SILVERTON Silverton is a must visit town when you reach Broken Hill. Silverton is not a Birdsville, but its bitumen access and the Mad Max Movies have ordained Silverton iconic status; and that’s before the colander status of the pub. The Silverton Hotel appears just about annually on a pub calendar in Australia. Here’s the reason. The town sprung up after the discovery of rich silver deposits, although it was soon eclipsed by an even richer silver-lead-zinc ore body at nearby.  Explorers Bourke and Wills passed through the area in their famous 1860-61 expedition, setting up a base camp at the nearby Broken Hill district. By 1901 the town and immediate area was home to less than 300 people, but it remained popular as a venue for recreational outings by Broken Hill residents. The desert and the haphazardness of the buildings in Silverton has been the scene for more than 140 films and commercials thanks to the light, the character-filled colonial buildings and its scenic desert surrounds. The hotel is regularly featured in these productions, and its inside walls are covered with memorabilia. Diary notes