Broken Hill to Cockburn via Silverton

Yesterday morning was one of those times when we needed to get a lot done. We had the tyres checked at Bridgestone in Broken Hill, and were charged $10, the first time we have been charged for getting our tyres checked. Still, it was worth it for the peace of mind, and they checked all of the tyres, including the spare underneath. It is quite difficult for us to do.

We did some shopping and got petrol nearby. Then we drove out to Silverton, a small town with a big reason to be, it has been used in numerous Australian films, including ‘A Town Like Alice’, and most recently in Mad Max II. So, here is our photo of the Silverton Hotel, which has had so many names in films over the years. The barmaid said that there is a new film yet to come out featuring the hotel.

There were some donkeys hanging around and I’ve used that photo for the featured image.

We drove back along the extremely bumpy bitumen road to Broken Hill, then set off along the Barrier Highway to the little village of Cockburn. The ‘caravan park’ here is fairly informal, but there is power if you want it, flushing toilets and one working hot shower.

We succumbed to the lure of a fireplace and home cooked meals and had our tea at the pub. There we found out some of the history of the place and met the cook, who is about Stephen’s age, but a long term resident and supporter of the community’s wish to keep the village open. It is just over the border in SA, and the government is trying to force people to move to a bigger town by cutting off the water and threatening to cut off the power. Of course, residents could use generators, as they do in a nearby village, but they prefer to keep the campground/caravan park going and have streetlights. Already they have to truck in the water.

We felt quite virtuous about supporting them by having power at our site and the meal and a cider at the pub. The meals were delicious and healthy, though apple crumble is by definition not included in the healthy part.

We had a very good night’s sleep. It was very cold when we got back to the van and we had both heaters (diesel and electric) going for a while until we were toasty warm.

Our site last night doesn’t count as free camping, but at $20 for the night is a lot cheaper than a caravan park.

Time for breakfast.