Our day today started with a spa!!!! The cabin had a spa in the bathroom with outback views….too irresistible!! But it very quickly turned into a comical experience as I inadvertently put too much bath gel in as it was filling up. We ended up with copious amounts of bubbles!!!
After our spa we decided to head out to Silverton (25kms northwest from Broken Hill). Silverton is an old mining town which currently has a population of 25 (according to one of the local painters).
Most of the advertised attractions out here are closed and there were no camels to be seen (camel riding being one of the main attractions :)). The John Dynon Art Gallery was open as were 2 other galleries. The artwork is very impressive and you get to meet John Dynon (who has lived in the area a long time and was great to get the local intel from).
So many old, derelict buildings and cars in Silverton – hard to imagine it as a bustling town.
We headed to the Mad Max museum at Silverton (everything here is spread apart…..no clear main street).
We decided not to visit the museum but were intrigued with the house next to the museum which was up ‘For sale’. As we debated outside the house…what the house would be worth….the owner appeared and invited us into his home to inspect. This was the highlight of Silverton!! It is usually the unplanned, unexpected things that turn out to be the most intriguing. From the owner we learnt so much about the area, the locals, the weather, the snakes and his snake deterrents, lack of tradespeople and generally life in a remote town. He was a real MacGyver and it was amazing the things he had learnt to build and fix from necessity.
Next we headed to the town centre of Broken Hill – time for brunch and cuppas!! We went to the Silly Goat Café (recommended) and it was fabulous!! A real gem in this outback town. The coffee was AMAZING, they did LEAF tea!! and the food was DELISH !! Their homemade granola was next level. It was definitely upmarket and not expensive. One of the best café experiences of our trip.
Within the town centre are 3 other must sees.
- Sulphide Street Railway and Historical Museum – I know this is a museum AND a railway one – but it WAS interesting!! So many trains to walk through. Mark (our expert on railway museums said it was “the best one on our trip”.) It even had lots of old medical equipment !
- Silver City Mintland Art Centre – definitely worth a look, everything was on sale here and I managed to get a really nice overnight bag which I LOVE. It also has a 12m wide and 100m long painting that took 2 years to complete. It is VERY impressive!
- Palace Hotel – need to wander into this hotel and check out the vast array of murals that are in the foyer of the hotel accommodation (look for the staircase). Very, very quirky and impressive.
From the main street of Broken Hill you can see a building on the hill. This is where we headed next.
On top of the hill is the Line of Lode – which is a memorial to the miners. Great look out of Broken Hill too.
From here we decided it was time for afternoon tea and paid a visit to Bells Milkbar – it is the oldest milkbar in Aust – opened in 1892 and currently has a 1950s theme inside. We all tried a different milkshake flavour – I went for the Mars bar flavour!!! Was delish!! Kev had the choc malt and they served them in the metal tall cups. Just as I remember from many years ago :).
It was about 4.30pm at this point and we realised we only had 30mins to visit the ProHart Gallery. As we arrived not long before closing, we scored a free admission and a chat with the gallery guide. This was so helpful. We learnt about ProHart working in the mines and the inspiration of mining in his paintings. And also that he always painted with a bible beside him. This is worth a visit!
Our last destination today was the Living Desert State Park to see the sculptures at dusk. It is about 12kms out of town and costs $10 per car. Was definitely worth the drive. A great spot to watch the sunset.
Great day of sightseeing! So much to see. If we planned another trip here – we would spend at least 2 days sightseeing instead of 1…..but we did manage to fit lots in.
Back to the Outback resort for a camp kitchen cooked dinner tonight. Kev cooked Korean beef. YUM!