Trip 4: August 11, Part 2

The thing about Broken Hill is that the hill from which the town takes its name is definitely part of the town, not something off in the distance. First stop after lunch was at the Joe Keenan lookout, which offers a splendid panoramic view of the town and the “line of lode,” the massive ore body that made the town and its mines possible. Then on to the Broken Hill City Art Gallery, where I enjoyed the painting but especially liked a sculpture of a tree made of silver. And then we were on the road again, heading back to Silverton. (And passing camels en route.)

As the name suggests, the small, historic town of Silverton has a history of mining silver. This mining history is worth exploring. That said, the thing that draws many visitors is the town’s cinematic history. Hard to find a place that looks so incredibly remote but also has a descent pub and restaurant nearby. The scenery is definitely dramatic. As mentioned previously, Mad Max 2/The Road Warrior was made in the surrounding wilderness, and is certainly the best known of the movies made here, but dozens of films, and TV shows have taken advantage of this setting, from Razorback to Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. However, as much of a Road Warrior fan as I was when it came out, by this time in my life, I’m more excited by the rolling, red countryside and charming historic buildings.

We came across a man with tales to tell and jewelry to sell, and I enjoyed both. He is a metal worker who worked on Road Warrior, helping with special effects and doing welding. But he also is licensed to “deface” Australian currency, carving coins to highlight the design. So I now have an Australian dollar coin that looks like a piece of art, with a loop so I can wear it on a chain when I get home.

Then back to Broken Hill, to visit White’s Mineral Art and Mining Museum. Created by veteran of the mines Kevin “Bushy” White, this wonderful museum offers recreations of the interiors of mines, old and new. White has also created detailed dioramas and a video to share the history of mining in Broken Hill. In addition, it is home to a remarkable art gallery. White creates “paintings” from crushed minerals, using locally mined rocks to create scenes from around Broken Hill and Silverton (pubs, churches, iconic buildings), as well as of mining in the area. Clearly a labor of love, but also a fun and delightful way to witness Broken Hill history. Attached to the museum is Betty’s Doll Cottage, where Kevin’s wife Betty showcases a large collection of dolls and teddy bears (some remarkably fine ones, too). And then, finally, to the mineral collection—locally collected rocks and minerals, some of them for sale! Going home with me are samples of tourmaline, galina/rhodonite, and two forms of gypsum (spar and rose).

Back to camp to pick up extra gas cans to fill up, as we’re going out bush for the next few nights, so we need to take with us whatever we’ll need. We then headed to the West Darling Hotel for a proper pub dinner. Finally, a stop to stock up on food for the next few nights of bush camping. It amused me to note that, as rugged and remote as Broken Hill is, radicchio and arugula are as common as in suburban Chicago, and the amazing array of Asian goodies bordered on being enviable. Then back to camp for a relatively early night.

Bummer: My watch band snapped and I lost the watch. I just changed the battery, too. Well, I guess a timeless place like the outback is as good as any place to be without a watch. And tomorrow, we go farther out.

Trip 4: August 11, Part 1

Woke this morning to the shriek and warble of hundreds of little corellas. A book Richard had brought along related that breeding season for little corellas (Cacatua sanguinea) is August through October, so it seems probably that that’s why we’re seeing them here in such great numbers.

Up and breakfasted, we headed into town, where we arranged a walking tour of Broken Hill. Our guide, Jack Harris, worked in the mines for 42 years—so definitely part of the story he was telling. Jack doesn’t think the mines will last a lot longer, however.

Wealth of information was shared, some of it related to mining here, but much of it reaching far beyond Broken Hill.

Average rainfall here is 9-1/2 inches per year.

The Kintore Mine was the richest silver mine in the world: 1/2 ton of silver to 1 ton of dirt.

The nearby Triple Chance mine was a source of feldspar, muscovite, and beryl (“triple” because of the three minerals) became famous for supplying large beryl crystals that became the source of the beryllium metal used in the NASA Apollo Space Program. Surprisingly, the mine was started by a woman, Tess Alfonsi from Italy. In addition to the beryl, she was also the nation’s largest producer of feldspar.

A radio station in Broken Hill that he inherited was part of the beginning of Rupert Murdock’s media empire.

The iron lung was developed in Adelaide.

The first religious service held in Broken Hill was offered by the Salvation Army in 1884.

Wesley Church was the first solidly built building in Broken Hill. This was because initially, it was believed that the town would be a flash in the pan, so people only built iron prefab huts.

During World War II, millions of dollars in gold were held in the Broken Hill jail. The gold was not just Australian, but was also from the Bank of England the government of the Netherlands. Definitely safe from the invading Nazis here!

A stroll through Sturt Park, named for explorer Charles Sturt, brought us to the Titanic Bandsmen Memorial. The idea for this memorial originated among local band members who wanted to honor the members of the band on the ill-fated ship, who played hymns as the ship sank, to keep the doomed passengers calm. The monument is a broken column, and in the iconography of monuments, that broken column means a life cut short.

The somewhat exotic looking tower on top of the old town hall was once a fire look-out station.

Tour over, we headed to an old-fashioned sandwich shop for lunch. I had two items that had become favorites on my first visit—meat pie with sauce and “iced coffee.” These are pretty iconic items. (In fact, if you’re interested, I did a full post on meat pies a few years ago.) As for “iced coffee,” this is actually cold, coffee-flavored milk, rather than actual coffee. Nikki told me that she’d read that milk flavored with coffee sells at almost the same rate as beer. Nikki and Richard also went into some detail explaining how to make a meat pie. And then it was time to continue our exploration.

Trip 4: August 10, Part 2

On the road again, we continued north before swinging eastward. As trees thinned, we saw eagles taking advantage of telegraph poles, and a couple of poles were topped by eagle nests.

In a few hours, we were surrounded by nearly flat, rocky, red, scrub-covered country that seemed unrelated to the rolling green countryside from which we had departed this morning. Saltbush became common. An occasional dead tree was filled with corellas (small, white cockatoos).

Before long, the highway was the primary sign of human habitation, along with an occasional sign, as we crossed increasingly rugged terrain. Wonderful. This is what I had come for.

At one point, Richard pointed out the sign for Radium Hill, which was just south of the highway. This was the site of Australia’s first uranium mine, which operated for roughly the first half of the 20th century.

I was astonished and delighted by all the kangaroos we saw grazing in or near dry creek beds not far from the highway. I imagine the traffic here is light enough to not scare them away—but still regular enough that they aren’t as bold as the unfortunate wallaroo that collided with us last time I was out bush with Nikki and Richard (Trip 3).

Quick stop in Cockburn, which is right on the state border. Charming little, old town. Cockburn was established in 1886 to facilitate the transport by train of ore from Broken Hill in neighboring New South Wales into South Australia—because here, too, the rail gauge changed between the two states. I took a photo of the railway water tower—and then we drove across the border into New South Wales (NSW).

More corellas. More red rocks. And finally, into Broken Hill. So much history here—most of which I know from a visit to the geology museum in Sydney during my first trip to Australia. The ragged, broken-looking hill in the town’s name is thought to be the largest lead-zinc-silver ore deposit in the world. It is because of this ore that the town exists. Among the best-known abbreviations in Australia is BHP, for Broken Hill Proprietary, the company founded in 1885 to handle mining at this site.

As we drove into town, Richard pointed out a few highlights, including the stunningly large and crowded cemetery. (Mining was dangerous.) He also pointed out some iron houses that came prefab from England early in the town’s history. Can’t imagine having an iron house in the heat experienced here.

We reached the local campsite more than an hour before sunset. Richard had the “kitty” (we had each contributed a couple hundred dollars, to cover gasoline, campground fees, meals consumed in camp, and any other communal travel expenses), so he settled our account, and then we got busy setting up camp.

Then it was back in the car to drive the roughly 15 miles to Silverton, where we had a view back over the plain we’d crossed—a terrain that I’d actually seen before only on the silver screen—because it was here that the movie “Mad Max/The Road Warrior” was shot. Glorious sunset. Then a brief stop at the Silverton Hotel, where they shot part of the great mini-series “A Town Like Alice.”

Back in town, we stopped for dinner at a Chinese restaurant, and then returned to camp for coffee and stargazing. Because there are so few lights out here, the stars are amazing—a great sparkling swath across the darkness. Glorious. Saw the Southern Cross for the first time this trip. Happy end to the day.