Silverton

This outback ghost town is the location of more than 140 films and commercials and was once a vibrant and busy mining town. You've already seen Silverton and on the silver screen. It has appeared in films including Bryan Brown's Dirty Deeds, Mad Max II and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert as well as the Castlemaine XXXX beer advertisements and the Royal Flying Doctor television series. Cinematographers are attracted by the clear light, the haphazardly placed colonial buildings full of character, the wide streets, the famous pub and the magnificently evocative scenery. Silverton is the ideal image of an outback town. Prospectors began working in the area in 1867. They'd heard a tale of a gold find by a local station hand and unfortunately, his claim turned out to be a pretext for stealing a horse. Some years later though, two men drilling a well on Thackaringa station to the south hit a lode of silver. Silverton's population grew from 250 in September 1883, to 500 by December 1883 and 1700 by December 1884, with all the prospectors living in slap-dash huts of iron and canvas. Many of the diggers came from South Australia's copper mines, which were depleted by that time, but Silverton also had a reputation for harbouring various undesirables and horse thieves, cattle duffers and mining sharks. Silverton's high grade ore was quickly removed. With the boom in Broken Hill, many miners carted their homes to the Silver City and by 1901, Silverton was home to only 286 people. Now, Silverton is a picturesque cluster of buildings, with a restored gaol, opened in 1889, some art galleries and artists' studios, such as the John Dynon, Horizon and Peter Browne Galleries and the celebrated Silverton Hotel, with its desert backdrop, a replica of Mad Max's car in front and film memorabilia inside. Silverton is situated 25 kilometres north west of Broken Hill. Access is via a sealed road. Once a thriving community of more than 3000, it is now a ghost town. There are no fuel supplies. Other attractions include Mundi Mundi Lookout, Umberumberka Reservoir and a heritage walk.