Broken Hill

Understand

Broken Hill and Silverton operate on Australian Central Standard Time (ACST). All other towns in the region operate on Australian Eastern Standard time (AEST). Despite being in New South Wales, it has much closer ties to South Australia, and is geographically closer to Adelaide than to Sydney. When Australia adopted standard time in 1895, Broken Hill's only direct rail link was with South Australia; it was not linked by rail to Sydney until the late 1920s. Broken Hill is regarded as part of South Australia for postal parcel rates and telephone charges, and most advertising offers directed to South Australian residents specifically include Broken Hill (and by extension Silverton).

Tourist information 1 Broken Hill Visitor Information Centre, Cnr. Blende and Bromide Streets, ☏ +61 8 8080 3560, [email protected]. 9AM-5PM. Visit NSW page on Broken Hill

Climate

Broken Hill has a cold semi-arid climate. Winters are cool and summers are hot and dry. Summers see average temperatures around 34 °C (93 °F) during the day and 19 °C (66 °F) at night. Exceptionally hot days can see the temperature climb to 41 °C (106 °F) or higher, and not go below 25 °C (77 °F) at night.

Getting there

By car It is just over 1,000 km of mostly long straight driving to Broken Hill from Sydney, and just over 500 km to Adelaide. Both roads are mostly good quality and sealed. The scenery will change slowly along the way. Broken Hill is in the outback, but is easily accessible by car. Traveling via car (even with bull-bars) from dusk to dawn should be avoided. It is the peak time for accidents with kangaroos. A large number of motorists are caught in the Outback having collisions with kangaroos. Any repairs in this isolated community can take quite a while to complete.

By train

NSW TrainLink run weekly direct services to Broken Hill from Sydney. It is called the 'Outback Xplorer'. The Sydney to Broken Hill leg is on the Monday (6:20AM–7:10PM). The return journey is on the Tuesday (7:45AM–9:48PM). NSW TrainLink also run a daily service that is a train to Dubbo from Sydney and then a bus from Dubbo to Broken Hill. Sydney to Broken Hill is 7:10AM–10:45PM and the return is 3:45AM–8:48PM. The Indian Pacific stops at Broken Hill once a week as it makes its way from Sydney to Adelaide and Perth. Tours of the town are included in the price of the ticket of the westbound train. However, passengers may not begin or end their journey at Broken Hill. Broken Hill train station is one block from the main shopping strip and it is walking distance to some accommodation. Taxis are available at the station to meet the trains.

By plane 1 Broken Hill Airport (BHQ IATA). Regional Express has direct services from Sydney, Adelaide and Dubbo. The Sydney service can either be direct (one return flight per day) or with a stop over in Dubbo. Essentially there are two flights per day from Sydney to Broken Hill; however, they book out quickly. The Adelaide service is a direct flight with two to three return flights per day. The airport is on the edge of South Broken Hill. Taxis are available at the airport into the town centre. Ask the flight attendant to arrange for a taxi pickup.

Getting around

Coach tours are an option. Taxis are also available. But you will need a car to see the town and surroundings independently. This poses problems for the adventurous. Rental cars in the city often charge a premium for travelling further than 100–200 km, which is easy to do. After that, the rate is generally 25 cents a kilometre. Driving on unsealed roads is only allowed if you hire a four-wheel drive; even then, if you have an accident, you are liable for the entire insurance excess. So getting off the beaten track is difficult. At least one company only lets you drive to Menindee or Silverton. Avis and Thrifty rental car offices are located in Argent St. in the town centre. The Hertz office is in the Visitor Centre building.

See

1 Miner's Memorial. Located on the top of the mullock heap on the edge of the CBD is the Line of Lode Miner's Memorial and Red Earth Cafe. Good views over the town and desert. Gain road access behind the railway track via Iodide St. and McGillvray Dve. You can also walk up that road but there is no shade. Free. (updated Jun 2015) The film sets. A number of films have been produced in and around Broken Hill over the years, for example; Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Mad Max 2 and Race The Sun. 2 Trades Hall, 242 Blende St. A pretty exchange building built in 1921. Heritage listed since 1999. (updated Oct 2020) 3 Pro Hart Gallery and Sculpture Park, 108 Wyman St. Contains a large collection of the noted Australian artist Kevin 'Pro' Hart's paintings and sculptures, as well as many artistic works of others that Hart collected during his lifetime. The gallery also features the Rolls Royce that he painted in his unique style. Pro was born in Broken Hill, New South Wales, was considered the father of the Australian Outback painting movement and his works are widely admired for capturing the true spirit of the outback. He was nicknamed "Professor" (hence "Pro") during his younger days, when he was known as an inventor. (updated Jun 2015) 4 Afghan Mosque, Williams St. Established by the Afghan camel riders who helped get the town started back in the 1880s. Tours can be arranged through the Broken Hill visitor's centre. (updated Jun 2015) 5 Royal Flying Doctor Service Bruce Langford Visitor Centre, Broken Hill Airport. 9AM-5PM. Tours and exhibits in the local RFDS base. $7. (updated Jun 2015) 6 Badsha Mahommed Gool's Ice Cream Cart, White Rocks Historic Site, Schlapp St. A replica cart at an infamous rocky outcrop on the edge of the town, this is the site of the so-called 'Battle of Broken Hill' in 1915. Essentially two Indian-Muslims went 'postal' and killed a bunch of people, after firing 30 or so shots on a special train of picnic-goers, over disputes of halal-meal. Eve

Do

Mine tours. You can go underground in the mining shaft and get a real experience of mining. Active mining in the vicinity had caused the mine to close to tourists. The Daydream Mine is just out of town on the road to Silverton, and is much smaller, but gives an impression of what mining was like in the 19th century, when all of the work was done by hand. Broken Hill is a major base for the Royal Flying Doctors Service and for the School of the Air. Expensive but fun! 1 Silver City Scenic Flights, Airport Road (Arrive at Broken Hill airport on a Regional Express scheduled flight. Collection from Broken Hill railway station or Tourist Information Centre also possible for pre-bookings.), ☏ +61 457155393, [email protected]. Silver City Scenic Flights shows you the Australian Outback landscape from the air. This affords amazing views of Broken Hill, the Barrier range, Flinders Range and Mildura areas, including the Menindee Lakes and Lake Eyre. Flying in their high winged aircraft provides unrivaled visibility of features that can not be seen from t