I've been absent from Blog land for a while because my dear Hubby and I and a couple of our friends went on a short holiday to Broken Hill. For those of you who have never heard of it, Broken Hill is a mining town just across the South Australian border in New South Wales. It is the place where BHP was born. I have to say it is a fabulous place to visit. Chock-a-block full of history and so very much to see. I thought I would share a few of the photos we took while we were there.
This is a shot from the train. Have no idea exactly where we were when I took it except that it was somewhere between Peterborough and Broken Hill.
This was taken in the main street of Broken Hill.
The only piece left of BHP's original office is this chimney.
The Miner's Memorial.
Approximately 8oo men have died in the mines since they were opened in the 1880's, the youngest was only 12 years old.
The plaques show their names, their ages and the way in which they died.
As you can imagine, we were all very subdued while walking through. Although there are no remains here, it is a very haunting place.
The Memorial stands on the top of the Line of Lode which runs through the middle of Broken Hill so, no matter where you are in the Town, it can still be seen.
This is one of the abandoned mines. There are still two mines operating here which is great for local employment but both these mines are owned by overseas Companies so neither the money nor the product stays here.
No idea what these tanks were used for, just thought they looked interesting.
The two cages on the right is what took the men below ground and also brought the ore to the surface. Luckily, conditions have changed a great deal over the last 100 hundred or so years and it is a lot more comfortable and a lot safer to work in the mines now.
This is Broken Hill looking down from the Line of Lode.
As I said at the beginning of this post, Broken Hill is a fantastic place to visit. We went on a Bus Tour nearly every day of our 9 day stay and we still missed quite a bit. The people are so friendly and helpful and there are lots of little specialty shops and Art Galleries to look in. Lots of eating places too and the food was absolutely delightful.
These are just a few of the photos we took around the town, there are heaps more from the bus trips we did. We went to White Cliffs and Silverton and we did the Sunset tour of the Big Sculptures and we also went to Menindee Lake and Kinchega National Park, so there are a lot more photos. If there is enough interest I'll show some more in the next few weeks.
Thank you so much for visiting and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.
Take care and God Bless.
This was taken in the main street of Broken Hill.
The only piece left of BHP's original office is this chimney.
The Miner's Memorial.
Approximately 8oo men have died in the mines since they were opened in the 1880's, the youngest was only 12 years old.
The plaques show their names, their ages and the way in which they died.
As you can imagine, we were all very subdued while walking through. Although there are no remains here, it is a very haunting place.
The Memorial stands on the top of the Line of Lode which runs through the middle of Broken Hill so, no matter where you are in the Town, it can still be seen.
This is one of the abandoned mines. There are still two mines operating here which is great for local employment but both these mines are owned by overseas Companies so neither the money nor the product stays here.
No idea what these tanks were used for, just thought they looked interesting.
The two cages on the right is what took the men below ground and also brought the ore to the surface. Luckily, conditions have changed a great deal over the last 100 hundred or so years and it is a lot more comfortable and a lot safer to work in the mines now.
This is Broken Hill looking down from the Line of Lode.
As I said at the beginning of this post, Broken Hill is a fantastic place to visit. We went on a Bus Tour nearly every day of our 9 day stay and we still missed quite a bit. The people are so friendly and helpful and there are lots of little specialty shops and Art Galleries to look in. Lots of eating places too and the food was absolutely delightful.
These are just a few of the photos we took around the town, there are heaps more from the bus trips we did. We went to White Cliffs and Silverton and we did the Sunset tour of the Big Sculptures and we also went to Menindee Lake and Kinchega National Park, so there are a lot more photos. If there is enough interest I'll show some more in the next few weeks.
Thank you so much for visiting and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.
Take care and God Bless.
Thank you Marg for this little photo trip around Broken Hill, a place full of history and interesting things to see and explore. It looks dry there in those photos. And that is so sad about the miners losing their lives in the mines, a dangerous job for them.. And even sadder to know that overseas owners take the money and resources out of Australia... Thanks for sharing Marg...but one question.... Is there a hill that is broken?
ReplyDeleteHi Lizzy. I guess we all know that the town was named for a hill that looked broken but it was never pointed out to us nor did I see any sign of it. I would say it disappeared from all the mining that was done. x
DeleteI'm a bit of a sucker for travel photos...so bring 'em on...although I must say, outback Aussie isn't the place I'd chose to visit! I still LOVED your photos...the weather looks amazing...love how you got the whip shop in the foreground of your town shops pic and the looking over the town ones really show it in context. I went here in the 1980s last when my brother was living and working here....it IS interesting, I admit! Just soooooooo isolated!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful photos and thank you for the narratives and background - it looks like you had a wonderful trip. Beautiful Australia is at the top of my list of places to visit - and has been since I was 6 years old or so - and now is on my bucket list! As soon as my husband retires, that will be our first item of business.Again, thank you for sharing the wonderful photos.
ReplyDeleteFabulous photos Margie and it sounds as if you had an wonderful time! Such an amazing history and so many points of interest. Outback Australia always fills me with admiration for the people who made and still make a living there. I am sure this will be a holiday to remember!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you had an amazing trip Margy! Places like BH are really special I think.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting! BHP is a mining company I presume. I love visiting small towns. They are always chockablock full of interest and quirky places to visit!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the little walk down memory lane, Marg! I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed Broken Hill...I agree, it is a fascinating place with so much to see & do. Fabulous photos...thanks for sharing xx
ReplyDelete