Broken Hill, in outback New South Wales near the South Australian border, is one of Australia’s most unlikely tourist meccas.
Where is it?: Central & Far West. Broken Hill is on the Barrier Highway and Indian Pacific Railway line. It is 6 hours drive (516 km) from Adelaide, 14 hours drive (1,145 km) from Sydney and 10 hours drive (839 km) from Melbourne.
Exploring Broken Hill and surrounding regions is effortless with taxis, car hire companies and coach tour operators. There are even scenic flights all the way to Lake Eyre.
Events: St Patrick’s Race Day is one of the biggest annual social events in NSW. In eccentric country style, this event is celebrated a week after the rest of the world celebrates St Patrick’s Day. Silver City Show is held every September.
Broken Hill is still very much a dusty working town, stuck out in the middle of nowhere on the site of the richest deposits of silver, lead and zinc the world has ever seen. The mines, though still worked, have seen better days, and the town’s buildings and streets are reminiscent of the Old West in a John Wayne movie, yet the place is buzzing.
Around Town
Broken Hill is an intact heritage city, without being impacted upon by later modem expansion of the surrounding city. It retains significant civic buildings, substantial private retail and commercial buildings, and surrounding residential areas all of which are largely intact, without the typical demolition and intrusion of inappropriate buildings common in other regional cities.The Syndicate of Seven is the name given to the original members of the Broken Hill Mining Company formed in 1883, who lodged applications for mining leases along the Line of Lode at Broken Hill. The members all worked at the remote Mount Gipps Sheep station. Each of the seven contributed the sum of £70 each. They are remembered in a memorial outside the city council offices. Not too far away opposite the Crystal Street railway station is a memorial “dedicated to the women of Broken Hill who have stood by their men during troubled industrial times.”
Visit the School of the Air (Lane Street) and the Royal Flying Doctor Service (at the airport). Both institutions have an invaluable impact on people living in the remote Australian Outback.