After leaving the Flinders Ranges, we started to realise that our adventure was slowing coming to an end and we were well and truly heading in the direction of home. But before we returned home, we still had a favourite to visit, Broken Hill.
We set the alarm early and were on our way before 8:30am. Today was special for “Him” and “He” received several telephone calls and SMS messages as we were leaving Peterborough and shortly thereafter. It was amazing to hear the Telstra mobile ring when we were really out in “the sticks”. Once again, if you travel in our great country, you maximise your mobile telephone coverage if you use Telstra as your provider.
We had a good run to Broken Hill and were happy with the fuel consumption. We actually used a little more fuel than we should have by keeping pace with a freight train.
We checked into the caravan park well before lunch and after completing our setup, we headed to the local visitor information centre. Before leaving the caravan park we confirmed that we have a small water leak from the tap in our shower and this will be addressed when we have the caravan serviced after we return home.
There was little to learn at the information centre and we were soon heading to Bells Milk Bar on the southern side of Broken Hill. We don’t know why we have not visited Bells before as this place is iconic. We have taken the liberty to copy part of the following text from their website.
“People have been travelling from far and wide to Bells Milk Bar for ‘out of this world’ malted milks and soda spiders for generations. Once upon a time, many old milk bars and cafes in Australia made the bases for all their drinks by hand. At Bells, all our authentic syrups are still handmade here on the premises in Patton Street to Les Bell’s Famous Secret Recipe, just like they have since 1892 when the business was founded by Fredrick Fenton, a confectioner and cordial maker. The result is worth bottling.
Bells Milk Bar is an intact 1950’s milk bar in South Broken Hill (thanks to Les and Mavis Bell’s 1956 renovation). It is famous for its quirky décor and the ‘out of this world’ old fashioned milkshakes and soda spiders served here.
Despite the huge demand for the Bells drinks over the years, they have only recently been bottled for retail sale.
Apart from their good old fashioned quality, many of these flavours are simply not available anywhere else! For your best ‘taste’ of Broken Hill and Outback NSW history, try some Bells Syrups and Cordials today!”
The milk shakes we had were simply fabulous and were served in metal contains and original glasses were provided. The hot dog we had with the shakes were also sensational. We purchased several of their syrups and will enjoy then when we return home. Bells do mail order!
Next stop was the Broken Hill Mint, an establishment we manage to visit each time we go to Broken Hill. Fortunately we kept our spending to a minimum.
Last call for the day was at the Palace Hotel which held some interest for us as scenes from “Pricilla Queen of the Desert” were filmed there. We were fortunate that one of the owners gave us a guide tour of parts of the hotel that are currently being renovated and we were also able to view the murals that cover the walls and also spend time on what must be one of the largest first floor balconies in a hotel in Australia. The current owners are in the process of restoring the hotel to its original grandeur.
As it was a “special” day for “Him” we went out for dinner at the Café Alfresco where we were actually lucky to get in without a booking. This place is very popular and apparently a booking reservation is essential.
After dinner we took some night photographs of Broken Hill before returning to the caravan.