Broken Hill in outback New South Wales is one of the most isolated cities in Australia. Unless you are arriving by air, you will have a long distance to travel no matter where you are coming from, so it makes sense to make your journey there and back part of your outback expeeriences.
By Air: The flying time from Sydney to Broken Hill is around 2 hrs 30 minutes on a route serviced by RegionalExpress. Expect to pay anything from $400.00 to $1200.00.
By Rail: NSW TrainLink's Broken Hill Outback Explorer train operates once a week from Sydney to Broken Hill. The train departs Sydney on Monday at 6.18am, arriving in Broken Hill that evening at 7.39pm. It departs Broken Hill for Sydney Tuesday mornings at 7.45am and arrives at its destination at 9.30pm. The 1,123 km journey takes 13 hours 21 minutes. If you want to make your time in Broken Hill shorter, daily XPT train services operate to Dubbo, where you can get a connection to Broken Hill. Connections to Bourke and Lightning Ridge are also available from Dubbo.
Another alternative by rail is to take the Indian Pacific, which travels once or twice a week from Sydney to Perth via Broken Hill, Adelaide and Kalgoorlie. The train leaves Sydney mid afternoon and arrives in Broken around sunrise the next morning. Economy travel is no longer available so if you take this option, it is much more expensive than the NSW TrainLink services but includes first class service in which a bed in your own cabin and all meals are included. The journey includes crossing the Blue Mountains.
The Darling River at Wilcannia
By Road: There are a number of routes to choose from, the shortest being across the Blue Moumntains and then to Mudgee, Dubbo, Narromine, Nyngan, Cobar and Wilcannia. At 1,146 km, the 13 hours drive is too much to do in one day unless you have more than one driver. Even then it is not recommended as you will have at least 4 hours to be travelled at night, and there is plenty of wildlife out and about such as kangaroos, emus and camels between Nyngan and Broken Hill that have a habit of jumping out onto the road as a result of being distrubed by the sound of a motor vehicle approaching and the sigtht of headlights coming towards them. When we do the trip, we take an overnight stopover in Dubbo which allows us to do a little sightseeing in the Blue Mountains or around Dubbo or Mudgee.
An alternative route for your return journey is to head south from Dubbo and travel through Wellington, Orange and Bathurst instead of Mudgee.
Another alternative is the much longer drive through Mildura, Hay and Griffith. The Broken Hill to Mildura leg is 296 km and takes 3 hours. From Mildura, drive to Hay, where you have a choice between Sydney via Cowra, Bathurst and the Blue Mountains (1,018 km; 12 hrs from Mildura) or Sydney via Narrandera, Wagga Wagga and Goulburn (1,017 km; 11 hrs from Mildura).
By Air: The flying time from Adelaide to Broken Hill is around 1 hr 15 minutes. Expect to pay anything from $300.00 to $900.00.
By Rail: The only option these days is first class on the Indian Pacific. Services run once or twice a week depending on when you want to travel, and will cost around $300. Train depart Adelaide at 10.15 am and arrive in Broken Hill at 7.30pm.
By Coach: Buses R Us operate coach services between Adelaide and Broken Hill. Coaches leave Adelaide at 4.00pm and arrive in Broken Hill at 11.10pm every Tuesday and Friday. Coaches leave Broken Hill at 7.30 am and arrive in Adelaide at 2.45 pm every Wednesday and Saturday. The cost of an adult ticket is $140.00 per person one way, and $260.00 return. Student, pensioner and child concessions available.
By Road: The Barrier Highway links Adelaide and Broken Hill. The 512 km drive takes around 6 hours. Take the Port Wakefield Road/Princes Highway north from Adelaide; after 22 km, follow the signs from National Highway A20/Gawler/Renmark; at Gawler take the Horrocks Highway and then follow the sighs to the Barrier Highway and Broken Hill.
An alternate route from Adelaide to Broken Hill by road is via Mildura (663 km; 7 hrs). Take the Port Wakefield Road/Princes Highway north from Adelaide; after 22 km, follow the signs from National Highway M2/Gawler/Renmark. At Gawler, continue to follow National Highway A20 to Renmark, then Calder Highway A79 to Mildura. At Mildura, take Silver City Highway B79 and follow it to Broken Hill.
By Air: The flying time from Melbourne to Broken Hill is around 2 hrs 45 minutes. Expect to pay anything from $280.00 to $1,100.00.
XPT
By Train: There is no direct rail link between Melbourne and Broken Hill. If you make the journey via Sydney, you can travel by NSW TrainLink trains all the way. Melbourne to Sydney (approx. 12 hours) is an XPT service which operates twice daily in both directs (daytime and overnight). From Sydney, catch the Broken Hill Outback Explorer (see details above).
The Overland
Another option is to travel by rail (The Overland) from Melbourne to Adelaide (10 hrs 35 mins), and then on to Broken Hill by rail on the Inidian Pacific or by Coach (Buses R Us, see above). The Overland rail service is operated by Great Southern Rail. Trains depart Melbourne 8.05 am and arrive in Adelaide every Tuesday and Saturday; return trains depart Adelaide 7.45 am and arrive in Melbourne 6.50pm every Monday and Friday. Fares are between $149.00 and $249.00 with pensioner and Ready Rail discounts available.
Murray River at Mildura
By Road: Driving from Melbourne to Broken Hill is by far the cheapest and shortest option. Simply take Calder Highway A79 from Melbourne to Mildura, and then Silver City Highway B79 north to Broken Hill. The 835 km drive takes around 9 hours. An alternative route is to leave Melbourne via Sunraysia Highway B220 to Mildura, and then Silver City Highway B79 north to Broken Hill. This will take you through Ballarat.
