April 19
Everyone was up early packing up for the long drive to Port Augusta today. Dave and Rose had been having radio issues – crackly reception and the range was hopeless, so Dave got onto cleaning the aerial in the hope of improving the reception.
We left Penong and it was a long day of driving over vast plains and a variety of landscapes.
We pulled over at Wudinna for a stretch the legs stop (aka toilet break). It was at this point that Dave realised his van fridge was not working. After closer inspection it was discovered that his Anderson plug had disconnected and was dragging along the road and all that was left were some mangled wires. Fortunately I had spares that Dave could utilise when we were at an appropriate campsite so a repair was in order.
We had planned to stop for lunch at Kimba, home of the Big Galah who looked like he had been given a makeover, but nothing was open for lunch in Kimba (Sunday arvo), so we made lunch in the vans.
The afternoon wore on as we drove past Iron Knob, the large mining complex where iron ore is mined. In the distance the Flinders Ranges came in to view. We arrived in Port Augusta and headed for the Sports Club Motorhome Park where we free camped for the night.
Kerry had been told by her brother that the Wadlata Outback Centre in Port Augusta was really worth a visit so before leaving to drive to Broken Hill, we went to have a look. The centre is a museum and interactive centre which goes through the history, culture and other information about outback Australia.
Once inside we entered through the large reptilian mouth into the self guided display of the history from pre-settlement through to indigenous then early explorers.
There was detailed info on the 4 main early explorers Eyre, Sturt, Stuart and Giles and it proved to be fascinating reading.
There was a Royal Flying Doctor service display with the history of the service – photos and info. In 1912, Rev John Flynn a Presbyterian minister who rode by horse and camel through the outback preaching the gospel was stuck by the plight of the outback dwellers who had no medical service when sick or injured and so he came up with the idea of a small plane and radio service that would allow a doctor to be called for and transported to where required. The idea was dismissed by most people as the dream of an impractical visionary, but Flynn persisted and managed to establish the Australian Aeromedical service in 1933 which later became the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the rest is history!!
After spending considerable time looking at the displays we had coffee and scones for morning tea then set off towards Broken Hill. The drive up the mountains of the Flinders Range was slow as we were stuck behind a semi all the way but the view was great towards the mountains.
We stopped at Peterborough for lunch hoping to go to the bakery but it was not open for lunch, so we ate at another café where the food was was delicious, although Trev did snag the last chicken on Turkish, leaving me out in the cold.
Peterborough
It was a long drive to Broken Hill over mostly arid plains with only the odd goat clan sighting creating interest. Finally reaching Broken Hill Regional Events Centre and Racecourse we checked in and set up – the sites were grassy and very large – it felt very luxurious in comparison to our last couple of camp sites.
As it was Gordie and Kerry’s last night with us we went out for dinner to the restaurant at the Hilltop Motel.
We started the day slowly as we farewelled Gordie and Kerry who were making their way back to the Eastern Seaboard to assist with childminding in the school holidays. It was sad to see them go but I am sure it won’t be long before we will be all back at home.
We decided to explore the town today as well as get some much needed supplies so after careful perusal of the town map we started at the Albert Kersten Mining and Minerals Museum.
The museum was housed on the old Bond Store which was built in 1892 and told the history of Charles Rasp the boundary rider who discovered the silver deposit on Broken Hill. This led to the discovery of the world’s largest deposit of lead, silver and zinc and the formation of BHP.
We continued our walk down Argent Street and the old part of town with lovely building including the courthouse, police station, pubs and cafes. The mine site was a towering entity over the town.
Next stop was the Big Picture at Silver City Mint and Art Centre – the world’s largest acrylic on canvas painting measuring 100m x 12 m. The painting depicted the harsh desert scenery around Broken Hill and was painted by Peter ‘Ando’ Anderson.
That afternoon Dave, Rose, Trev and Clare drove out to the Pro Hart Gallery on the edge of town while we relaxed back at the Lotus. Pro Hart was born in Menindee and grew up there on his family’s sheep farm. He started work as a miner in Broken Hill and developed a love of painting amongst other hobbies. His artwork is famous worldwide and he painted in different and unique styles. Much of his works related to his own life experiences. In later life he became a Christian and was an active member of the Christian Revivalist Church in Broken Hill. He died in 2006 at the age of 77 of motor neuron disease. The gallery housed quite a lot of his original paintings as well as other items of interest from his life. He had several Rolls Royce vehicles in the garage there – one of which he painted which looked amazing.
Trev was up early and organised to drop the Ranger off at ARB for it’s repair job on the electrics. The others followed in their cars and we took them in Landcruiser for the journey out to Silverton.
We drove out to Silverton which was the early mining area where the first claim was staked in 1876. The town was once home to over 3000 people in its heyday but now had a population of 7. The town is now a tourist attraction with several galleries, museums, and old buildings to explore.
The area had been used as a location to film Mad Max 2 – the pub had an interesting vehicle displayed out front looking like a baby interceptor. We explored around the old buildings and marvelled at the harshness of the environment that the early miners and towns people had to live in. We really are blessed to live in the era that we do.
The Silverton Gaol had been converted into a museum with a huge array of items from the early town as well as many records of the people who lived here – very interesting! The volunteer working that day was full of information as well.
After browsing the galleries we decided to have lunch at the pub before going up to the Mad Max 2 museum. The museum was run by an English guy who was a Mad Max enthusiast – very interesting displays of paraphernalia found on the old set locations as well as authentic and replica items such as costumes, weapons and vehicles.
Having seen all there was to see in Silverton, we drove out to the Mundi Mundi lookout which had spectacular views of the area and really displayed the aridness of the landscape around Broken Hill and Silverton.
Back for dinner at the vans and planning for the trip to Menindee Lakes tomorrow.