As we drove out of Cobar, the few trees there were eventually gave way to a flat treeless plain, much like the prairies of Canada, only much less verdant. From our car to the far horizon was nothing but blue sky, arid land and telephone wires. The only place of note between Cobar and Broken Hill is Wilcannia which looks so run down that we didn't even stop. It was a fairly featureless 460 kilometers to Broken Hill, and yet we both thought it was spectacular in its own way.
Just before making it to Broken Hill we saw signs for something called the Fruit Fly Exclusion Zone. To guard the fragile outback orchards there is a zone through which no outside fruit or vegetable matter can pass. We had bought some fruit earlier in our trip but we finished it before we reached the exclusion zone. Just before Broken Hill there is a little turn-off with a garbage can to place your fruit and vegetables in. I thought it was kind of quaint.
Broken Hill is the largest center in far western NSW with a population of about 20 000. It used to be more but as mining has declined in importance, so has its population. Broken Hill made its fortune in silver and copper mining, but especially silver but now the mines aren't producing as much. It's still an important outback center and one of the iconic cities of Australia.
We drove into Broken Hill in the early afternoon but our couchsurf host was still at work so Isabella and I had to decide on an activity. Unfortunately the rain hadn't really let up so we would have to do something indoors. We settled on going to the Royal Flying Doctor Service base at the airport.
The RFDS was set up by Dr. John Flynn as a way of bringing medical aid to remote places and it is exactly what it sounds like --- a group of doctors who are flown around. The planes are modified to carry patients and medical equipment. Each remote station is required to maintain a basic airstrip so that the planes can land if need be. Patients can be flown to Broken Hill for treatment or if something more specialized is required, to Adelaide, which reminds me of another of Broken Hill's peculiarities.
Broken Hill is only 50 kilometers east of the border with South Australia and in many ways identifies with it. I once read that many years ago the NSW government in Sydney wanted to reduce services in Broken Hill since it was "just a pinpoint on a map." This necessarily angered the residents of Broken Hill as their mining industry was responsible for much of the state's wealth. They declared that from their point of view Sydney was also just a pinpoint on a map and they would henceforth join South Australia. The federal government stepped in and said that while Broken Hill could adopt South Australian time, the South Australian area code and Aussie rules football as the premier sport of the area (as indeed it has), it could not secede from NSW. So now Broken Hill is a bit of an anomaly in western NSW and therein lies its appeal.
Anyway, Isabella and I wandered around the RFDS HQ which includes a museum about the RFDS. A little later we went on a tour of the facilities and saw the control room as well as the hangar. It's still mostly run on radio from the outstations but in the early days electricity was a scarce luxury in the outback. To combat this a Dr. Traeger devised a radio that could work by pedalling meaning it could be used at any time by anyone. I saw a model and thought how ingenious the design was. The hangar was quite impressive too but what worried us was the sudden tremendous deluge that came down. We had to meet our couchsurf host and before we left, Isabella bought a pair of silver earrings at the gift shop to support the RFDS.
Our couchsurf host, Corey, had given us the address of his parents' place in town. As we drove out of the airport towards their home we came across a traffic circle that seemed a series of rapids. The water was fast-flowing and we were wondering how to get across as this was the only way into town from the airport. We saw a car make it across and so, crossing our fingers, I gunned the engine and drove straight into the raging river. Luckily it wasn't deep and we made it across without any further problems. We found our way to the house where we were warmly greeted by Corey's family.
The original plan was for myself and Isabella to stay with Corey's girlfriend's father out at his sheep station outside of town. However, the rain had created a raging creek across the entrance to the property with a depth greater than the hood of a 4WD vehicle. So, with that option gone Isabella and I stayed at Corey's parents' place in town. I got Corey's room while Isabella slept in his sister's room and this is where things got a little ironic. Even though the experience is called couchsurfing, in this case Corey had kicked himself out of his own room and was sleeping on the couch himself while I got to sleep in his bed!
That evening, Corey and his friends took Isabella and myself out on the town. The first place we drove to was a large park bench with a nice view of Broken Hill. The second place we stopped was a cocktail lounge, although we later visited a pub. Broken Hill prides itself on being the Australian city with the highest per capita rate of pubs, so you think it should be a rough and tumble city, and perhaps it once was. However, the cocktail lounge we were sitting in was quite pleasant and had a very urban feel to it; I guess it shows that even the outback is becoming more sophisticated and yuppied.
Finally, Isabella and I had a special treat that night as Corey and his father both work for the local newspaper and we were shown around the offices. Later they ran the presses and we got to see how such a production works, which I found fascinating. The cars used to deliver the newspapers even had slingshots on them so that the deliverers could just launch them out of the car!
Even though we only had a short time in Broken Hill, Isabella and I found it enlightening and entertaining. I hope I get a chance to get back there, this time to get better acquainted with the city. On the happy side, our luck was about to change.
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