About Broken Hill

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Broken Hill is a mecca for tourists, artists, film makers, photographers and adventure seekers.

Built on a rich history of mining, Broken Hill is Australia’s first heritage listed city and a must see on your bucket list of Australian adventures. From the beautiful colonial architecture of our city buildings to the fascinating history of Australian mining, Broken Hill is a capsule of Australian spirit and survival – easy to explore on your own self-guided tours of Far West NSW.

You can tour the mines, beautiful heritage buildings and iconic landscapes, and enjoy great meals at trendy cafes, restaurants and colonial era hotels.

In addition to being historically signifant, Broken Hill is a mecca for artists across many genres. Our vast desert landscape attracts photographers, painters and sculptors from around the world and our wonderful galleries showcase the most talented. And when you need a break from exploring, you can sit down to a cold beer and plate of comfort food at one of our classic Aussie Pubs, or visit a contemporary cafe for delicious food and coffee to rival the capital cities.

Our thriving art community is abundant with more than 20 art galleries exhibiting works by artists (some very well known including Pro Hart) who have been inspired and fascinated by Broken Hill and our surrounding landscapes.

The city and surrounding area offers breathtaking and diverse landscapes to discover and explore, from lush wetlands and lakes to spectacular flat topped mesas. For decades, photographers, artists and film makers have been drawn to Broken Hill to experience the unique, vibrant colours and ‘perfect light’ of our landscapes. In fact, Broken Hill is renowned for being the location for the second Mad Max movie fllmed in the 70’s.

Broken Hill is Australia’s first heritage listed city.

Broken Hill is listed on the National Heritage List alongside the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, the Sydney Opera House and the Great Barrier Reef in far north Queensland. This Heritage listing recognises the city’s significant mining history and contribution to the Australian and International mining and resources industry. The listing also recognises Broken Hill’s contribution to industrial relations with many conditions of employment, including workplace safety, originating from Broken Hill.

Broken Hill is situated in outback New South Wales (NSW) on the South Australian (SA) border at the crossing of the Barrier Highway and the Silver City Highway on the Barrier Ranges. The area was built on the world’s largest silver, lead and zinc mine operated by Broken Hill Proprietary Company Limited (now BHP Billiton), one of the world’s largest mining companies.

In 1844 explorer Charles Sturt discovered and named the Barrier Ranges and referred to a “broken hill” in his diary. Silver Ore was later discovered on this “broken hill” in 1883 by Charles Rasp – founder of the city, Broken Hill. The “broken hill” that gave its name to Broken Hill actually comprised a number of hills that appeared to have a break in them. The “broken hill” no longer exists having been mined away and the city remains Australia’s oldest continually populated mining city.