14th MARCH 2013 – BROKEN HILL, NSW
 

After a good nights sleep we are off to explore Broken Hill. Neither of us were sure what to expect but it is a lovely big town, the usual wide streets & historic buildings. The first visit is always the Info Centre where they are very friendly & helpful. I must say we find this is normal in all the dealings we have had with people whether it be retail, caravan parks etc. Next port of call is Silverton 40kms from B/H. Again an historic mining town which has been a virtual ghost town for more than a century. However several historic buildings survive including a popular hotel – what a surprise! Also a couple of lovely stone churches. A small number of gifted artists have taken over these & attract a large number of tourists. We were most impressed ourselves, especially with one young man probably in his 20’s who does the most quirky, amusing art which we both loved & purchased postcards. There is something about Aussie art – perhaps it’s just that it pulls at the strings of my Aussie roots. Those outback colours are so eyecatching. Silverton also lays claim to much of the memorabilia from the movie ‘Mad Max II’ which was made out there including ‘A Town Like Alice’, ‘Priscilla Queen of the Desert’, ‘Mission Impossible II’, ‘Razorback’, Reckless Kelly’ & ‘Wake in Fright’ to name but a few. The actual film studio is in Broken Hill in a huge old power station building & is another example of Broken Hills reinvention of itself to keep things humming. There is a constant flood of Australian & International feature film crews using it.

Mad Max Museum
 

Bottle Top Jeep at Silverton
 

Back in Broken Hill in the afternoon we visit several art galleries, but the most amazing art we see is the worlds largest acrylic painting on canvas (12m x 100m). The artist is a world renowned Australian by the name of Peter Andrew Anderson (Ando). It used 9 tonne of paint, & is held in place by hydraulics, pulleys & counter weights. After walking through a simulated Aboriginal cave the picture is viewed from a timber platform which is surrounded by the painting, giving the impression of walking into it. It took over 2 years (all hours of day & night). It features natural & manmade landmarks within 300kms of Broken Hill. Between the viewing point & the painting lies more than 300 tonne of re earth, 10 tonne of rocks & trees & scrub native to the area. It was opened to the public in 2001, the year Peter turned 40. It’s just mindblowing & the whole effect is like walking into the landscape.

The street names in the city centre are named after chemicals, e.g. bromide, iodine, sulphur, oxide & so on.  I guess it all adds to the atmosphere of the place.  The Line of Lode (the seam of the mine itself plus the tailings & mullock) are situated only about two streets from the main shopping centre &  surround  the southern side   like a giant wall extending for about 5 kms.

The housing in B/H is an eclectic mix , from basic huts to beautiful stone, from Victorian to Art Deco & not forgetting a proliferation of corrugated iron on houses, fences whatever, entirely in keeping with the surroundings on the edge of the city.