Two Aces and the Blue Heeler

On the way back from Silverton we drove in to see the Broken Hill Sculptures in the Living Desert Reserve. The Sculptures comprise 12 sandstone artworks which highlight the skyline, located on a hilltop within the reserve. The sculptures were completed in 1993 by artists from around the world who participated in a sculpture symposium.

Broken Hill Sculpture Symposium, Apr/May 1993.

Facing the Day and the Night - Eduardo Nasta Luna - Mexico City.

The Ibis - Thomas Munkanome - Tiwi, Bathurst Island.

Motherhood - Badri Salushia - Tbilisa, Gorgia.

The Bride - Dr Mahomad Mira - Damascus, Syria.

Moon Goddess - Conrad Clark - Katoomba, New South Wales.

Habitat - Dr Ahmad Al Ahmad - Damascus, Syria.

Bajo El Sol Jaguar (Under the Jaguar Sun) - Antonio Nava Tirado - Mexico City, Mexico.

Angels of the Sun and the Moon - Valerian Jikiya - Rustiva, Georgia.

A Present for Fred Hollows in the Afterlife - Lawrence Beck (Symposium Director - Koolewong, Australia).

Nhatji (Rainbow Serpent) - Badger Bates - Broken Hill, Australia.

Tiwi Totems - Gordon Pupangamirri - Tiwi, Bathurst Island.

Horse - Jumber Jikiya - Rustavi, Georgia.

Broken Hill in the distance.

Mining activity near Broken Hill

Mainly sunny today with a cool breeze that kept the temperature between 5 to 17 degrees.

Silverton is an old mining located about 25 km west of Broken Hill. It was laid out in 1883 following the discovery of silver at the nearby Day Dream Mine, and by 1886 had a population of 3,000 people. As larger mines were established in nearby Broken Hill, Silverton declined with the Council being closed in 1899. Most of the buildings were dismantled and transported to Broken Hill, leaving only a handful of substantial buildings in Silverton. Silverton is now better known as the location of the movie Mad Max 11, which was made in 1981. This sequel to George Miller's Mad Max was a worldwide box office success that further launched the career of Mel Gibson.

We drove around Silverton and checked out the Gaol Museum and the Mad Max Museum, before having lunch at the Silverton Hotel. After lunch we drove out to the Mundi Mundi Lookout before returning to Broken Hill. Between Silverton and Mundi Mundi we came on some horses wandering along the road, Two of the horses blocked the road in front of the Ute while a third came up to the drivers window probably looking for food.

Silverton Gaol.

Silverton Courthouse.

Battery operated mine locomotive.

North Broken Hill Mine Cage.

Di in a Silverton Gaol cell.

Silverton Methodist Church built 1885.

St Carthage Catholic Church at Silverton.

A Silverton street-scape.

Mad Max Museum.

Ford Falcon XB GT Coupe 1973 "V8 Interceptor".

Another Mad Max car.

And another Mad Max car.

Mad Max Gyrocopter.

Yet another of the Mad Max Cars.

John Dynon's Art Gallery.

Silverton Hotel.

The Ford Interceptor's Love Child.

Two horses blocking the road.

A not so wild horse looking for food.

The view from the Mundi Mundi Lookout - you can just see the curvature of the earth.

Mainly sunny today with a persistent northerly breeze of 5 to 8 knots which did not help with the fuel economy.

We got away at about 9:30 am for the 285 km drive to Broken Hill, stopping at Coombah Roadhouse for fuel and again shortly after for a morning coffee. We arrived at the Broken Hill Top Tourist Park and checked in for 3 nights. Broken Hill is in drought and there are no grassy sights to be seen. Most sites in the park are covered in wood-chips but we were not so lucky getting a sand/gravel site. Broken Hill has water restrictions which means that washing cars and caravans is banned.

Broken Hill faces the prospect of running out of water in April next year, and a promised pipeline means it would no longer have to rely on the nearby Menindee Lakes for its water supply. The city has been supplied with water from the Menindee Lakes system for about 50 years, but in the last decade it has almost dried up on two occasions. The 270 km pipeline will run from Wentworth, on the Victorian border, to the Broken Hill water treatment plant, and will cost in the order of $500 million.

No photos today.

Sunny with a temperature of 9 to 21 degrees.

This is such a lovely spot and the weather was so good that we decided to stay another day. After a relaxing morning sitting in the sun we drove into Mildura - about 25 kms - for a bit of shopping before we move on to Broken Hill.

Back at camp we cooked a barbeque on the fire-pot and enjoyed the balmy weather,

Di could not work out why her leg was feeling a bit warm.

David enjoying the fire-pot.

Forecast today was partly sunny with temperatures of 7 to 20 degrees.

We were on the road at 9:30 am after filling up with fuel including our two jerry cans as the price of fuel was $1.249. Between Hay and Balranald we had to slow down because a large mob of cattle were being driven along the road.

We stopped for a late morning coffee at the Sunraysia quarantine bins, where we ate our tomatoes and mandarins and threw out a lemon and the banana skins from breakfast.

After re-fueling on the way into Mildura we went looking for the Merbein Common free camp, however the entrances to the area were very muddy so we continued on to the Curlwaa Caravan Park just out of Wentworth.

As we approached the caravan park we came upon a large double articulated over-width and over-length vehicle trying to turn around because he was too big to negotiate the bridge back over the Murray River.

Cattle on the road between Hay and Balranald.

Sign at the quarantine stop.

Large over-length and over-width trying to turn around.

Site 5 Curlwaa Caravan Park.