The outback town of Broken Hill has plenty to offer travellers.
We arrived in this heritage-listed city with a vague idea of its past and current involvement in mining and art. Two days later we left, already wanting to return and sample more of what is has to offer.
This town is RV Friendly and has a large information centre with easy van and rig parking, a nearby dump point, BBQ and picnic areas — making it a very easy place to stop and shop. A nearby shopping mall with all the mod cons offers an alternative to the boutiques located on Argent Street, the main road.
For our trip, we chose to stay at the Broken Hill Racecourse and Event Centre, which is on the outskirts of town and has a huge amount of room for a variety of camping options with great amenities. There are other commercial van parks in town and low-cost camping on the outskirts, too.
Broken Hill has an abundance of things to see and do
Most of us have heard of Pro Hart, the famous artist who lived an eccentric lifestyle and called Broken Hill home. You don’t have to go far to find his artworks around town, either. With a town that boasts more art galleries than pubs, it’s not hard to soak up some of the artistic atmosphere.
I visited the Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery and found many of his works as part of the ‘Brushmen of the Bush’ exhibition, which celebrates the works of five artists — Pro Hart, Eric Minchin, Jack Absalom, John Pickup and Hugh Schulz — who commenced their collaboration in 1973. This lovely gallery is located in one of many historic buildings that dot Argent Street, many of which are made of the local sandstone and have been painstakingly maintained.
Another of Pro Hart’s artworks takes the form of an ant sculpture near the information centre. Created in 1983, it was influenced by the mining culture that is the town’s lifeblood, representing the workers underground who each share a common goal.
Broken Hill has a rich history
Silver ore was discovered in Broken Hill in 1883, and hardrock mining both above and underground for the precious metals of silver, lead, and zinc still continues to this day. One of the best ways to appreciate the mining history is to visit The Line of Lode Information and Memorial Centre. Dominating the landscape of Broken Hill, look left when travelling down Argent Street and you will see the mullock heaps created by mining activity. Perched on the top of this hill is a memorial to miners who lost their lives.
An easy but steep sealed drive to the top of The Line of Lode, with ample parking for big rigs, takes you to the Broken Earth cafe and information centre. The area is sparse and dotted with large boulder alongside mining equipment from both the past and present. Follow the interactive walkway to the memorial of the 800 deaths that have occurred since mining commenced in Broken Hill in 1883. This stunning memorial received the Walter Burley Griffin Award for Urban Design in 2001 and provides a very sombre and moving reminder of the high costs that some jobs require.
I had to stop myself from taking photos of the many wonderful buildings on every street corner, but the one that I admired the most is the Trades Hall building at 34 Sulphide Street built by the people for the people, and still owned by them. Street names in the area are iconic and are associated with mining such as Oxide and Bromide.
The famous worker ant sculpture
We enjoyed a very pleasant afternoon visiting the fabulous Sulphide Street Railway and Historical Museum complex. What I thought was going to be filled with trains and all things railway turned into so much more. Multiple rooms celebrate the past history of life in Broken Hill, with one room full of hospital history; another celebrating the migrants who came to work in the area; one full of the old travelling shows attractions and a magnificent collection of minerals, there is something for everyone. For a small entry fee, we got our money’s worth and then some.
We also found some seriously good cafes and an artisan sourdough bakery on our wanderings.
Sure, 48 hours is not really enough to get to know the ins and outs of Broken Hill, but we certainly got an insight into this gritty city built into the sparse landscape of the far west of outback New South Wales.
