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Tuesday 13/6/02

We left Hawker about 10am and stopped for a short break in Quorn. We could notice the weather was cooler as we travelled south. We had planned to stop overnight in Peterborough but as we arrived there before 1pm we decided to push on and stop at a road stop. We didn't come across any other vans pulled over for the night and the road stops did not look safe so we kept on going. We arrived in broken Hill about 5.10pm, just as it was getting dark.

We set up the van in a temporary fashion, had dinner and watch a little TV. It was good to see the news for the first time in about 2 weeks.

14/6/02

After breakfast Roy went to the other van park to check it out but we decided to stay put. We set up the van and annex. After lunch we visited the Library where we were able to access the internet to check email and do some online banking. Next it was off to do a little shopping to restock the larder. Odette cooking a lamb roast for dinner and getting our budget up to date on the laptop.

15/6/02 

Cloudy and overcast, we went to meet Margaret and Paul (internet friends) and then come back to the van. Some showers and rain in the evening. Uploaded our page at Margaret's.

16/6/02

Bacon and eggs for breakfast (our customary Sunday morning treat). Afterwards Odette did some mending. Went to Maudy and Paul's for lunch (roast chicken) and also met Gary (Stoney) and Ellie who are old friends of Maudy and Paul. Odd showers throughout the day. Fit the CD player to the van and it's not working.

17/6/02

Maudy took us up to meet Pro Hart who is a friend of theirs. We got some photos posing with Pro and then had a look through his gallery. The Pro Hart gallery is one of the largest private collections of paintings in Australia. Later we went to the local shopping centre to pick up a few things. 

Later visited Stoney and Ellie to have a look at his Harley Davidson motor bike. Stoney has the best shed, decorated in decoupage, where he houses his bike.

18/6/02

Breakfast and housekeeping to start off the day. Clear skies but icy cold wind. Visited the "Line of Load" located behind the town centre where there is a memorial to miners killed at the mines ($2.00 entry). There is also a gift shop and restaurant. We went down to Delprats Mine for a look about but did not do the underground line tour. After the visit to the "Line of Load" we went to the Musicians Club, a very nice club worth a visit. In the foyer there is a chandelier which is made from 12 saxophones in 2 tiers. There are some great drawings of horses, all Melbourne Cup winners, in the TAB section. Next was a visit to the Broken Hill Royal Flying Doctor base. There we saw a short film on the origin of the RFDS as well as a lot of memorabilia. There is a viewing window of the operations room and the hangar.

After lunch we had a nap and then went to say thanks and hooroo to Maudy, Paul, Stoney and Ellie. Home made Fish 'n chips for dinner.

19/6/02

We went out to Silverton and had a look around the town. The Old Gaol Museum was very good - lots of history and interesting artifacts. Next we visited the Umberumberka Reservoir which provides water for Broken Hill. There is a  rest area on the way that overlooks the Mundi Mundi Plains. We had lunch at the Reservoir and then it was back to Broken Hill. 

Packed away the annex and prepared to leave next day. We later went and said farewell (again) to Maudy and Paul.

History of Broken Hill

Broken Hill was so named because of the rugged nature of its summit. It was first explored by Charles Sturt in 1844 and was known as "Willyama" until the town was surveyed in 1886. Willyama means youth. Charles Rasp, a boundary rider of Mt Gipps station discovered silver chlorides in 1883 while out mustering sheep on Broken Hill. The Broken Hill Proprietary Company (BHP) was established in 1885 and the South Mine began operation that year. The ore body was 7.5km long and 250m wide. BHP ceased operations in 1939 and 14 different mining companies have operated since. At its peak in 1952 6,500 people were employed along the ore body. Around 530 miners have last their lives working in the mines. 

History of Silverton

Lead, silver, zinc ore was discovered in 1881 at "Umberumberka" (Aboriginal for "rat hole") by John Stokie and mining operations started in 1882. Silverton was surveyed in 1883 and proclaimed a township in 1885 with a district population of about 4,000. In January 1888 Silverton was linked to the South Australian Railway by a tramway that ran to Broken Hill. With the decline in the output from surrounding mines Silverton became overshadowed by Broken Hill. The decline began in 1886. Today Silverton, with a population of less than 10 people, is essentially an abandoned settlement but contains a number of classified buildings that indicate its early prominence as a commercial centre for early miners in the area.

Silverton was the first significant settlement in the isolated area of the Barrier Ranges. Because of the dramatic outback scenery of the area many Australian films have been made or partly made in the area included "Mad Max", "A Town Like Alice" and "Razorback".

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