Mildura via Silverton

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Sunday, 19 May 2013

Broken Hill

Backside of Broken Hill.
 
Waking up at 6:30 am in Broken Hill was tough, so I remained in bed until 7 am. Finally, I dragged myself to my running shoes for a short hill workout. We couldn't find any large parks or scenic trails to run, so we ran through the neighborhoods. This run taught me why Broken Hill is called Broken Hill…the hills are killer and after 5 kilometers I was broken.

This area reminds me of the 4 years I worked for the BLM in Ridgecrest…grouchy miners and landscapes of arid beauty. And, here in the “silver city” the streets are named after the metals mined.

Hectie running down a street in Broken Hill.
 
After our run, Blondie and I headed to the top of Broken Earth, a mullock heap, to view the Line of Lode Miners' Memorial. It is sad to see all the mining related deaths since the beginning of mining in Broken Hill. We quickly sobered to the realities and hardships which so many miners are faced with when working the mines.
 
Line of Lode Miner's Memorial.
 
We did release our sadness by playing around all the mining equipment located nearby at the visitor center!
 

Me being dumb!

Day Dream

Having read about the Daydream Mine near Silverton, we thought a subterranean tour would be fun. After driving 20 minutes along a scenic dirt road (accessed from Silverton road), we arrived at the mine. The mine lessee greeted us and told us he would not be having more tours today, even though the sign said there were tours every hour and it was only noon! Grumpy, the miner, also told us that we were not allowed to look around…so we got outta dodge.

 

Note: The Day Dream Mine (originally Meech's Blow) is about 16 kilometers north of Silverton. Before the prospectors explored the region, shepherds from the Mundi Mundi Run travelled the area. The Barrier Ranges Mining Association later purchased a large portion of the mine. The Association acquired eight-tenths of the claim in August 1884, the two other tenths being held by Messers Bagot and Co. of Adelaide. In 1884, 500 people lived there (info taken from several info sites and brochures…sorry I can't remember which ones…just know I read several things on it). My guess is that now only grumpy lives there…not sure though.

One interesting feature on the drive to and from the mine is the old smelter clawing out of a rocky hill top. Apparently, the smelter is part of the Hen and Chicken mining claim. Of course, there are danger and warning signs all over the place and rightfully so…we certainly would not like to disappear down a shaft trying to get to it. Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo.

Not having any knowledge of Silverton, other than it was relatively close to the mine, Hector and I decided to visit. And…

Silverton


Mad Max II Museum

It was fun. Silverton (established in 1880) was once a busy mining community, but once Broken Hill's silver mining industry grew the town dwindled away and is now considered as a ghost town. It features a roadhouse, cafe (with homemade vegetable soup and fresh baked damper, which was delicious), art gallery, a gaol, churches, a souvenir shop, and the Mad Max II Museum. Whoa…who knew!

VW bug in front of the Silverton Art Gallery.
 
Hector and I spent a lot of time in Silverton, so luckily we only had a 3 hour drive to our next stop in Mildura, Victoria.
 
Mildura

Arriving after dark, we quickly checked into the 7th Street Motel (nice and clean) and went for dinner. Deciding on the Mildura Brewery, we quickly found out our choice could not be better. We were spoiled with an amazing meal cooked by celebrity chef Stefano de Pieri. He even shared a complimentary dish made with artichokes for us. Delicious!

Drove 369 kms.

Ran 5 kms (hilly, Broken Hill).

 

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