It was never going to last! After nearly 3.5 months, the rain eventually came overnight while we were camped at Broken Hill. Fortunately it held off while we had dinner but started up soon afterwards. The rain continued through to mid afternoon but our plans for the day started with undercover / indoor activities.
We started with a walk up the main street to check out the colonial architecture that is commonplace in large mining towns established in the 19th century – places like Ballarat, Bendigo, etc. come to mind. We did stop and test out the local coffee shop recommended in the Lonely Planet guide. Would give them a 7/10 score.
With the streets awash with water from a heavy downpour, we dashed across a busy intersection (remember, more than 1 or 2 vehicles is a traffic jam to us at the moment) and into the Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery.
The gallery has a blend of old and new, famous and possibly soon to be famous artists set in a restored two storey merchant’s store. It turned out to be a great little regional gallery that we both enjoyed (along with many others seeking shelter from the rain).
From the gallery, we ventured across town to the top of a slag heap that now hosts an excellent restaurant / cafe overlooking Broken Hill. Following lunch we drove the 26 kilometres to Silverton where mining got kick-started in this part of the country. Since its mining heyday over 100 years ago, Silverton faded into disrepair until it became the setting for one of the Mad Max movies in the late 1970s. Since then it has drawn a mixed crowd of folk interested in mining history and Mad Max fans!
On the journey back into town we took a detour to visit an abandoned mine that we had toured some 20 years prior. The rain that had fallen had turned the 10 kilometre gravel track into a greasy, muddy and sometimes boggy track. We slipped and slid our way along the track, all the time recalling the visit years ago with the boys.
Nothing had changed in the 20 years. The mine tours were still being run from a ramshackle house in the middle of nowhere. The ruins of the original town and smelter were a little more decayed. The hills were covered with more vegetation than we could recall.
Our return journey along the track was interrupted when we rounded a corner and drove down through a ‘dip’ to be confronted by a Ford Territory sideways across the track. The driver and passenger were out surveying their predicament and clearly delighted to see anyone who might be able to help extract them from their slippery situation.
A greasy track, road tyres and 2WD were doing them no favours. We rounded their vehicle and towed them backwards to higher ground where they were able to turn around and return to the main road with us following to make sure they stayed on course.
We concluded our day tour with a visit to the Living Desert Sculpture Park. We had visited here previously when it was known as the Desert Sunset Walk. The hilltop that is host to a series of interesting rock sculptures provides excellent 360 degree views of the rolling scrub and desert country surrounding Broken Hill.
We have retreated to the comfort of the Tvan for our last night in Broken Hill. Tomorrow we drive to Mildura via the Menindee Lakes and follow the Darling River down to where it joins the Murray. A reservation at Stefanos awaits us tomorrow night!