Broken Hill Day 3 & 4

Day 3

Another marathon day following the Silver Trail, a windy and cooler day, great for driving and touring.

We did complete the 40 kilometre trail and now feel we know as much about Broken Hill as we'll ever know!

 

So much better than graffiti

The Towers 1890.
A private Hospital

The 7 men who started BHP

Once again it was a very sentimental journey through time. We meandered through the city centre looking at as many of the attractions as we could. We admired the architecture, read the historical information and took lots of photos.

We headed out of town to the mining areas and tried to imagine what happened there in the late 1800's. My thoughts when walking around the various sites were of hard working men who did what they had to do to feed their families and themselves.

 

Mullockers

What they went through is unimaginable to us, their gift to us is written in the history of Broken Hill.

 

Slag heap, waste after smelting of the silver ore

Part of the Junction Mine Shaft

Doorway to where? I wonder....

Thompson Shaft

 

Central Mine power station

Assay Office 1890

South Mine

Perilya Mine, operating today

A blast from the past in Railway Town the original Bells Milk Bar, a fun place to stop for a break and to remember the 50's & 60's.

 

Established in 1956

 

The tour took us back to Ryan Street which was a fitting end to the day.

We took photos of typical cottages of the day in that street and found the old
Methodist Church John Caple and Mary Hannah Caple may have attended.

 

The Methodist Church 1890
now a private home

 

A very satisfying day!

Day 4

We saw lots of rusting relics on our meandering around town and we particularly like these...

 

A walk through Pro Harts gallery showed us a small part of the wonderful legacy this iconic Australian and enduring artist has left for Broken Hill and of course for the rest of us.

 

No photos allowed in the gallery

He painted his Rolls Royce to celebrate Australia's entry
into the Millennium in 2000 

 

Then to the Living Desert Flora and Fauna Sanctuary with 12 spectacular sandstone sculptures on a 2400ha reserve

 

Individual sculptures created by 12 renown artists
 from around the world

Perfect fit for this amazing desert vista

Reminiscent of standing stones

Aztec influence by a Mexican artist

.

We saw ancient Aboriginal rock engravings

May be 30,000 years old

 

 

 gorgeous wild flowers

 

 

 

 and kangaroos.

 

Sleepy in the sun, he did not move even when we were so close

This little one is very skittish and thinks she is hiding from us

 

The best part though was the breathtakingly beautiful landscape of this magnificent country. I took lots of photos soon realising my little camera was really not up to the task.

Broken Hill day 1 & 2

Day 1

We went to the Family History Centre today and lucky enough to meet Sandra Hillock, she is one of the volunteers there and an absolute fountain of knowledge. It turns out that we may be related from way back in Cornwell via the family of our own John Rickard.. I was overwhelmed with the amount of info.

Sandra Hillock

Unfortunately there were no house numbers recoded before 1919 so where William and Hannah Caple lived in Ryan Street will remain a mystery.
Great Uncle Arthur Caple (senior) died 1923 at 103 Hebbard Street, we went there and have this photo of his house. It looks uninhabited and needs lots of TLC.
He worked at the Central Mine for the Sulphide Group.

103 Hebbard Street Broken Hill

We also went to the cemetery today and were very disappointed. We tried to follow the map and found all the Methodist sections and tried to check every grave, we did not find any of the Caple family we know are buried there. Both row numbers and grave numbers were not clear.

Oh my goodness, it was so sad, there are so many neglected, unmarked and unloved graves there, it really broke my heart. We left after about 2 hours feeling exhausted and dejected. We do know that they are there though and we were there remembering them so we may have to be content with that for now.

We have decided to phone the cemetery trust on Monday to see if they can help in any way.

Day 2

We did a part of the Broken Hill Silver Trail today and it was fascinating learning of the old and newer history of the city. The tour was supposed to take about 3 hours, we are only about a third of the way through it so far, seems we took far too long exploring each place and loving every minute of it.

The Miners memorial from the main street

A remnant of the halcyon days of BHP 

Black slag heap and the mullock heap at the Line of Lode

The Delport mining shaft

Memorial to the Mullockers

Miners memorial

How would it feel going 500metres into the earth
in one of these?

The day was perfect, sunny and warm, we sat in the city square having lunch watching the last of the Saturday morning shoppers leave the precinct. After wandering around for the rest of the afternoon we returned to the caravan park in time to chat with neighbours before dinner.

 

Mum Dad and the kid

 

 

Broken Hill from Joe Keenan Lookout looking toward the
 Miners Memorial
 

Methodist Church 1911
Made from corrugated iron and wood

 

 

Oh and I discovered the lake, (Lake View Caravan Park) if you look very carefully into the distance and the light is right a very small lake can be seen!

The Lake

Broken Hill NSW

Finally after a week away we made it to Broken Hill after a lovely drive from Mildura.

We didn't encounter much traffic and the highway was flanked by wild flowers in a beautiful red earth landscape.

 

Stunning scenery

Long straight road surrounded by flowers

First sign of mountains before Broken Hill

We had one stop at a road house on the way up and easily found the caravan park when we got here.

 

 

Poor fellow, he didn't make it to the road house in time
 

 

Lake View caravan park has no lake by the way and the bathrooms could do with a good scrub! One would think if premium prices were charged at least we could expect spotless facilities....not this time!

The mining industry is obvious as soon as you come close to Broken Hill and we can't wait to explore the area over the next few days.

 

 

Man made mountain

Signs of mining



Mullock Heaps

 

 

 

We found the streets where my Great Grandfather and Great Uncle lived which was an exciting start to finding the ancestors.