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Day 2
The new morning brought us some more rain and a nice cool (34 degrees) drive, towards our destination for today Broken hill which was only a short drive of 456kms along the Barrier Hwy. Now to give you an idea that's the same as driving from Leeds to Exeter in England. But while in England you might drive past atleast ten major towns, here in the outback we drove past two little roadhouses and a town called Willcannia, and fairdinkum you wouldn't call Willcannia a big town mate.
About the best thing in Willcannia is the old lift bridge which was build way back in 1896, and was made to lift so it would enable the old paddlesteamers and their heavily laden barges to pass underneath. As you can see the new highway bridge passes right next to it, the new one might be nice and smooth but it doesn't have the same feel to it.... you just can't beat a drive across those old bridges.
A few of the locals along the side of the road, crikey I wouldn't want to hit those buggers at 110km/h.
Getting closer to Broken hill
And closer...
We then hit a family of bloody Willcannia bush midges! now we have to give the cattle truck a wash.... bugger.
Then we were their but we couldn't take it easy as we had to get out to Silverton, before the rain started again.
And our first stop at Silverton was the legendary SILVERTON HOTEL, which has been seen in heaps of aussie movies like RAZORBACK, THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT, DIRTY DEEDS and THE CRAIC. Aswell Silverton has been the location for over 140 movies crikey, some were Mission Impossible II, The camel boy, A town like Alice, Mad Max and Reckless Kelly just to name a few.
Anyone who has been to Silverton will know that the bush town has been taken over by some ripper artists like Peter Browne, Albert Woodroffe and John Dyson. This Gallerie that the kiddies are standing in frount of is John Dysons, and the sign was wrong... it wasn't open.
It must of been that time of day as the Mad Max museum was also closed.... bugger but atleast we did get to see one of there cars out frount.
Silverton is now inhabited by a permanent population of only 50 people, and has become a very popular aussie tourist destination.
The Silverton Outback Art Gallery also has original work from artists Peter Browne, Justin Cowely, Leo Smanioto and Mick Andrich. With an extensive range of paintings and some beaut sculptures, it's a ripper place to get your hands on ridge-didge prints, aussie souvenirs and something different for your trip.
The kiddies outside the COWZ GALLERY in frount of the old Emu car, fairdinkum Silverton is just a ripper place to have a gander at the Galleries. You can just sit at the top of the hill and take in the view of this bush town, or you can sit back at the bar of the hotel and just drift away with a schooner of beer.... But not when you have a cattle truck full of bloody kiddies, so on we go to our next stop which is just up the road.
After a short 5 kms we were at the Mundi Mundi lookout which heaps of people visit because of one thing, and that is because it was the sight of the Mad Max movies.
Pretty cool hay so here is Mad Max, Mad Harry, Mad Sarah, Mad Jacko, Mad Oscar and little Mad Chase.
Then on our way back into Broken hill we passed a few old donkeys on the road, which the kiddies couldn't pass up a chance for a pat.
We just got back into the van before it rain down cat's n' dog's, and drove back to The Hill for a feed at McDonalds. And then back to our cabin for the night, and it rained all night but there was no chance it would keep us up.... we were nackered!
Arrivederci!
Then we had a squiz at Another one named 'Thomasina' and was made by a Bathurst Islander named Thomasina Munkanome, it's a bit strange looking but that's Chase for ya ha,ha.
Here is the little princess with 'Facing the day and night', which we saw at the top, she liked this one because of the wedge tailed eagle on it.
Sarah in frount of a sculpture named 'Motherhood' which she can find out about all that crap when she turn's 34! It was chiseled out by a Georgian bloke named Badri Salushia.
This one was called 'The Bride' So we'll keep Sarah away from this one, which looks like a chunk of rock and was made into a chuck of rock by a bloke called Mahomad Mira from Syria.
This sculpture was the kiddies favourite and was named 'Horse' by another Georgian fella Jumber Jikiya, I reckon he must of sat up all night coming up with that name. But the sculptures are worth the little drive out to see them, and make sure your out their at sundown as the place just comes alive as all the desert reds in the landscape comes out to play.
Here we have a happy little donkey and the one outside the car looks pretty happy also, the things you see walking along the highway... well useally their laying on the highway as roadkill but in this case we get to see it 'Before hand'. I happily named him 'Speedhump'.
The next place we drove to was 'The Living Desert' which is a bunch of Wilcannian sandstone sculptures up on top of Sunown hill about 12kms from Broken hill, and fairdinkum it wasn't really that bad... Yes you have to pay an entrance fee but it was during the week so we got in for free (beauty)
After The eleven sculptures are nestled amongst the ripper Barrier Rangers and are really worth the drive up to have a gander, this one was named 'Facing the day and night' by a mexican fella named Eduardo Nasts Luna.
This sculpture was made by another little mexican fella by the name of Antonio Nava Tirado and it's named 'Bajo El Sol Jaguar' which translates in aussie to 'Under the jaguar sun'... That explanes a lot.... Not!
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