The Extraordinary Tourist
Mining at Iron Knob.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Road Trip Day 10: 1st June 2007 (Morning)
The township of Iron Knob reminds me very much of Silverton in Broken Hill. It is a town that has been largely forgotten once the mines, that gave it life, were closed down in 1999. Like Silverton a few die hard locals still live there, doing what they can to breathe life into a town that truly is the Birth place of the steel industry in Australia.
The town no longer has a council, no one pays rates and consequently it is looking a little run down around the edges (and a bit in the middle too). However the town project committee is dedicated to building a tourist industry that will help build the town again. Either way, Iron Knob isn't destined to become a ghost town as the mines are being reopened. Property values in Whyalla have started to rise because of this and no doubt Iron Knob will follow.
 Our tour of Iron Knob began at the Iron Knob Tourist Centre where our guide, Phil, showed us around the various exhibits and explained the history of the mine.
Broken Hill Proprietary Limited (or BHP as they came to be known) weren't the first to mine Iron Knob but were the first to get things going full steam and were largely responsible for building the Township. BHP came to the region in 1899 as it began developing its interests in the steel industry.
There is no definitive answer as to how the town got it's name. It is thought that the name comes from a very large piece of Iron Ore found protruding from the side of the hill (hence 'iron knob') however the actual name given was 'Iron Monarch' because the rock formation resembled a monarch sitting on his thrown (maybe the English monarch at the time was a bit of a 'knob'?). There are other mines in the region 'Iron Prince' and 'Iron Baron' the names of which were inspired by the royal theme begun with 'Iron Monarch'.
After watching a short video on the history of the mine the tour continues with a trip around the town and up into the original mine. You drive your own car with the guide in the back seat directing you to all the significant places.
The first part of the tour is the township. Phil says that he recently added this as part of the tour to create a more complete picture of the region's history. He points out many houses and talks about who used to live in them as well as injecting his own local knowledge of events - the kind of stuff that never makes it into tour brochures.
One of the more unusual sights is the town's public toilet facilities which Phil proudly announces is one of the most photographed toilets in Australia. Hardly surprising given that a local artist painted a very classy mural of the word 'Dunny' on the front wall. You can't get much more Aussie than that!
 Next you head up to the only mine that you are able to view now that the lease is being reopened. It's a rather steep climb up a dirt road and on the way you pass an early 'digger' (electric shovel) which is kind of like a crane but with a shovel on the front.
At the top you look into one of the biggest 'hand dug' holes you're ever likely to see. This is one of the original mines and was worked by teams of men digging by hand, removing some 80-90 tons of ore (each) per day.
There is also a very spectacular view of the surrounding country side from here. After recent rain, Phil informed us that the view was about as green as you're ever likely to see it.
Once you've seen the mine, the tour is pretty much over as you head back to the tourist centre. Phil pointed out some final pieces of historic equipment within the grounds of the centre including one of the old electric trains used to haul ore.
Iron Knob is a town with a great potential for a thriving tourist trade. It could easily be as successful as Silverton. The surrounding country side at Iron Knob is every bit as inspiring for artists as Silverton. It is surprising that no local artists have set up a gallery (Phil said that the town's only recognised artist - who painted the Dunny mural - no longer lives in Iron Knob). There's a lot of history to be inspired by and a great opportunity to benefit from the initiatives of the town's project committee.
The tours are excellent value and comprehensive. Our guide, Phil, lives in the town and is part of the push to revive it. He's worked for BHP during the seventies and has many stories to tell. He believes enthusiastically in the townships future and really puts across a strong sense of community. Iron Knob is much more than a big hole in the ground.Labels: Iron Knob, iron ore, mine, mining, places, road trip 2007, Silverton, steel, travel
White's Mine and Doll & Bear Display.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Road Trip Day 5: 27th May 2007 (Morning)
Kevin White's Mineral Art and Living Mining Museum and Betty White's Handmade Doll & Bear display is an unlikely pairing of themes and subject matter but makes for an interesting experience for the whole family.
Located in Broken Hill, a slight detour off the road to Silverton, visitors are greeted and then directed to view a short video that covers the history of mining in the region (up to 1983... leaving you to wonder if some of the future projections made in the video have come to pass). The video gives a good over view of the Broken Hill story to a trip to the town could easily begin at White's Mine.
 Betty was our guide for Kevin's replica mine museum. She did an excellent job pointing out the contrast between early mining and the mostly machine driven, push button technology used today. She made the point that when people talk about the 'good old days' of mining, the only thing 'good' about them is that they're gone. Such was the appalling conditions early miners had to work in.
A feature of the mining museum is Kevin's mineral art. Images made entirely from finely crumbled mineral rock. Kevin has, what seemed like, hundreds of artworks created this way ranging from mining scenes, to iconic Broken Hill buildings to important events and stories in Australian history.
An unusual feature of this museum is that you are encouraged to take photos of the exhibits. Betty and Kevin understand that there is a lot to take in so they are happy to let you snap away.
 Betty's collection of Home made dolls and bears is exceptionally large, filling up the other half of the museum. Her collection consists of dolls she has made and dolls she has collected. There are dolls of all sizes and made to many different themes from wizards to barber shop quartets.
The White Museum also has an extensive gift shop featuring a number of unique mining souvenirs that you can't buy elsewhere.Labels: art, bear, Broken Hill, doll, mine, Mineral, mining, museum, places, road trip 2007, travel
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
Celtic Festival, Kapunda 2007
Saturday, May 05, 2007
 My first visit to Kapunda, Australia's oldest mining town, was to experience one day of a three day event, the 32nd Annual Kapunda Celtic Festival. Blonde Rose and I attended the second day which was a Saturday.
As far as Celtic Festivals go, this one had a Celtic flavor but my impression overall was that this could have easily have been a Town Festival. Largely because many of the market stalls and some of the performing artists weren't specifically 'Celtic' themed. That said, I didn't get to see all of the Celtic performing artists such as dancers, singers and more. Perhaps if I had I would've been left with more of a Celtic experience.
Don't get me wrong, I was not disappointed with the festival at all. Kapunda is an exceptional town with a lot to see. Which is why I didn't see all the entertainment. Too busy looking in local art galleries and exploring the excellent basement Kapunda history display at the Visitor Centre, as well as the basement museum display at the Kapunda Bakery. Even without a festival there is plenty to do.
 click image above to see larger version.
What we did see at the festival was Honorary Town Crier and Honorary Escort Town Crier (to the City of Salisbury) Tom and Daphne Benny. Tom is something of a regional icon for his Town crier abilities and he was in fine form at this event, welcoming guests to the town and announcing the various street performances.
An Ghillee Mhor and the Border Celts was the only truly Celtic act I saw. Unfortunately I only caught the last half of their spirited dance routine that involved a bit of shouting and a lot of hitting together of, what looked to me like, bamboo poles.
 click image above to see larger version.
The Creole Cowboyz, a six member band of blokes, playing music inspired by Creole French traditions, were a highlight. They seemed to be putting on a show intended for kids and families but, with a lack of younger members, persevered with an older audience that connected well with their humor. A particular highlight was a very young audience member enjoying dancing around like a chicken to the bands 'chicken song'.
Later in the afternoon we caught the Henna nights Bellydance troupe. They put on a great demonstration with three different performances - two group dances then a solo dancer for the finale. I'm not exactly sure how 'Celtic' belly dancing is but the performances were very well received and added much colour to the festival.
 We finished off the day by taking a drive around the historic sites of the town that included some excellent lookout points for views of the surrounding country side. I must do this tour again some time because we were chasing the setting sun. Trying to see everything before we ran out of light.
I quite enjoyed the trip to Kapunda. A town that should certainly be on your itinerary if you happen to be in the region.Labels: Celtic, festival, history, Kapunda, mining, places, travel
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