I don't think it looked like a "barren wasteland" before Julen fell in the borehole. I think it was jut a nice, rural-ish estate. Semi-arid. The vegetation and terrain in the area before it was so heavily excavated reminds me a bit of Phoenix, and a bit like the Himalayan foothills outside of Islamabad. If you aren't used to that sort of environment, it can be off-putting.
Now that I have spent so much time in a very lush & wet area of Australia, I do find myself surprised at the lack of "green" when I visit more arid areas. But they do have their own sort of beauty.