Day Twenty - Silverton

Greetings & salutations from "the original outback" ... which is what is written on all the tourist signs around Broken Hill. GB & I are currently sitting with our feet up after a pretty full day. In fact, I took so many photos that I just know my blog writing ap will spit the dummy, so I'll divide them into two posts ... You may want to grab a cuppa & put your feet up. :0)

So ... Our first stop today was ...

... Daydream Mine. This was one of the earliest silver mines in the area & is about a half hour drive from Broken Hill, including some bumpy dirt road driving. In fact, as we drove in, this was what we saw ...

And we wondered who would look at this vast, open, harsh environment & decide to start digging?! :0) The mine is no longer a working concern ... There's still plenty of silver in that thar ground, but the price of silver is relatively low, so it isn't cost effective to mine. They do, however, offer a tour of the former mining operation ... So off we went. Above ground ...

Some of the machinery used ...

Everywhere there are piles of discarded rock that was brought up from underground in the hunt for silver.

The 'bosun's chair' & one of the buildings involved in the mining process. Then we all donned highly attractive safety helmets & headed down one of the shafts. With roughly cut steps, low sloping ceilings & darkness this was definitely physically challenging for this unfit slug & I felt like I'd done a month's worth of squats by the time we got down & back, as much of the journey was achieved in a semi squat. But I did it. :0) 

Here's a smooth section of tunnel.

And some examples of the tools used to break through the rock to extract the galena (lead, silver & zinc combined) & transport it to the surface.

And do you see the black veins in the rock? That is silver in its 'tarnished' form & the sparkle in the centre of this pic is where some rock has broken away to reveal the shine of silver. And that is what our miners were looking for. :0) 

It was a very interesting insight into how the pioneers of this area made a living ... I certainly wouldn't want to do it! Once we'd emerged into the sun again, it was off to our next stop ... The 'ghost town' of Silverton ... Which will be a separate post to keep the blog ap happy. :0) 

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS