The Extraordinary Tourist
Day Dream Mine and the Titanic Monument.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Road Trip Day 4: 26th May 2007
The plan today was to head out to the outback Ghost Town of Silverton (NSW), the site of more than 140 Films and commercials, including 'Mad Max II'. On the way we decided a side trip tour of Day Dream Mine would easily fit into our day.
Unfortunately we got off to a late start and never factored in the 12 kilometres of unsealed loose dirt, winding road that you need to negotiate in order to get to the mine from the main road. By the time we got to the mine it was 12:25pm. Rose and I then had to wait about thirty minutes for ten minutes to go by until the next tour of the mine (i.e. Gary, our guide, said the next tour would be in ten minutes. Thirty minutes later... In all fairness Gary was waiting for the previous tour group to finish).
 Not that we were standing around. There was plenty to look at around the cafe/gift shop, as well as in the cafe its self. We even had time for a cup of tea. Whilst waiting Rose and I took the opportunity to take many photos.
The tour of Day Dream mine takes you around one tenth of the total mine and is both above and below ground (with some fairly low ceilings and a few rocky slopes to navigate below ground). Gary, explained that the mine was operated by Cornish Miners (below ground) and Irish workers (above ground) who processed various metal deposits with the main one being silver. The mine dates from 1882 and was one of the original mines around Silverton. It was abandoned in 1887.
 The tour takes about an hour and is very interactive in the sense that Gary gave plenty of opportunity for us to suggest answers to his questions such as; "Why do you think the miners slept sitting up?" (I won't tell you the answer but who'd have thought sleeping could be a life or death affair for your average Cornish Miner?). Gary also notes that many of the miners were in fact minors - boys 12 years old and younger.
The end of tour below the surface of the mine was quite interesting in particular as Gary showed us the relationship between the areas we traversed below ground with what can be seen on the surface. It's not so easy trying to get your bearings when Gary asks his first question "Which direction do you think we walked at the beginning going into the mine?"
 On the way out Rose and I stopped at the first gate you come to driving to the mine to take a few photos of the landscape. In the picture to the right you can see just how isolated Day Dream Mine is. Off to my right you can see some of the road we drove along.
By the time we left it was 3:20pm. Not enough time to continue to Silverton. We decided to leave that for tomorrow. Instead we drove back to Broken Hill and snapped a picture of something you wouldn't expect to find in an outback Aussie Town, a monument to the band that played on board the Titanic (yes the famous ship that sank).
 Quite a nice gesture by the town's own band group who wanted to recognise the bravery of the Titanic's band members - who played on, even as the ship was sinking.Labels: Broken Hill, Cornish, Day Dream Mine, mining, places, road trip 2007, Silverton, travel
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