Mining, Outback Artists & Film Sets.

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Hello everyone.

Last time we blogged we were at a free camp at Lake Pamamaroo & the lake was bone dry. The next day we checked out Lake Menindee which was also bone dry & then it was onto the mining city of Broken Hill where we are staying 4 nights.

Honestly, there is nowhere else quite like Broken Hill! It is a unique collision of quirky culture with the characteristics of an outback town. Broken Hill is probably a bucket list destination for many Australians. It has a huge mining history & a thriving art scene. Just beyond the town perimeters you find yourself in complete isolation surrounded by rugged, moonscape terrain which is regularly used in the film industry.
Whilst in Broken Hill we visited the art galleries of two renowned Outback painters. Pro Hart & Jack Absalom are not just well known in Australia but internationally as well. We enjoyed our visits & ended up making some not insignificant purchases which will end up hanging up somewhere in our unit. We also visited the fantastic railway museum, which was a treasure trove of documents, machinery & collectibles.

We also had a day trip to Silverton. Before Broken Hill was established the discovery of silver & lead at nearby Silverton saw the establishment of that town first. The establishment of the big mines at Broken Hill was the demise of Silverton & there is now very little in the way of buildings & very few people. The town is now enjoying a new lease of life breathed into it by visitors interested in mining history, art galleries & its popularity as a television movie location (A town like Alice, Mad Max 2, Priscilla Queen of the Desert & numerous television TV commercials).

We visited the Mad Max 2 Museum at Silverton

We now plan to head west from here toward Quorn in South Australia.
SAD NEWS
This morning we learnt our neighbour, John Smith, had passed away in his sleep after a short illness. He was a great neighbour & friend & will be missed.