A quick road trip in June took us to Broken Hill, Silverton and Mungo National park – three very unique paces that reveal the quirky character and timeless history of Australia.
What to tick at Broken Hill
Broken Hill is a historical but also strangely groovy silver, lead and zinc mining town on the edge of the desert at the central-western edge of New South Wales. There’s a lot of buildings and restaurants full of character to explore but three things not to miss are: 1. The Pro Hart Gallery 2. The Sculpture Symposium 13 km out of town – amazing at sunset when the rock sculptures soak up the colours and 3. The incredible views over town and open cut mines from the Line of Load Lookout and Miners Memorial
What to tick in Silverton
Silverton should be called Colourton as it is bursting with colourful artists, characters and stories including these three: 1. The Mad Max Museum with all the crazy futuristic props and costumes form all the films. 2. The John Dynon Art Gallery where you can watch the colourful quirky artist at work or just enjoy a chat while you browse. 3. Mundi Mundi Lookout a few minutes drive north of Silverton is a clearing atop the Barrier ranges that provides an endless view across Mundi Mundi Station towards the boarder of South Australia. Pack a chair and some refreshments and linger after the sun sets (and the crowds go) for the soft descent into absolute darkness.
What to tick in Mungo National Park
Mungo National Park, the home of the 50,000 year old “Mungo Man’ is said to be one of the oldest places outside of Africa to have been occupied by humans. It’s part moonscape, part sandune-sculpture park and part living history exhibit and totally surreal. It’s also a bit of a trek on unsealed roads to get in and out so allow plenty of time and do a bit of planning at the Mungo NP website before you go. Once there, make sure you include these three highlights: 1. The 500 m Walls of China Boardwalk – a 5 minute drive up the road from the Visitors centre which has information panels describing how the Walls of China sandune formation was formed and named! . 2. The Visitor Centre with its interactive displays depicting the natural and cultural history of the area, including an interesting outdoor display of the 20,000 year old footprints found in the region 3. An Aboriginal Discovery Tour with one of the Aboriginal rangers from the tribal groups of the Willandra Lakes region.
