A mining town in Australia’s outback appears to be completely deserted, but its residents have escaped the scorching heat by living in underground caves. The town of Coober Pedy is home to over 1,500 people, as well as hotels, restaurants and churches, all of which are located up to 100ft below ground. “Coober Pedy is renowned for its below-ground residences, called dugouts, which are used to avoid the scorching daytime heat,” says photographer Abigail Varney, who visited the unusual town, located 846km north of Adelaide.
SAILING peacefully across a river in the early morning light, a fisherman in China keeps a 1000 year old tradition alive .
THIS DANGER-mad female pensioner could be the oldest Brit to cage dive with CROCODILES .
SAILING over crystal clear waters, the Bajau people of Malaysia live their lives almost entirely at SEA .
MASKED intruders look sinister but really they are a gang of urban exploring pranksters .
A pair of adorable polar bear cubs play-fight with each other in the Alaskan snow .
THIS incredible shimmer of silver fish mirrors the image of that of an underwater tornado .
As sunlight cascades through its vibrant stained glass windows, every inch of the Nasir-ol-Mulk Mosque bursts with colour .
SOME OF the sea’s most terrifying creatures show their softer side as they join a group of diners for lunch .
A little brown bear cub shows his doting mum that she is always on parent duty as he uses her as a scratching post .
BEHIND the doors of this building, with its stacks of mattresses and discarded remains of wheelchairs, lies another victim of austerity cuts .
SAT with his arms folded and a cross look on his face, this Gorilla looks like he's had enough of the Christmas holidays already .
SITTING on a burning sofa unable to move, one man turns his terrifying dreams into reality .