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The plains beyond Silverton which have become a popular haunt for film makers
 

Silverton
Popular destination for movie makers. This near-ghost is town full of interesting arts and craft shops
Silverton is a fascinating town located near the South Australian border, 1183 km west of Sydney via the Great Western, Mitchell and Barrier Highways and 24 km west of Broken Hill along an atrocious piece of sealed road.

Once a thriving mining centre of 3000 Silverton is now a virtual ghost town of about 50 inhabitants with a number of historic buildings, several art galleries and museums and a pub and that is about it. It is a town surrounded by 4000 hectares of land known as The Silverton Common, in a semi-arid zone.

The earliest known human inhabitants of the area are said to be the Willyama Aborigines, although, there being no permanent water supply in the immediate area their presence was only intermitant. At any rate they were decimated by European disease and forcibly driven from the lands which underscored their self-sufficiency and their entire culture. More recently the Paarkinji people have moved up from the lower Darling.

The first Europeans to see the Barrier Range were Charles Sturt and party during their trek from Adelaide in 1844 intended to prove or disprove the existence of an inland sea in the centre of Australia. Sturt named the Barrier Range as a result of the difficulties it presented to his progress. He described the land as some of the most barren and desolate he had seen.

Pastoralists, who had followed in the wake of Sturt in the 1850s, moved further west in the 1860s as river frontage disappeared along the Darling. Much local land was taken up in 1864 after a severe drought the previous year though low rainfall continued to hamper prosperity. Goods were shipped up the Darling via river steamer and then hauled overland by bullock teams.

Prospectors began working in the area in 1867 after a fallacious report of a gold find by a local station hand who appears to have made the claim as a pretext for stealing a horse. However, in 1875, two men hit a lode of silver while drilling a well on Thackaringa station, south of present-day Silverton. A storekeeper at Menindee named Patrick Green staked out a claim after being shown the sample, calling it the Pioneer mine. However, when the material was sent to England to be assayed it went astray and it was not until 1880 that the value of the find became apparent. A settlement of 300 people soon developed around the site which had but one public house, albeit a popular one.

In 1881 John Stokie established the Umberumberka claim. Miners and prospectors began to arrive, especially from the declining copper fields of South Australia. A settlement, initially known as Umberumberka, soon emerged 2 km south-west of the present township. It consisted of a store, a hotel and two boarding houses to cater for a population of 150. However, many settlers preferred to establish themselves closer to the water supply and so set up camp by Umberumberka Creek. The town centre gradually shifted to the latter location and was named Silverton in 1883 when a survey took place. Slap-dash huts of iron and canvas began to proliferate. The population increased from 250 in September of that year to 500 by December and peaked at two or three thousand in 1885-86. In 1884 alone 1222 mineral leases, 937 business permits and 114 miners' rights were issued. That same year 6000 tonnes of ore were extracted, three-quarters of it being sent to South Australia for processing.

Silverton was proclaimed a township in 1885 and a municipality the following year. A newspaper, the Silver Age, was established in 1884. It published some of the early verse of poet Mary Gilmore who, from 1887 to 1889, was an assistant teacher at Silverton school which is still standing.

In 1887 the Town and Country Journal wrote that: 'The scum of the country began to be attracted to the new and prosperous field like blowflies to a carcase (sic). Horse-stealers, cattle duffers, mining sharks and rogues of all descriptions rolled up...Robberies, and the jumping of claims and allotments, were things of daily occurrence. It was nothing unusual to see from ten to twenty culprits chained together to a tree at the rear of the police camp - some of the more refractory members having bells fixed on to their backs so that, should they attempt to get away, the police would be warned.

Silverton's geographic isolation was originally an added expense to the mine's transport costs. The South Australian government extended their line to the border but the NSW government refused to join it to Silverton and Broken Hill so the locals formed the Silverton Tramway Company and, in 1888, built a line to the South Australian border.

The Day Dream Mine, to the north-west, opened in 1883 and a settlement of 400 to 500 people soon coagulated around that site. The first smelters in the district were established there in 1885 but closed the following year. The problem was that the extraordinarily high-grade ore was rapidly disappearing on all of the sites. Moreover, the discovery of a huge lode at Broken Hill soon began to draw the population away. By 1888 Silverton was down to 1700 people and to 286 by 1901. Many of the houses were carted off to Broken Hill by their owners. Umberumberka mine closed in 1892, Day Dream was abandoned in the 1890s and Thackaringa mine closed in 1897. Today about 50 people remain in Silverton and most of those cater to tourism.

Remember, if driving in the outback, ensure that your vehicle is in tip-top condition, carry emergency fuel, water and food supplies, inform someone of your plans and it is advisable to take spare belts and hoses. Always stay with your vehicle if lost or broken down and ring (08) 8087 0660 to check in advance on the state of local roads which can become impassable after rain.


 

Things to see:   [Top of page]

Church, School and Galleries
As you enter Silverton from Broken Hill you will cross Blackhill Creek and find yourself in Burke St. Take the second left into Loftus St and proceed up the hill. To the left is the old school building which served as an educational centre from 1885 to 1970. On the way up the hill you will pass St Carthage Catholic Church, which dates from 1886, the Peter Browne Art Gallery and the John Dynon Art Gallery.

 

Masonic Lodge
Return along Loftus St a short distance and turn left into Canopus St. To the left is the old masonic lodge (1885), built with the money of Charles Rasp, one of first lodge members.

 

Sturt St
Continue along Canopus St, turn right into Layard St and proceed to the Sturt St corner where you will find Andy Jenkins: the only person in Australia who has a licence to deface the currency. Andy is a coin carver who fashions money into interesting pieces of jewellery.

Turn right into Sturt St which was the route along which railway once ran. On your right is the old Methodist Church, built as a Presbyterian Church in 1885. As the Wesleyans greatly outnumbered the Presbyterians the latter sold their church to the former when the Wesleyan Church was destroyed in 1891 by a tempest.

 

Silverton Hotel
Return to Layard St and continue past Horizon Gallery to the Silverton Hotel near the Burke St corner. Silverton has recently become popular as a location for filmmakers looking for an easily accessible desert setting. It has used for films as diverse as Wake in Fright, Mad Max 2, A Town Like Alice, Hostage, Razorback , Journey into Darkness and Golden Soak. It easy access to Broken Hill has also meant that it has been popular with commercial makers. One prominent feature in these films is the Silverton Hotel, built in 1885 to house the town's postal service which was established in 1883. A photographic collection bears witness to its place in Australia's film history. This is a pub with lots of character and a wry humour typical of Australia. The bust of Menzies, Australia's prime minister from 1949-1967, is presumably ironic, given his 'honorary' title of Ming the Merciless.

 

Silverton Pioneer Museum and Opal Shop
Turn right into Burke St. To your right is the Silverton Pioneer Museum. Open daily it features an outdoor display of farm equipment such as carts, wagons, engines, tools and machinery from the old sheep stations, all located in a garden setting. The indoor collection includes minerals, shells and Aboriginal rock carvings. The museum is also home to an opal shop. Over the road is the old municipal chambers building (1889).

 

Gaol and Courthouse
At the corner of Burke and Loftus Sts is the town's second gaol. The original gaol was a timber and iron building. When NSW's Chief Justice, Sir Frederick Darley, visited Silverton in 1888 he was appalled at the conditions which the inmates endured. 22 men were crammed into four small cells and secured at night in leg irons, regardless of whether or not they had been tried. When the gaol overflowed they were chained to peppercorn trees outside. The sole female prisoner was gaoled for nine months awaiting retrial and was being kept in the bathroom, there being nowhere else for her. The present building was erected in 1889 but was soon superseded by facilities at Broken Hill. It became an overnight lock-up in 1892, a boys' reformatory in the 1930s and was closed altogether in 1943. It was restored by the local historical society and reopened as a museum in the 1960s. Open daily from 9.30 am. to 4.30 p.m. it now displays historic items such as photographs, documents, household items and pastoral and mining equipment. One document is a bill of sale by which James Poole tragically exchanged his share in the Broken Hill mine for ten steers before the extent of the mineral deposit was realised. There is also a silver model of the Block 10 Mine given by shareholders to the manager for his success in ending the strike of 1892. One of the real curiousities is the coroner's bath. This was filled with some preservative and bodies were placed in it until the coroner could arrive from Sydney. In the days before the railway this could take up to three months. Over the road from the gaol is the old courthouse (1889).

 

Lookout
Proceed west of Silverton along the sealed road for about 5 km to the place clearly marked Scenic Lookout on the edge of the Mundi Mundi Plains. It is a remarkable view. From the top of the hill the flatlands stretch for an eternity to the horizon.

 

Reservoir
It is another 4 km west to Umberumberka Reservoir. The complex was completed in 1915 although the original pumping plant was found insufficient and replaced in 1920 by another unit. This second plant, replaced in 1960 by a new diesel system, is now on display every day except public holidays from 8.30 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. Today the reservoir functions as a standby facility to supplement the main water supply at Broken Hill.

 

Penrose Park Recreation Area
1 km east of town on the Broken Hill Road is the turnoff across the Umberumberka Creek to Penrose Park Recreational Area. This 20-ha park is a popular picnic spot for people from Broken Hill who come out to Silverton for the day and pay for the upkeep by means of a subscription. There are picnic facilities, wood and gas barbecues, powered caravan and camping sites with amenities, a large hall for hire with power, kitchen facilities and bunkhouses, as well as a playground, an oval, bird aviaries, day and night-time tennis and other sports facilities, tel: (08) 8088 5307, or, after hours, (08) 8088 5327.

 

Day Dream Mine
It is still possible to get some sense of what life was like for the miners of the late 19th century at the old Day Dream Mine site which is open to tourists. Take the Broken Hill Rd out of town and, after about 3 km, take the signposted turnoff on the left. Snacks, cold drinks and souvenirs are available. The tour takes one hour. Be sure to take sturdy footwear. You can either make a booking at the Broken Hill Visitors' Centre or just turn up any time between 10 a.m. and 3.30 p.m. seven days a week.

 

 

 

 

Broadwalk Business Brokers

Broadwalk Business Brokers

Broadwalk Business Brokers specialise in General Businesses for Sale, Caravan Parks for Sale, Motels for Sale, Management Rights & Resorts for Sale, Farms for Sale, Hotels for sale,Commercial & Industrial Properties for Sale.

 

Phone: 1300 136 559

Email: enquiries@broadwalkbusinessbrokers.com.au

 

 

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We advise prospective purchasers that we take no responsibility for the accuracy of any information in the business provided by vendors or their professional advisers and that they should make their own enquiries as to the accuracy of this information, including obtaining independent legal and/or accounting advice

 

 

 

 

Silverton