Silverton is an iconic city with a rich and deep history and yet while today it has a population of just 36, businesses are thriving in this post-Covid world.
Events like the Mundi Mundi Bash, the Broken Heel festival and the area’s stunning landscape which lends itself to feature films has helped the tiny town’s economy bounce back with a vengeance. When you add in tourists, both local and international, who are desperate to get out and see the world again, Silverton is abuzz.
We’ve visited some of the businesses in Silverton and spoken to owners about post-Covid life, their plans for the future and their relationship with the place they call home.
In this issue we visit…
Mad Max II Museum – Having Its Best Year Ever
Adrian Bennett is the owner and curator of the Mad Max II Museum. Originally from the North of England, he’s been in Australia for 16 years, an incredible 13 of them spent in Silverton.
His connection with Mad Max began in 1982 when the movie Mad Max 2 was released in the UK.
“I was right into motorbikes. Saturday night was for riding and having a couple of beers. Well, this one Saturday night my mates were like ‘you’ve got to go see these biker movies’ which is what I thought I was going to see. It turned out to be a hell of a lot more than a biker movie. I’d never seen anything like it,” Mr. Bennett says.
That’s where his passion for all things Mad Max began. It developed and grew to the point where he now owns the Mad Max Museum. It is safe to say that one screening of the movie changed his life.
“I was stood out at the Mundi Mundi Lookout back in 2004 and I thought I was dreamin’, I had to pinch me self.”
“I wouldn’t swap this for anything. I don’t have any complaints. I’d have to have a word with meself if I did.
“It just felt right when I got here. I mean, I love the Australian outback, there’s nowhere like it on earth. And for me Broken Hill and Silverton are so unique. I just love the place. There wouldn’t be any amount of money that would get me out of here.”
“I am living the dream. I am where I want to be.”
Mr Bennett prides himself on keeping the museum display fresh and addd new memorabilia as it becomes available.
“Over the 12 years we’ve been open, we have constantly added to the place, so it is always changing.
“We close all February and a little bit of March. It’s the only time I have all year to do all the alterations and redo things in the museum, and it just happens to be stinking hot, just to throw a little salt in the wound,” Mr. Bennett laughs.
It seems the heat is a price Mr Bennett would happily pay. Mad Max is his life. Even his holidays are spent visiting people who were connected to the movie in some way. Many of them he considers friends now.
“Even the friends who aren’t a part of the industry that I have are fans now.
“It’s great how films like these, and other films, can bring people together and you do make friends and doors open for you and it kind of sends you in a direction you wouldn’t have gone in before, which is great.”
He praises the community spirit of the region and the help that he and wife Linda received when they first got here, and people saw what they were looking to do.
“People were kind enough to contact us and say, ‘hey we got this buggy from the film’, or ‘we got this’ or ‘we got that’, which was so good.”
It hasn’t all been plain sailing. Much like the rest of the country, Covid lockdowns were a struggle.
“The first time we were locked down was for about eight weeks, which wasn’t great, but was okay. The second time though it was three, three and a half months. The first time we were alright, we got a bit of government assistance, but the second time we didn’t.”
“It was quite a long time, but it was alright for me because I got a lot of stuff done.”
The bounce back the museum has had has been phenomenal. With the return of travel and events after such a long absence, it is fair to say that business is booming for Adrian and Linda.
“This year has been the busiest year on record for us.”
“The first Mundi Mundi Bash was incredible. We got so busy, we had to stop people coming in the door. Then we had the Mad Max; Furiosa people filming the movie and on Sundays, their day off, it’d be packed.
“After being knocked down a little bit [due to Covid restrictions] it was a real uplift.”
For a once in a lifetime experience, whether you love the Mad Max franchise or not, do yourself a favour and check out the Mad Max Museum on Striling Street in Silverton.
It is a most unique experience, in one of the planet’s most stunning locations.
