Roxby Downs and Andamooka
Roxby Downs was built in the late 1980s as the service town for the nearby mine, and Andamooka, an older opal-mining town, is close by. Shops, offices, community buildings and accommodation in town follow roster patterns more than a nine-to-five week.
Opal country and the highway
Coober Pedy is Australia's largest and oldest opal-mining town, known for living underground to escape the summer heat. Along the Stuart Highway, Pimba, Glendambo and Marla are service stops for highway traffic and the stations around them.
Leigh Creek and the northern Flinders
Leigh Creek was a coal town until the mine closed in 2015, and the State Government now runs it as the service centre for the northern Flinders Ranges. Its pool, stadium and airport serve pastoral and tourism businesses out to Marree and beyond.