Day 229 - Day Dream Silver Mine and Silverton

Today was a lot cooler than yesterday so we were not put off by a trip to the Day Dream Silver Mine and the town of Silverton.  The mine was 33km from Broken Hill, the last 13km of which were along a good gravel road through some pretty rough country, rather typical of the Barrier Range country.  Silverton was about 26km from Broken Hill.

We did the tour of the Day Dream Silver Mine.  It was founded and worked before Broken Hill was discovered.  The real message from this tour was how difficult the working conditions must have been for the miners, some of them as young as eight.  Much of the time they would have been working on their backs.  The silver was in lead sulphide mineralisation.  The mine was one of the most profitable at the time, and had the highest silver content ever found in the Barrier Range mines, of which there were 300.  Living conditions on the surface would not have been too salubrious either.

211114 Another mine? Well, we are in mining country

211114 Where the miners lived.  They slept in these, sitting up

211114 Remains of a Cornish Wheelbarrow in the mine

211114 Candle light - the light by which the miners worked

211114 The host rock with some lead/silver ore shining in the centre

Silverton, with a population of 51, had its heyday back in 1885 when its population reached 3000. It was the terminus of a private railway which took silver to the NSW/SA border and then via the SA railway to Adelaide.  Few buildings remain in Silverton as many of the original buildings were transported by jinkers to Broken Hill.  Those that do remain house several galleries, a couple of pubs, two churches, and a few museums.  Mad Max 2 was filmed in the area, so it was no surprise to have a Mad Max Museum.

211114 Silverton township, population 51

211114 The main street of Silverton

211114 Outside the Silverton Hotel

211114 The Silverton Hotel

211114 John Dynon Gallery

211114 Mad Max Museum

211114 Mad Max Museum

211114 What was left after a drover's disappointing meeting at the
Municipal Chambers.  Even his horse showed its displeasure

We drove out to Umberumberka Reservoir which was built in 1914. This was the original water reservoir for Broken Hill.  The gates were locked so we could not enter.  The road to the reservoir did have the wreckage from a recent road accident, which was a bit unsettling.

211114 On the road just outside Silverton

The Mundi Mundi Lookout, about 5km from Silverton, provided us with a panoramic view of the outback plains that spread from the base of the Barrier Range.

211114 The road leading down from the Barrier Range to the
outback plains from Mundi Mundi Outlook

The mine tour guide explained that in the old days, women used to treat their eyes with an extract from one of the plants that grew at the mine.  The outcome was greatly widened eyes.  The plant was a Silver Leafed Night Shade, a relative of the Deadly Nightshade - believe it or not.

211114 Silver Leafed Night Shade