The largest town in the west Broken Hill stands on the richest silver-lead-zinc deposit yet discovered and has so far yielded minerals worth over 1.5 billion dollars. The town, situated in one of the driest areas of Australia is surprisingly green and leafy thanks to water piped from the reservoir at Lake Menindee 110km away.
Broken Hill was named in 1844 by explorer Sturt but the mineral riches were not discovered until 1883 by Charles Rasp after which a town grew almost instantly to a population 20 000 within eight years.
The town is a fascinating place to visit and has been described a "living museum" or a "museum without walls". The town and area can be explored by following "The Silver Trail - A Guide to the Heritage of Broken Hill" available at the Information Centre which has a detailed guide to the walk and drive trails.
The ghosts of mining towns that died when the precious minerals ran out are scattered all over Australia. BROKEN HILL, on the other hand, celebrated its centenary in 1988, and its famous “Line of Lode”, one of the world’s major lead-silver-zinc ore bodies and the city’s raison d’être, still has a little life left in it after being mined continuously for over 110 years. Inevitably, Broken Hill revolves around the mines, but in the last decade it has also evolved into a thriving arts centre, thanks to the initiative of the Brushmen of the Bush, a painting school founded by local artists Pro Hart, Hugh Schulz, Jack Absalom, John Pickup and the late Eric Minchin. Diverse talents have been attracted to Broken Hill, and their works are displayed in galleries scattered all over town. Some may be a bit on the tacky side, but others are interesting, unique, even excellent, and it’s well worth devoting some time to gallery-browsing. The city was also the memorable location for several scenes of the drag-queens-run-riot-in-the-Outback film Priscilla Queen of the Desert which was shot here in 1993.
Almost 1200km west of Sydney and about 500km east of Adelaide, this surprisingly gracious Outback mining town, with a feel and architecture reminiscent of the South Australian capital, and with a population of around 21,000, manages to create a welcome splash of green in the harsh desert landscape that surrounds it. Extensive revegetation schemes around Broken Hill have created grasslands that, apart from being visually pleasing, help contain the dust that used to make the residents’ lives miserable. It’s aided by a reliable water supply – secured for the first time only in 1953 – via a one-hundred-kilometre-long pipeline from the Darling River at Menindee. The city is also a convenient base for touring far northwest New South Wales and nearby areas in South Australia.
Remember to adjust your watch: Broken Hill operates on South Australian Central Standard Time, half an hour behind the rest of NSW. All local transport schedules are in CST, but you should always check.
The City
Getting there and around
The train station is on Crystal Street, just a block below Argent Street – though unless you’re travelling in style on the Sydney–Perth Indian Pacific, you’ll actually come into the city on a Countrylink bus. The airport is about 5km south of town; there is no shuttle bus – a taxi costs just under $10 and there are usually a few waiting; alternatively you can arrange to have a hire car waiting. In addition to what’s on offer at the tourist information centre, you can pick up advice on nearby attractions from the district NPWS office at 183 Argent St (Mon–Fri 8am–4.30pm; tel 08/8088 5933).
Public transport in Broken Hill is poor – the tourist office can provide a combined timetable and route map of the Broken Hill Town Bus Service (tel 08/8087 3311) with four routes operating infrequently within the city only (Mon–Fri 8am–5.15pm; fares start from $1).
Eating, drinking and nightlife
Another option is to sample the local culture at one of the numerous clubs. These make most of their money out of gambling – with snooker tables, darts and endless parades of one-armed bandits – and they’re happy to draw their customers in and keep them playing by tempting them with cheap food, and quite often live entertainment. Best known is the Barrier Social Democratic Club (Demo Club to the locals) at 214 Argent St (tel 08/8088 4477) with $5 daily meal specials including a well-assorted salad bar plus great, inexpensive breakfasts (7–9am). You could also try the Broken Hill Legion Club, 166–170 Crystal St (tel 08/8087 4064); or the Broken Hill Musicians Club, 276 Crystal St (tel 08/8088 1777), which has inherited Broken Hill’s famous Two Up School, once an illegal back-lane gambling operation.
Apart from the pubs and clubs, there are several good cafés and bakeries on Argent Street where you can get something to eat and drink – restaurants aren’t really Broken Hill’s style. Ruby’s Coffee Lounge, at no. 373, near the corner of Oxide Street (closed Sun), places the emphasis on healthy food, with a few vegetarian dishes always on offer and lots of baked goodies. Cosy Charlotte’s at no. 317, opposite the post office, is reckoned to serve the town’s best cappuccino and there’s a well-assorted range of cakes, muffins and slices to go with your foamy brew. Stope Café at no. 343 (Mon–Sat 9am–10pm; tel 08/8087 2637) is a city-style café with a decor of burnt orange walls, blue ceiling, big open doors and wooden floors, but unfortunately the standard of its coffee doesn’t match the interior. Their open toasted sandwiches, however, are huge, tasty and cheap; a separate, pricier night-time restaurant menu features grills, pasta and salads. For grocery supplies, visit the International Store, 71 Oxide St (daily 7am–midnight), or the Big W supermarket, Westside Plaza, Galena Street (open daily).
Accommodation
- Mario’s Palace Hotel, 227 Argent St. Vast corner pub with one of the largest hotel balconies in NSW, also has to be one of the state’s most eccentric. Featured to hilarious effect in Priscilla Queen of the Desert, this place has every available wall and ceiling space covered with murals of Australian bush scenes plus an outburst of a Botticelli-style Birth of Venus ceiling mural painted by the Italian owner. The rooms are a kitsch lover’s dream; the most extreme, with its own mural, was where the drag gang stayed in Priscilla. All rooms have air-con, a fridge and a sink and some are en suite
- Mine Host Motel, 120 Argent St. Recently renovated, with contemporary decor and comfort including air-con; there’s also a swimming pool to splash about in. Central location right near the bus station, and close to clubs and pubs.
Around Broken Hill
Situated 111km south-east of Broken Hill this park has many aboriginal sites and features a landscape of grey soil plains and red sand ridges. Numerous species of waterfowl live in the overflow lakes and the Darling River which is bordered by massive River Red Gums. Activities include boating, birdwatching, camping and nature study. Camping is permitted at the rest area near Lake Cawndilla or along the river.
- Mootwingee National Park
Situated 130km north-east of Broken Hill this park has one of the best collections of Aboriginal Art in the state. Tours are available Wednesdays and Saturdays Easter-November, bookings essential.
- Sturt National Park
Located 330km north of Broken Hill this enormous desert park of 310 634 ha is made up of eroded cliff rimmed messas and gibber plains. Wildlife include red and grey kangaroos, emus and a wide variety of lizards. The best time to explore is in winter as temperatures can reach 50C in the summer months.
Mutawintji National Park (formerly Mootwingee National Park), 130km northeast of Broken Hill in the Bynguano Ranges, has totally different and perhaps even more fascinating scenery to offer: secluded gorges and quiet waterholes that attract a profusion of wildlife.
For more information on the Broken Hill, go to: