Mining and the arts

Silverton is not the only place that is popular with artists - Broken Hill is also a bit of a magnet for artists, and interpretation of the Australian outback has no equal to that showcased in Broken Hill.

Probably one of the most famous Australian artists - Kevin Charles (Pro) Hart (1928-2006) is a Broken Hill native - it's the place he was bred, the place he worked and the place he called home for 77 years.
Pro Hart captured all aspects of daily life in Broken Hill and the surrounding outback: people yarning over back fences, kids roaming and the stoic resistance of the hard working men and women of an outback town.  There is a lovely gallery of Pro Hart's work here in Broken Hill and today his paintings can be found all around the world.

In addition to numerous art galleries there are also museums and exhibits which highlight the rich history of the mines over the last 130 years.  Broken Hill is Australia's longest-lived mining city.  Fortunes have come and gone against an economic background of boom and bust.  This legacy continues today.  The mines working today employ a fraction of the people who once laboured underground but they continue to produce a substantial yield.  To date, the seam of Broken Hill has yielded 300 million metric tonnes of ore - enough to fill more than 1500 concert halls the size of the Sydney Opera House!  Big, high-tech machinery and cement-lined underground roads are the way of the mining industry today, but we can all appreciate the challenge that mining once was with miners toiling away by lamplight with hammer and chisel.

As I was walking to one of the galleries I went to today I came across this little fellow, a frill necked lizard, who was overjoyed to spend a bit of time in a sprinkler.

As this is my last full day here in Broken Hill I wanted to end my visit with another little look at what Broken Hill is famous for - its mines.  This is the original South Mine shaft, built out of timber, and (thankfully) not in use any longer ... as you can see from the big bulge as the shaft is now leaning precariously.  Beside it is a "newer" (although not in use any longer either) steel shaft, built from leftover materials from when they built the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Dinner tonight was at one of the clubs here in town with people who are all associated in one way or another with Broken Hill.  It was so incredibly interesting to listen as they shared their stories of growing up in Broken Hill and worked in the mines.  It was truly a very special evening - and if any of them are reading this blog ... thank you!