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.
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