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BROKEN HILLA Diamond Down Underby Margaret DornausWe arrived in the Outback town of Broken Hill in New South Wales three long days after leaving the paved crossroads of Dubbo and Cobar behind us. Jostled in a 4x4 bus that resembled an oversized armored truck (and which, with irreverent affection, I soon labeled the Hatari Safari Wagon), we had endured miles of rock-strewn red dirt grades that masqueraded as roads. And for what? To reach what our tour guides promised us was a desert oasis filled with culture and art--and a civilization populated by more than the agitated mobs of kangaroos and flocks of spindly-limbed emus that skirted our wheels as we kicked up the dust of their rain-starved landscape.
Having sufficiently satisfied our appetites for the land "beyond the black stump," we were ready to slake our thirsts for the more refined activities a thriving Outback metropolis like Broken Hill had to offer: art, art . . . and more art. Broken Hill--with a population just over 23,000--is, some would argue, Australia's rendition of Santa Fe.
Fiery eyes ignite the weathered face as former Outback guide Jack Absalom welcomes you into his gallery. Revered for paintings that simultaneously express the Outback's beauty and its isolation, Absalom has led explorations into the bush for much of his 72 years. His easy familiarity with the desert shows in brushstrokes capable of transforming sweeping panoramas into poignantly self-contained works of art. Take, for example, "The Musterer"--the first large painting Absalom, at 47, ever completed. Set in the sand hills of Mulyungarie, a lone horseman herds cattle over a desolate paddock tinctured orange by a deepening bronze that bleeds across land and sky. Like his painting, Absalom is compact but hard-hitting: the trunk of his wrestler-like body firmly planted as he guides you through his gallery. His arms, by contrast, are constantly in motion--swinging to and fro like the stirred branches of a eucalyptus as you survey the expanse of his personal landscape.
In spite of his solid, thick-bodied presence, Hart appears shy; self-effacing even. The work in his gallery, however, speaks volumes. Brightly colored primitives depicting early life in the Outback share crowded wall space with vivid closeups of indigenous insects and flowers. Self-guided stops at other studios along the Art Trail reveal a wide range of expression: from the vibrant portraits by Raylee-Marie Hart (Pro's daughter) to Peter Andrew Anderson's intensely colored depictions of wildlife to Eddy Harris' exquisite aboriginal artifacts and paintings. The one overriding quality these artists share, however, is a passion for Outback life; its extreme splendor captured in painting that pulsates with the saturated colors of a sunburnt landscape.
If you're fortunate enough to be in town on one of the alternate weekend nights that find Adelaide DeMain at work in the kitchen of her husband's gallery, complete your art tour with a sampling of culinary masterpieces that will leave your senses reeling. Adelaide specializes in ethnic cuisine--from the singular spice of an Indian curry to the commingled flavors of a Middle Eastern tabouli--and her multi-course menus, a bargain at $30 Australian (about $21 U.S.), vary according to inspiration. You won't find food like this anywhere else in the Outback. Diners experience Adelaide's delectable set menus family-style at long tables surrounded by Geoffrey DeMain's eclectic mix of paintings. Sit back and revel in the procession of ethnic-inspired delicacies Adelaide and her teenage daughter hand-carry from the kitchen to the gallery. Both the atmosphere and the service are relaxed and intimate. It's clear that the evening, like the day that preceded it, was meant to be savored. There will be time enough to consider tomorrow's itinerary. Perhaps visits to a few more galleries? Or a sidetrip to nearby Silverton, a ghost town as well as a haunt of movie moguls (the once prosperous mining settlement provided backdrop scenery for Mad Max and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) and a handful of Broken Hill artists who maintain studios there? Or maybe you'll want to explore one of Broken HIll's fine examples of colonial Australian architecture like its palm tree-lined Town Hall or the Palace Hotel (also of Priscilla fame)? Or set off to learn more about the hard but hopeful life of the Outback by visiting the Royal Flying Doctor Service (a mobile health clinic comprised of a fleet of specially equipped jets and a staff of physicians and nurses who deliver door-to-sheep station-door medical service to remote locations)? Or . . . You can reach Broken Hill from Sydney via air or rail--or take to the more adventurous, wide-open road of the Outback. Just follow all signs pointing you in the direction of the Art Trail. But before you do, be sure to e-mail The Living Outback at bhill@outbacknsw.org.au or the Regional Tourist Association at <tourist@pcpro.net.au> or visit their websites http://www.outbacknsw.org.au and http://www.murrayoutback.org.au copyright1999 Margaret Dornaus. Reproduction of this article and/or images, in whole or in part, including reproduction in electronic media, without the express permission of the author is prohibited. Images by Margaret Dornaus -Updated 11-19-99- |
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Not that we hadn't enjoyed the wild (and otherwise) life we'd experienced since our tour of the Outback began. We had. At Dubbo's
Zoofari--famous for nurturing endangered species back from extinction--we'd marveled at the sight of the jackrabbit-like
bilby. And at nearby Roseville Park Farm (a family-run enterprise fostering a 60-year tradition of breeding merinos prized for the quality of their silky fleeces), we had smiled at the antics of the Coddington clan's stalwart sheep dog as he sank his teeth into pile after plush pile of the none-too-bright prima donnas he led toward the shed for shearing. 
In those few short days, we also had survived not one but two "Aussie tucker" adventures spirited by bearded bushmen who stirred up camp fire meals of poached kangaroo and lasagna
con emu in cauldrons reminiscent of MacBeth's three witches. We'd stared in wonder at clear night skies punctuated by exotic connect-the-dot constellations like The Southern Cross. We'd vainly tried our hands at
"fossicking" for fiery white opals buried beneath the craggy slag heaps of the Outback's underground town of White Cliffs. And we'd witnessed an ancient people's imprint on history as we gazed at aboriginal hand stencils that lay claim to Mutawintji National Park's sandstone-layered caverns. (The first aboriginal land in Australia to be "taken back" as a national park by the descendants of its original homesteaders,
Mutawintji--or Mootwingee--means "a place with green grass and watering holes.")
Once the site of the world's richest mining lode of lead and silver, Broken Hill still glitters with Australian treasure. But these days you're more apt to find that treasure above ground, hanging on the walls of the 20-plus studio-galleries seeded throughout the Broken Hill Art Trail. Nurtured by
"Brushmen of the Bush" Pro Hart and Jack Absalom, the art scene in this Down Under community reflects a fascination with the deep, rich colors of the Outback and the changing play of light created by its brilliant winter sunsets and harsh summer skies.
Across town, the other founding member of the
"Brushmen" movement--Pro Hart--is no less colorful a representative of Broken Hill's artistic community. The holder of one of the largest private collections of European masters in Australia, Hart--in addition to being a world-renown painter and sculptor--also collects vintage cars and motorcycles, is a crack shot, a weight lifter, and a local philanthropist and hero whose controversial political views are mildly described as somewhat eccentric. 
Come sundown, take a trek up to Broken Hill's Living Desert Sculpture--a cluster of Stonehenge-worthy monoliths grouped atop a hillside overlook. Here, 12 international sculptors have carved local sandstone into site-specific installations that command contemplation and testify to Broken Hill's love of art and nature. When the Outback sun blazes red in the background, you'll be dazzled by both the stones and their setting.