I spent a few days ambling alone through Broken Hill, NSW and surrounds, which is mostly just desert... lovely lovely desert. Impressive, endless plains of emptiness... great for the soul and time out chatting with God and holding conversations in my head.
Mirage in the far horizon
Toyota Ad? My trusty camry...
The Mundi-Mundi plains 
Did I mention "Mad-Max" was filmed here?As described by wiki, Broken Hill is an isolated mining city in the far west of outback New South Wales, Australia. The world's largest mining company, BHP Billiton, has roots in the town, a result of the world's largest silver-lead-zinc mineral deposits. The protruding tip of the orebody stood out as a jagged rocky ridge, giving the area it's name, but that landmark no longer exists, having been mined away. Its rich mining heritage has lately been further augmented by the arrival of artist communities seeking inspiration from its stark landscape and staid strong colours.
On display in the mining museum is an homage to the fabulous wealth of early broken hill - the Silver Tree. Beaten from a single sheet of solid silver, this 8.5 kg silver tree depicts indigenous Australians, emus, kangaroos, sheep and a Drover on horse back, depicting the local area. It was fashioned for the 1880 Royal Melbourne Colonial Exhibition.
The Silver Tree (detail, top)
The Silver Tree (detail, bottom)Silverton (population 89) is a small historic mining town just north of Broken Hill. After a briefly peaking at 3000 when silver deposits were discovered in the vicinity, the town just as quickly disappeared when silver-lead-zinc ore was discovered in Broken Hill, and swiftly eclipsed Silverton. What is left is a small permanent population, living amidst handsome, historic ruins from another era, not to mention a small cluster of curious, quaint artist community.
Abandoned building in old Silverton
Historic medicine bottles on a historic ledge
Vintage horse shoes
Whimsical artists
More of em hippy artistsAlong the way, I meet various creatures of the outback - some unexpected!
Herd of wild horses ambling through Silverton
Orphaned one-week-old Joey
Free ranging freshly shorn merino sheep
Crested Pigeon (Ocyphaps lophotes)
Red-necked Wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus)
Stumpy-Tail Lizard (Tiliqua rugosa)Some distance outside Broken Hill is a little hillock, where sculptors from around the world were invited to contribute their response to the stark Australian outback - a sculpture park. It's lovely at sunset, watching the world go crimson and fiery at the end of a rambling day, good for the soul. So I ambled through strange monoliths, and contemplate the greatness of our Creator, us, being God's masterpieces. Fragile, though we are, we are made of better things than these.
Standing stones and a silent sunset! A fitting end to the desert amble.
Standing stones and a silent sunset! A fitting end to the desert amble.
Bajo el Sol Jaguar (Under the Jaguar Sun), Antonio Nava Tirado, Mexico
Hole in my head
Through the eye 
Flaming bush
Final rays
The desert sure is a strange place, where things are never quite what it looks. Seemingly lifeless, life springs abundance, especially right after spring rains. Twas a sight to behold, and be-smell - desert blooms after a rain. Yea, there is life in the desert, and rightly so. It yearns for the heavens to water it, as the heavens so yearn to water it. Won't You rain down on me, wash down my furrows?
Desert in full bloom!Post Script
My little artistic contribution... (hehe)
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