educator in
The pair fell in love and eventually settled in Coober Pedy in 2013, drawn by its "charming environment" and unusual dwellings.
Rescuers dive from helicopters into floodwaters to save stranded as floods batter Australia
Sabrina said: "We had friends in Coober Pedy and wanted to move away.
"We used to travel through it a lot, up and down the highway and it's just got a charming environment most of the year.
"Underground is just fascinating so we thought, Coober Pedy was 100 percent the place for us."
At $277,000 AUD, their dugout was much cheaper than the average Adelaide property - which sits at $796,000.
The mum-of-two said: "It's much cheaper to live underground than above ground.
"It's cheaper because you don't need to heat or cool the rooms and you just need lights inside.
"It's also much cheaper to rent or purchase dugouts because the roof is already there, you just tunnel into the hill to make a building."
Some homes are machine-dug in two months. Others can take years: "I have seen people digging for 10 years," she said.
9
The kids are so used to living underground that they find it difficult to sleep elsewhere
Credit: TURBO360
9
Sabrina and Nick met when she travelled around Australia and he was her tour guide
Credit: TURBO360
Sabrina's favourite part of underground life is the peace and quiet.
She said: "There's no outside noise. When you shut the door, everything disappears. It's completely dark, completely quiet, perfect for sleeping. I love sleeping underground.
"I wake up in the morning without windows, so you don't actually look out the windows and see what the
weather
is like, like any other person.
"But you assume it's normally
nice
weather in Coober Pedy, so there's not much rain here. We get maybe five to 10 rain events a year.
"So you can probably leave your umbrella at home.
Sabrina has gotten so used to the quiet, underground way of life that city breaks now exhaust her.
She said: "When I go on holiday, I'm actually exhausted from the busy, busy streets of Adelaide or streets of a bigger town, because I'm so used to the quietness of Coober Pedy."
But not everything is better
below deck
.
9
They chose the underground life to escape the sweltering temperatures of the area of South Australia
Credit: TURBO360
9
The house is even kitted out with a pool table
Credit: TURBO360
Sabrina revealed that the biggest downside is the dust - and housekeeping that comes with it.
She said: "If you don't seal the walls regularly it gets quite dusty because you are inside a hill.
"Otherwise you have got the crumbles from the ceiling dropping into your soup when you are at the dinner table. And that gets quite annoying.
"You do want to varnish the walls and it does rub off so you need to do it regularly."
Despite the darkness, the family still gets their fill of sunshine and fresh air.
Sabrina said: "It's normally sunshine outside so if you want your vitamin D intake it's normally just 10 minutes a day, so it's not impossible.
"We do go for walks and we have got a garden. However, when you have a garden, you have to pay for water, which is quite expensive in Coober Pedy, so a lot of people actually use the shower and the laundry water."
Sabrina's children, who were toddlers when the family moved in, barely remember life above ground.
She said: "When we go on holiday and stay in hotels, they notice every little noise, roosters, planes, anything. Underground, you don't hear a thing."
Life in Coober Pedy is remote - the nearest town is over 400 miles away - but it's close-knit.
Essentials like hairdressers, vets and banks are only accessible with long drives.
9
Around 60 percent of the homes in Coober Pedy are underground dugouts
Credit: SWNS
9
Sabrina says the one downside is having to vanish the walls - or face dust inside
Credit: TURBO360
Sabrina said: "It's very relaxed. Everything's five minutes away. No traffic lights, not many
cars
."
When her dog got sick and needed to visit a vet 650km away, a neighbour offered to do take it in their car after seeing Sabrina's call for help on Facebook.
"That's what Coober Pedy is like. It's a very welcoming town. Everyone helps each other," she said.
Despite the challenges, Sabrina wouldn't trade her lifestyle for the chaos of the city.
She added: "If we ever moved, I'd want to live somewhere quiet. Not busy like Adelaide or
London
."
As for whether underground living could catch on elsewhere, she's not convinced.
"You have to have the right material like we do to build structures.
"I don't think it's the
future
unless they really find a way of doing it."
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The Irish Sun
9 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
I enjoy lux living & fab sleep in my cut-price home – in an UNDERGROUND CITY…when you see the weather you'll understand
A MUM has revealed what life is like living in a $277k underground home to escape Australia's brutal 55C heat. Sabrina Troisi, 38, is from Stuttgart, Germany - but now lives in Coober Pedy - a remote South Australian town with a twist. 9 Sabrina Troisi lives underground with her husband, son and daughter Credit: TURBO360 9 The family lives in a cave-like home called a 'dugout' Credit: TURBO360 9 The dugouts are carved into the hillside Credit: SWNS With temperatures soaring to a sweltering 55 degrees in the shade, residents have been forced to think outside the box. To escape the dangerous heat, Sabrina lives in a "dugout" with her husband, Nick, son, Thomas, 14, and daughter, Leah, 13. "Dugout" is the local term for homes carved out of the hillside. The family paid £132,000 for their unusual underground property - which has two living rooms, two bathrooms, a pool table, an indoor and an outdoor spa - all tucked beneath several metres of rock. read more in world news Sabrina, who works as an office manager at our house is just walking into a hill, basically." The living space at the house is about four metres underground, while Sabrina's workplace - further into the hillside - sits around six metres down. Coober Pedy, with a population of around 1,600, is known for its unique underground lifestyle. Around 60 per cent of the residents live in dugouts - made easier by the soft gypsum-rich sandstone which holds its shape without extra structural support. Most read in The US Sun Originally trained as a childcare educator in The pair fell in love and eventually settled in Coober Pedy in 2013, drawn by its "charming environment" and unusual dwellings. Rescuers dive from helicopters into floodwaters to save stranded as floods batter Australia Sabrina said: "We had friends in Coober Pedy and wanted to move away. "We used to travel through it a lot, up and down the highway and it's just got a charming environment most of the year. "Underground is just fascinating so we thought, Coober Pedy was 100 percent the place for us." At $277,000 AUD, their dugout was much cheaper than the average Adelaide property - which sits at $796,000. The mum-of-two said: "It's much cheaper to live underground than above ground. "It's cheaper because you don't need to heat or cool the rooms and you just need lights inside. "It's also much cheaper to rent or purchase dugouts because the roof is already there, you just tunnel into the hill to make a building." Some homes are machine-dug in two months. Others can take years: "I have seen people digging for 10 years," she said. 9 The kids are so used to living underground that they find it difficult to sleep elsewhere Credit: TURBO360 9 Sabrina and Nick met when she travelled around Australia and he was her tour guide Credit: TURBO360 Sabrina's favourite part of underground life is the peace and quiet. She said: "There's no outside noise. When you shut the door, everything disappears. It's completely dark, completely quiet, perfect for sleeping. I love sleeping underground. "I wake up in the morning without windows, so you don't actually look out the windows and see what the weather is like, like any other person. "But you assume it's normally nice weather in Coober Pedy, so there's not much rain here. We get maybe five to 10 rain events a year. "So you can probably leave your umbrella at home. Sabrina has gotten so used to the quiet, underground way of life that city breaks now exhaust her. She said: "When I go on holiday, I'm actually exhausted from the busy, busy streets of Adelaide or streets of a bigger town, because I'm so used to the quietness of Coober Pedy." But not everything is better below deck . 9 They chose the underground life to escape the sweltering temperatures of the area of South Australia Credit: TURBO360 9 The house is even kitted out with a pool table Credit: TURBO360 Sabrina revealed that the biggest downside is the dust - and housekeeping that comes with it. She said: "If you don't seal the walls regularly it gets quite dusty because you are inside a hill. "Otherwise you have got the crumbles from the ceiling dropping into your soup when you are at the dinner table. And that gets quite annoying. "You do want to varnish the walls and it does rub off so you need to do it regularly." Despite the darkness, the family still gets their fill of sunshine and fresh air. Sabrina said: "It's normally sunshine outside so if you want your vitamin D intake it's normally just 10 minutes a day, so it's not impossible. "We do go for walks and we have got a garden. However, when you have a garden, you have to pay for water, which is quite expensive in Coober Pedy, so a lot of people actually use the shower and the laundry water." Sabrina's children, who were toddlers when the family moved in, barely remember life above ground. She said: "When we go on holiday and stay in hotels, they notice every little noise, roosters, planes, anything. Underground, you don't hear a thing." Life in Coober Pedy is remote - the nearest town is over 400 miles away - but it's close-knit. Essentials like hairdressers, vets and banks are only accessible with long drives. 9 Around 60 percent of the homes in Coober Pedy are underground dugouts Credit: SWNS 9 Sabrina says the one downside is having to vanish the walls - or face dust inside Credit: TURBO360 Sabrina said: "It's very relaxed. Everything's five minutes away. No traffic lights, not many cars ." When her dog got sick and needed to visit a vet 650km away, a neighbour offered to do take it in their car after seeing Sabrina's call for help on Facebook. "That's what Coober Pedy is like. It's a very welcoming town. Everyone helps each other," she said. Despite the challenges, Sabrina wouldn't trade her lifestyle for the chaos of the city. She added: "If we ever moved, I'd want to live somewhere quiet. Not busy like Adelaide or London ." As for whether underground living could catch on elsewhere, she's not convinced. "You have to have the right material like we do to build structures. "I don't think it's the future unless they really find a way of doing it."
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- The Irish Sun
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