The Middle of Nowhere

*Final Project

A couple weeks ago, the Loyola group took a trip to the Outback.  Our destination was a town called Broken Hill which was only a short fourteen hour bus ride away.  We woke up early Friday morning loaded our suitcases onto the bus and prepared to go back to sleep as the bus pulled away from the curb and we set off on our way (which is harder than it sounds when the bus is stopping every two hours).  Loyola students go on the Outback trip every semester as part of a class trip and thank goodness it was all organised for us because I never would have known what to do on my own.

The Australian Outback is a completely different experience from visits to popular cities such as Sydney and Melbourne.  It’s impossible to see and do the same things in both locations.  Rather than be surrounded by the constant buzz of city life found in Sydney and Melbourne, in the Outback you’re surrounded by a blanket of quiet.  I’m not saying it’s not well worth the trip (because it is) just that its definitely not for everyone.  

Driving along the road from Wentworth to Broken Hill it becomes immediately clear that they're not joking when they say "when you leave Broken Hill you leave Broken Hill." Broken Hill is a town in New South Wales that makes up part of the famous Australian Outback. One of those places that makes it clear you are quite literally in the middle of nowhere, the closest neighbour to this outback town is two and half hours away by bus. The minute you leave Wentworth heading towards Broken Hill, all signs of civilisation disappear until the paved road is the only thing to assure you that yes people have been here before you.

Boasting ATMS, hotels, and yes even a Subway and a Hungry Jacks (known in the states as Burger King) the town of Broken Hill itself isn't as rural as the journey there would have you believe but if you're planning to leave town to experience the outback for yourself the rural surroundings return as soon as you cross the border. 

Wild kangaroos and emus roam this two hour stretch casually strolling along the side of the road or sitting behind a bush before darting away across the barren fields as the bus drives by effectively spooking them.  Seeing these Australian animals in the wild isn’t a rare occurrence in the Outback and you’re bound to see them if you leave Broken Hill.

Despite the relative isolation of Broken Hill there’s plenty to do and see when experiencing the Outback if you’re willing to go for a drive.  We did a lot in our four days exploring the Outback and it definitely helped to make the experience what it was.

Day Dream Mine Tour

Approximately an hour’s drive outside of town will take you to the Day Dream Silver Mine where you can tour above or below ground while learning about the history of silver mining in Australia.  If you’re claustrophobic you should probably stick to the above ground tour (even if you’re not it gets a little cramped down there sometimes).  Walking through the tunnels of the old mine in your hard hat and head lamp will definitely be worth it though.  If you’ve never been in a mine before, you won’t understand just how expansive it is down there.  When you’re exploring the various passages its easy to forget you’re underground until you come upon a particularly low ceiling or the guide reminds you just how deep into the Earth you’ve ventured.  

When we passed underneath one of the mine shafts where you could look up and see the sky higher above you then you'd think possible.  At one point our guide had us turn off our headlamps and we only had the light of a single candle to see our surroundings.

The above ground tour is more low key.  Wandering above the surface while the other group makes their way underground you’ll learn about daily life at the Day Dream township.  The guide leads you through the remains of the small mining town to see the conditions the miners and their families lived in when they weren’t below ground looking for silver.  We walked into the small one room house an entire mining family would have shared and walked past exits to the mine that were no longer safe to use (honestly after that I was glad our group went underground first).

Outback Sculpture Park

One of the most common sites on postcards depicting Australian Outback is the Outback Sculpture Park.  A location on my own personal list of Outback must-sees, the Outback Sculpture Park features art unlike any you would see in a European museum: stones carved by artists into an array sculptures (like the one pictured below).  

Ranging from etchings of birds soaring through the cloud filled sky to intricate sculptures that seem like they can’t possibly be made of stone these sculptures are amazing: Australia’s man-made Stonehenge of the Outback.  The sculpture park is a great place to catch the magnificent Outback sunset and during my visit it was filled with tourists (okay and me) trying to line up the sun with a hole in one of the rocks to capture the perfect pictures.

Sheep Shearing Demonstration

Animal lovers beware.  This was a little hard to watch for some of us (and personally not one of my favourites).  At Eldee Sheep Station you can watch sheep lose their wool as they get their yearly shave.  The sheep are taken from their pens by the shearer and quickly transformed from the fluffy white animals of children’s stories to bald white things that look about as far from a sheep as you could imagine.

Mungo National Park Tour

Take a tour with an Aboriginal guide through Mungo National Park.  These indigenous people will walk you into the dunes while explaining the culture of the land and what it means to their people.  The dunes seem to stretch on forever to the edges of the world and once you wander far enough, the wooden walkway starts to disappear in the distance, leaving you alone with nature.  

Part of the National Park used to be a lake that has long since dried up and your guide will be sure to point out footprints, campsites, and other artifacts left behind by ancestors who lived on the shores of the lake.  At the end of the tour, our guide even played us a couple of songs on a family guitar.

Wine Tasting

Want a more relaxing activity? After a weekend of more or less hiking through the outback we certainly did (especially with the return bus ride looming ahead of us).  

While not technically in Broken Hill (its just over three hours south) you can visit Chateau Mildura and tour the wine museum or just have a casual wine tasting.  On the tour you wander around the Chateau both inside and outside learning about the history of wine making in Australia.  Walking through mazes of barrels and now-outdated wine making equipment you can see the changes that chateau’s have gone through with their wine making processes.  They may not let you squish grapes with our feet (this was slightly disappointing), but you can go inside a giant wine barrel.  

Connoisseur or not the wine tasting is a must at Chateau Mildura.  At the wine tasting you can sample any or all of ten wines (five red and five white) all of which are available for sale at reasonable prices when you leave.