Fella Down a Hole

You don't know the frontier spirit until you've met Australia's hardy opal miners

Returning to his native Australia last month, our art critic, Robert Hughes, began shooting a TV series titled Beyond the Fatal Shore for PBS, the BBC and Australia's ABC network. Along the way, Bob planned a series of letters/diaries to a close friend in New York City, chronicling his travels and observations. This account is the only one he completed before being seriously injured in a car crash, reported in our June 14 issue. Happily, Bob was to be released from intensive care this week and is making good progress on his recovery.

Coober Pedy, the Opal capital of Australia, is...

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