4^th October: Broken Hill

It was amazing this morning! Everyone packed up and left! After being like sardines, cheek by jowl and unable to move, we suddenly became isolated in a paddock of wood chips with virually no-one within cooee! Was it something that we said? Or did we smell?

We spent the day looking at a few things but being Saturday of a long weekend lots were closed! We did go to the Visitor's Centre and found that most of the good stuff (like the art and silver jewellery)had moved to another place – where the Big Picture was. Most travellers love the Big Picture – an enormous mural 100 metre long round the viewing platform depicting very brightly coloured aspects of the landscape of the west. It was painted by the brother of the owner of the place, Peter Anderson. I appreciate the concept and the sheer effort involved but I was much more impressed by the work of Pro Hart which we also saw in the gallery of his work! I love his pictures of life in Broken Hill with stick like figures and the bright, almost harsh colours of the red earth. However, I didn't know of his religious themed work or of his social comment about life underground in the mines.(I didn't know he had worked for 20 years as a miner!) They too are very evocative! Then there is his dragonfly on carpet! (Do you remember the ad? “Oh! Mr Hart!”) I loved the dragonflies of which he painted numerous versions. 4 Rolls Royces on display in the garages and a collection of silver rattles that his wife had collected from all over the world. They had 5 children, all of whom are artists in their own right. An amazing man!

I had asked at Reception here about dinner. She sent us to an old pub which didn't inspire us very much. But she said the food was good and so we thought we would give it a try. Well, I was glad we booked! The place filled rapidly and the noise level rose! The food, a long time coming, was very good and innovative: beef or chicken schnitzels with a variety of exotic toppings. We did enjoy it! With bubbles, of course! Glen gave me a fancy plate I had admired during our visit to the Big Picture.

Lots of resting during the day which was good as tomorrow we travel!