Buy a Coolgardie Safe or any other refrigerator that works without power and fuel?

[Indianinoz]

Hello,

I'm interested in buying a natural refrigerator that works without power and fuel. For eg. Coolgardie Safe. Has someone used such a refrigerator? Which is the best place to buy one in Australia? I'm based in Sydney.

[Guest]

TBH its probably a bit of a specialist market and you may need to do some research yourself.

https://open.abc.net.au/explore/28913

I've seen the odd one listed for sale on local groups and pages and the like but they are not really common place that I am aware of. 

 

[Skani]

I have very distant memories of  Coolgardie safes being used but in no way would I call it a refrigerator.  It was useful for keeping foodstuffs a bit cooler - by a few degrees - in hot climates where no refrigeration existed but it couldn't replicate the temperatures of a refrigerator.    You may find one in a second hand shop/op shop/antique shop - more likely in the country than the city - but they were the sort of thing people made themselves.    You could find instructions for making by googling.  

I doubt they would be of much use for much of the year in Sydney:  they do depend on hot temperatures for sufficient evaporation to occur - and work best with a strong breeze. 

[starlight7]

For some reason when I think of Coolgardie safes I think of blowflies.  Guess you could try an esky with ice like you do for beer at a BBQ.  They seem to last a full day even in the hot weather. You can get ice almost anywhere.