GOATS, a ghost town and grandiose murals: there was plenty to see when the Bathurst Branch of the Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association (CPSA) travelled to Broken Hill. The branch’s KAY JONES explains.
SIXTEEN members of the Bathurst Branch of the CPSA went on a train trip to Broken Hill recently.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Members boarded the XPT at Bathurst and Orange and travelled to Dubbo, where they caught the NSW TrainLink coach to Broken Hill.
Travelling along the Barrier Highway, we noticed feral goats outnumbering the sheep grazing on the desert grass.
We were to learn on a tour out to Silverton the next day that an industry has started up in Broken Hill exporting halal goat meat overseas. The feral goats, once considered a pest, now provide lucrative returns to struggling graziers.
As the day turned to dusk and then into night, we watched a bright red sunset turning the sky into shades of red, gold, purple and grey. Kangaroos lined the highway on both sides, seemingly watching a parade as we passed. A few with a death wish would cut across the highway, narrowly missing the bus. Eventually one failed to make it and went under the wheels of our coach.
After a stop at Cobar for a dinner break, we arrived in Broken Hill at 10.30pm (Central Australia Time) and were dropped off at our motel.
Next morning, when we went out, we could see why Broken Hill is called “The Hill”, as there is a huge hill of slag and shale, all residue from the mining, right there on the other side of the railway line.
Perched atop this hill is the Line of Lode Lookout and Miners’ Memorial, which we visited the next day.
This day, however, we had a tour of the nearby ghost town of Silverton, where we had lunch at the famous Silverton Pub and saw the Mundi Mundi Plains where Mad Max 2 was made.
It was also a special day for two of our members, Margaret Stephen and Elaine Anderson, both of whom were celebrating their birthdays and trying to keep it a secret.
The word got out and as dinner had been booked at the Musicians’ Club, a quick call was made and the chef organised a birthday cake worthy of any MasterChef.
On our last day in Broken Hill we went on a City Sights and Heritage Tour and several of the members went out to the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
Of course, no visit to Broken Hill would be complete without a visit to the Palace Hotel, whose grandiose murals were made famous by the film Priscilla: Queen of the Desert.
The next morning we boarded the Explorer Train and experienced a nice leisurely trip home through the vast Central West landscape.
Arriving safe and sound back in Bathurst after a most enjoyable four days, we had learnt a lot about Broken Hill and its contribution to Australian history.
