Broken Hill, New South wales, Australia

Broken Hill Overview

Broken Hill, which has been called the 'Oasis of the West, 'Silver City' and the 'Capital of the Outback', is over 1100 Km west of Sydney and surrounded by semi-desert (made famous in the films 'Mad Max' and Priscilla Queen of the Desert).

However, the town still manages to surprise the unsuspecting visitor with its colourful park and garden displays.

Like many outback towns, Broken Hill was built on precious metals and once had the worlds richest deposits of lead, zinc and silver. Although now depleted somewhat, mining (particularly zinc and lead) still yields around two million tonnes annually (some mine tours are available).

Sheep farming is now one of the principle industries in the area and there are considerably more sheep than people - almost 2 million Merino Sheep.

The GHAN

Broken Hill is also one of the stops of the Ghan and Indian Pacific (two luxury trains which make their classic journeys across the Australian Desert).

The GHAN goes from Adelaide to Alice Springs and The Indian Pacific from Sydney to Perth via Adelaide.

The luxury trains take several days to traverse Australia but these are truly trips of a life time.

Encircled by Reserves

Dust storms are a common problem in the desert but the ingenious people of Broken Hill created reserves to surround the town thus protecting the encircled town from the worst of the storms.

South east of the town is the Kinchega National Park which encloses the Menindee, named after the nearby town, and Cawndilla Lakes.

Broken Hill is situated at the junction of the Barrier and Silver City Highways. Wilcannia is a small town to the east of Broken Hill situated on the Darling River. It has many attractions of historical visit. The area is a fascinating place to visit with many contrasts.

Street Names Like No Other

Broken Hill defiantly wears its heart on its sleeve. Many of the street names pay homage to minerals, resources and chemicals which helped forge the town. Streets and lanes so named include Kaolin, Gypsum, Bromide, Crystal, Oxide, Silver, Argent, Chloride, Iodide, Sulphide, Cobalt, Mica, Mercury, Garnet, Talc, Silica, Tin, Bismuth and Calcite!