After
Mildura, we made our way up our first stretch of long straight road to Broken
Hill. And for the first time we really felt like we were in the outback! We saw
camels, emus, kangaroos and more goats than I ever expected along the side of
the road. And we got to watch the scenery change – from wheatfields to desert.
The trees got shorter and scrubbier and the earth redder and redder. My Mum and
Dad had taken Adam and I on a long road trip when I was about 12 years old. We
went through Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges, to Blinman, Maree,
Oodnadatta, Cooper Pedy, Uluru and Alice Springs. But we DIDN’T go to Broken Hill and Duncan had never been
either, so both of us thoroughly enjoyed seeing somewhere new to us.
We stayed
in the caravan park that could take our 19m of ‘big rig’ and then saw another bus in the
other caravan park, which according to the books and Wiki app, didn’t take busses. New lesson learnt – don’t just read every entry on the apps, also pay
NO attention to the icons re ‘big rigs’. (Right now we are at Rawnsley Park Station in the Flinders Ranges.
Apparently that doesn’t take big rigs either, yet here we
sit. Perfectly parked in site 1. See – I did learn my lesson.) Anyway, Lake
View Caravan Park in Broken Hill is very tired and run down, but it DOES have
massive sites and suits big rigs perfectly. And it has the all-important pool,
which came in VERY handy as schoolwork bribery after a very full day. We got
back from sight seeing at 4.30 and I made the kids do a page before they could
jump in, then get out and do another page. We got through an hour of school
that way!
So we all LOVED Broken Hill. We spent a very full day in and around town and saw:
The miner’s memorial up on the very picturesque line of
load hill.
The Railway
Museum.
The biggest
painting I’ve ever seen, though it was in the
style that is very “Aussie” and not my thing.
A mineral
and silver display – the kids are getting to be obsessed with gems!
The Pro
Hart Gallery, which was incredibly interesting. Never knew he was so Angry
Penguin.
The
Sculpture Symposium in the Living Desert, which was simply breathtaking.
And we had
a tour of The Royal Flying Doctor Service, which was a highlight for everyone.
We learnt and saw so much!
The next
day we went out to see the town of Silverton and stopped for a tour of the Day
Dream Mine on the way. We figured on a 30 minute drive and JUST made it in time
for the tour! I don’t know who writes the publicity, or
works out the google map times, but Dunc was flying along and I defy anyone
else to make it in that time! I was very excited to see 2 other travelling
families there. One with 2 children, one with 4 children, and both travelling
for about 3 months. We all geared up for our underground tour which was just fascinating.
The mine was worked by 8 year old boys in the 1850s, and having 2 such 8yo boys
in the tour gave it extra meaning. What a tough life it was in those days!
The town of
Silverton itself was so picturesque. Its easy to see why it is a favourite for
locations for films, television programs and commercials. We went to the Mad
Max Museum, and Angus made a friend. He is getting his fix of animal love
wherever he can, but is missing the 2 dogs from Hedgend Maze dreadfully!
We had 2
very full days, but were happy to move on – and the kids were happy for a ‘down day’ spent lazing about in the bus. And Dunc was happy to be on the road
again.
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