DAY 108 BROKEN HILL

15 June 2008



DAY 108 Pilbara – Kimberley Trip

BROKEN HILL

This morning we devoted to Silverton. The so called ghost town that has graced film screens and commercials is about 25km from Broken Hill.

Our first stop was at Daydream Mine. It was a 6 kilometre detour to the mine and I got out of opening the two gates as the door latch on my door is playing up and needs replacing. So the driver had to do it instead.

This mine was operation in 1882 and everything was done by hand – no mechanisation of any sort was involved in mining here.

We went on a tour of the mine. The miners came here from Burra in South Australia and were short Cornish men so the mine was built to accommodate them not people of higher stature. We saw the ruins of their living quarters. Life must have been harsh as water was scarce, families were left behind in Burra and they worked 12 hour shifts in harsh conditions using candle light. The entry into the various levels of the mine was not easy. We went as far as level 3 of the mine - 30 metres underground. Apparently the adults earned about two pounds per week that is equivalent to about $2000 today. Children, as young as 8, were employed in the mine to sort out the rocks that contained the minerals. About 500 were employed here during its hey day. It is interesting to note that they made their helmets out of paper mache in those days. We had two miners currently working in mines on the tour with us. By comparison whilst the working conditions in the mines today are much better, they earn about the same amount, they still work 12 hour shifts, it is contract labour, accommodation is a problem as most live in dongers and have to leave their families behind.

We continued on through the picturesque country to Silverton itself. Silverton now consists of only a few buildings with very wide dusty streets.

The old goal building is now a museum that captures all facets of life of the settlers here. You could spend a whole day here and still miss things. Some memorable things on display included the silver egg serving tray, the beautifully carver child’s high chair

the contraption developed in the 1920s in Chicago to curl or straighten hair.

The list could go on and on. We wandered around the town visiting the various galleries and the pub that appears in films and commercials under different names. ‘A Town like Alice’, ‘Mad Max 2” are two films that were set here as well as the XXXX beer commercial.

There were some interesting visitors in town today as well.

We drove out to Mundi Mundi lookout. You get a fabulous view from here in many directions. You also really get the feel for the flat plains into the distance as well as the ranges to one side.



We continued on to Umberumberka Reservoir. We went there as we had been told by several local sources to go there as it is had water in it now. There seemed to be an inference from the comments made that it does not always hold water but we don’t know how true this is.

Eventually we made our way back to Broken Hill and stopped at Pro Hart’s gallery. Having experienced the mine tour I looked at some of his work with a totally different perspective as he had some strong feelings about his time in the mines that is portrayed in some of his work. I enjoyed seeing his work in the gallery setting. His four Rolls Royce’s were also parked outside.

Finally we headed for the Living Desert and the Sculpture Symposium. We didn’t have time to explore the Living Desert as it was getting quite late. Again, you cold easily spend a full day here.

We walked up the steep hill through rocky terrain to the sculptures.

“The Symposium is a necklace for a maiden – the maiden being the incredibly beautiful desert landscape around the mountain,” according to sculpture De Ahmad Al Ahmad. 53 tonnes of sandstone boulders were moved to the site. The sculptures had about six weeks to create their works. Each one has a story behind it. I liked the way they bended with the surrounds but at the same time I was disappointed that some of them appeared as if they lacked finishing off – completeness. Some were unfinished as for example Thomas Munkanome had to leave early due to an unfolding family tragedy and his ‘Thomasina’ is a testament to that part of his life.

The most striking sculpture was the frequently published one by Antonio Nava Tirado “Baja El Sol Jaguar’ (Under the Jaguar Sun).

The views surrounding the sculptures provide a beautiful context for the works.

The wallabies quietly observed us, the intruders, make our way down before hopping off. They really blended with their surroundings.

We walked back as the sun was setting and the rocks were beautifully lit up by the sun’s rays. It was certainly a day with lots to take in and not enough time to see and do it all.

DAY 107 MANNA HILL to BROKEN HILL

14 June 2008

DAY 107 Pilbara – Kimberley Trip

MANNA HILL to BROKEN HILL

We woke to a freezing cold morning. We sure have gone from one extreme to another weather wise. The heritage listed railway station looked deserted in the morning light. Even though the Indian Pacific passes through it doesn’t not stop here any more.


It was not that far to Broken Hill so we got there in the morning and our first point of call as per usual was to the information centre. I liked the way you are met with a big sign ‘What time is it” as they are on South Australian time and not NSW time even tough they are in NSW. Armed with information we stopped at the café next door to plan our day.

Broken Hill seeps in history. The town has retained its wide streets, high gutters and old buildings. We walked down Argent Street that is rich in Victorian buildings from the 1890s. We went to several galleries and I really enjoyed the work of Roxanne Minchin. Jack Absolum’s Gallery was a delight.

The Silver City Art Centre and Silver City Mint was an amazing place. It is an art gallery, a mineral showcase, has a jewellery display and a chocolate shop. A varied combination that has been put together very effectively. It also has what is referred to as the ‘Big Picture’. It is supposedly the largest acrylic paniting on canvas - 100 metres wide and 12 metres tall. It is by Peter Andrew Anderson and a special interior was designed for it by his brother who is the owner of Silver City Art Centre and Silver City Mint. The have set it up so that you feel that you are waking into the picture as they have simulated a walk through a cave with aboriginal art before you enter a circular room with the painting surrounding you from all sides. It includes major landmarks around Broken Hill.

Finally we visited the Railway, Mineral and Train Museum that also has an Immigration Museum incorporated into it now. It was an interesting museum. I had never heard about the “War in Broken Hill” as the ‘Barrier Mine’ newspaper called it. Apparently on 1 January 1915 a train packed with picknickers from Broken Hill were going to Silverton for the day when the train was attacked by two men under a Turkish Flag. They were referred to as Turks but in actual fact one was of Afghan descent the other a north west Indian. They killed 4 locals and injured 7. The two so called Turks were also killed. This was seen as a war time act. According to the information at the museum this event was also reported in Germany. I quote from the translation of the German report as presented in the display. “We are pleased to report the success of our arms at Broken Hill, a seaport town on the west coat of Australia. A party of troopers fired on Australian troops being transported to the front by rail. . . The capture of Broken Hill leads the way to Canberra, the strongly fortified capital of Australia.” The translation also referred to killing 40 and injuring 70 Australians. They seem to have added a nought to the actual numbers killed and injured.

It was interesting seeing the first ambulance at Broken Hill amongst the exhibits

as well as the bikes that were used on the rail tracks.

The Immigration Museum was a good presentation of the experiences of the migrants who came to Broken Hill from the perspective of the migrants themselves. One of the more interesting Immigration Museums that we have been to. We could relate to many of the comments made.

We had a break from sight seeing and went to the Plaza for lunch. It seems to be the main shopping centre with Woolworths, Target Country and some speciality stores. From the signs around the centre it appears that it has only recently started Sunday trading.

Eventually we made or way to the Broken Hill Caravan Park. We met our neighbours and spent some time chatting and exchanging information as they are heading north. The evening was cool and then got colder. No more evenings sitting cooking, or eating outside.

DAY 106 ARKAROOLA TO MANNA HILL via YUNTA

13 June 2008

DAY 106 Pilbara – Kimberley Trip

ARKAROOLA TO MANNA HILL via YUNTA

There is lots to do and see at Arkaroola but we do need to be making our way back to the East. We will come back here some time to explore the area in depth. We had a little friend visit us late yesterday. It made itself at home on and near the Oka for quite some while.

In the morning I spent some time downloading onto my blog but ran out of internet time to finish it. As the downloads were being very slow I thought I would finish doing it in Broken Hill.

So we set out from Arkaroola on what proved to be a nice day. The rain has past and the road from here to Yunta is finally open to all vehicles. It had been closed to vehicles over 3 ton up to now.

It is nice to have the opportunity to see the road from both directions. The views and impression of the area can be so different from the other perspective. Driving out of Arkaroola you didn’t get the impact of the ranges as you did driving in.

After the turn off to Yunta the landscape changed considerably.


We were back into flat gibber country with salt bush and the occasional mulga bush and distant ranges at times.

I only found out recently that gibbers is an aboriginal word meaning a ‘rock of throwing size’. How about that for a bit of trivia. I think that some of them would be quite heavy to throw.

We had lunch in a dry creek bed. The number of dips in the road were incredible. You braced yourself every time you came to one as you didn’t know what to expect.

Near Frome Downs the soil colour and scenery kept changing. ln places it looked like a patchwork of colours ranging from orangy browns to a light sandy colour. In places though it looked very desolute.

In other places the colours were rich and the contours of the hills were interesting.

There were signs of pastoral activity along the way as there were a few Southern Cross windmills to be seen.

The only traffic we met were trucks and semis for the whole length of the road. We were quite anxious when several trucks came from the opposite direction carrying exceptionally wide loads in the form of mobile homes. The first two had no escort vehicle to warn you. We could see them coming from the dust in the distance.

It was very interesting to see a hill with a sand dune on the side of it.

There were still a number of puddles of water to be seen along the road although most of it was now dry.

The distant ranges were a constant reminder that we were close to the Flinders area.

After 300 kilometres of unsealed road we finally hit the Barrier Highway at Yunta. We finally stopped not too far away from Yunta next door to the Manna Hill pub. They have created a lovely rest stop here next to the 140 year old pub in a little town with a population of 7. We visited the pub and had a drink before retiring to our Oka for dinner and a rest.

DAY 105 ARKAROOLA

12 June 2008

DAY 105 Pilbara – Kimberley Trip

ARKAROOLA

It drizzled again overnight and there was a strong eucalyptus smell this morning as we walked down to the reception area for our 4wd tour. We walked past Mount Griselda. The colours and fracture lines on the rock face have given rise to a few quilting ideas using some different techniques. I’ve been itching to get going on my quilting again.

Arkaroola is a lovely property 610 square kilometres in size. It has an incredible range of ranges here. It was purchased in 1967 in order to re-establish the unique environment of this region- the flora and fauna and that vision is being carried on by the children of Reg Sprigg. It was originally a pastoral property but by removing feral animals to the area the landscape is returning to its original glory. It is a harsh climate here and they are in the 10th year of drought so the rain they’ve had has been most welcome as many plants are very stressed in the current climatic conditions. They are also under threat at the moment from a company wanting to mine uranium here at Mt Ghee even though the mountain has been listed for its unique geological features on a register.

Anyway this morning we set of in two vehicles for their signature tour – the Ridgetop Tour. In the morning the ranges were still in cloud.

As the morning progressed the sun would make an occasional appearance and the clouds would lift for a while.

It was a rugged 4wd trip through steep inclines and descents, over rocky ledges and rocky outcrops.

In place the track was quite slippery on very steep sections.

Our first stop was at Coulthard’s lookout. The mountain tops were still in cloud here.


As we travelled on we saw the native pine that has made a comeback after 100 years of being rare here as a result of the eradication of goats.

The second stop was at Split Rock. It was very cold here but the views were spectacular.



The culmination of the trip was going up to Sillers Lookout. A spectacular spot up a very rough and steep track.

After a hot cuppa and lamingtons at he top we finally made our way back over the same track.

The area around here is very rugged and very beautiful.

A very spectacular tour but a very rough ride. A most enjoyable morning.

After lunch we relaxed at our camping spot and were soon joined by others camped near us. After a long natter it was time to get dinner on and get a fire going as it is cold.