Broken Hill Area Information Guide

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BROKEN HILL Broken Hill

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BROKENHILLBROKE WELCOME to

Broken Hill Broken Hill, also known as the Silver City, is a town that is forever linked to the Australian mining industry.

The township was the site of the original mine that kickstarted Australia’s largest mining company, Broken Hill Proprietary or BHP (now BHP-Billiton). From the wide open thoroughfares, designed to allow bullock drays and camel teams to pass through the town, to the street names, Broken Hill is a town that has never lost the links to its past. Since the first mine was dug, there has reportedly been $1.5 billion worth of minerals found locally, and treasures are still being unearthed.

The experience of travelling down a mine shaft to the underground chambers so far below the earth’s surface that they are kept warm geothermally, is not easily forgotten. The Day Dream Mine, located 16kms north

west of Silverton, offers underground and surface tours to visitors seeking a unique holiday experience.

The modern Broken Hill is more than just a mining town.

It is a lush oasis of green parks in a desert and boasts a vibrant art scene. It is also a town that remembers its Aboriginal heritage, and offers easy access to unique national parks.

Increasingly tourists are travelling to Broken Hill to experience for themselves the unusual outback township that has been the scene for films including Mad Max II and Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

Visitors from the eastern states should remember to change their clocks when they reach Broken Hill, as the town runs on South Australian time, half an hour behind the rest of New South Wales.

For more information on Broken Hill, please visit www.brokenhillaustralia.com.au. Alternatively, drop into the visitor information centre on the corner of Blende and Bromide Streets, Broken Hill.

Experience

NN HILL BROKENHIL Mining Broken Hill is Australia’s longest-lived mining city.

MINERS’ MEMORIAL The Miners’ Memorial is set above the Line of Lode and pays homage to the contribution local miners have made to the town, including those who have lost their lives during the years. The tribute is high above the streets and offers not only a chance to appreciate the dedication of miners, but also a good vantage point from which to view the town.

VISITING DAY DREAM MINE Visitors can glean an insider’s view of mining by embarking on a Day Dream Mine underground tour.

Visitors will be privy to travelling three levels down into the earth and viewing drive tunnels. For more information on the Day Dream Mine, please call 8088 5682. Bookings are essential.

BROKENHILLBROKE BROKEN Hill

The Silver City

Broken Hill is today such a lively town. With splashes of green vegetation, it may be difficult to imagine just what greeted Charles Rasp, the man credited with founding the township in 1883. Its desert location, so far from permanent water that the local Willyama Aborigines could only visit the area intermittently, meant the only Europeans present were a handful of sheep farmers.

The pastoralists had followed in the footsteps of Charles Sturt, who was the first European in the area when he investigated the Barrier Range in 1844. It is thought that Sturt coined the name Broken Hill, which is recorded in his diary. Rasp was a boundary rider on a property and well educated for the times. He spoke English, French and German. Although Rasp was no miner or geologist he believed the rocky outcrop known as Broken Hill may

contain tin, based on what he had read in a Prospectors Guide. Samples obtained showed that there was in fact silver chloride present in the rocks.

On September 5, 1883, Rasp, aided by two other men, James Poole and David James, marked the first local mineral lease. A syndicate of seven people each contributed 70 pounds in January 1885, and the group hit one of the world’s richest silver-lead-zinc lodes. Two of the original party, George Urquhart and George Lind both sold their shares for a pittance shortly before the big find, and missed out on amassing a fortune that left all others in the syndicate rich. In August 1885, the group formed a public company called Broken Hill Proprietary (BHP).

By the end of the year, the mine had produced nearly 43,000 pounds worth of ore. BHP continued mining at Broken Hill until 1940, and today Perilya and CBH Resources mine what remains of the ore.

Other mines were to follow the initial discovery and the area quickly grew, becoming a municipality in 1888 and a city in 1907.

NHILLBROKENHILLB

BROKENHILLBROKE THINGS to

See and Do

Broken Hill boasts an array of things to see and do for visitors to the region.

• Visit the Miners’ Memorial, which commemorates the contribution by miners to the growth of Broken Hill as well as those who have lost their lives to their occupation.

• Visit Day Dream Mine and embark on an underground or surface tour to experience mining up close.

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View the 12 sandstone sculptures within the Living Desert Reserve. Combining both art and the environment, the sculptures are unique icons located 9kms from the city.

Listen in on a School of the Air class via radio.

Bookings are available through the Broken Hill Visitor Information Centre.

Visit one of the many art galleries. The Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery boasts an array of rotating local and touring exhibits and is open daily, except for Good Friday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

• View the iconic ‘Silver Tree’ and a fascinating display of minerals at the Albert Kersten Mining & Minerals Museum located on the corner of Bromide and Crystal Streets. The museum is open weekdays 10am-4:45pm and weekends 1pm-4:45pm.

• Take a self-guided walking tour like the Broken Hill Heritage Trail, the Broken Hill Cemetery Walk or the Heroes, Larrikins and Visionaries of Broken Hill walk.

• Take a day trip to the heritage mining town of nearby Silverton.

• Enjoy a meal at one of Broken Hill’s many sumptuous restaurants or hotels.

• Take the family to Sturt Park and enjoy a picnic or barbecue.

• Browse through the local markets.

• Take the children to the fenced adventure playground at Sturt Park.

• Wander down Argent Street and browse through the boutiques and specialty shops.

PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE MAP FROM ROOM

BROKENHILLBROKE Drive

Distances BROKEN HILL TO Adelaide Albury Alice Springs Bourke via Wilcannia, Tilpa, Louth Brisbane Burra Cameron Corner Canberra Cobar Dubbo Flinders Ranges (Hawker) Hobart Lightning Ridge (via Cobar, Bourke, Walgett) Living Desert Picnic Area Melbourne Menindee Mildura Mungo National Park via Menindee Mutawintji National Park Pooncarie via Menindee Peterborough Port Augusta via Peterborough Silverton Sydney Tibooburra Wentworth White Cliffs Wilcannia Yunta Milparinka Ivanhoe Louth Tilpa Wagga Wagga

KMS 500 900 1,640 620 1,550 355 470 1,100 460 750 430 1,550 925 12 850 110 300 325 130 235 290 415 25 1,150 330 265 290 195 200 295 315 410 325 850

NHILLBROKENHILLB ESSENTIAL services

Calendar of

Events JANUARY • Broken Hill Community Markets held the 2nd Saturday of the month

MARCH

EMERGENCY: Police/ Fire/ Ambulance

000

POLICE

• St Patrick’s Day Race

Broken Hill Police Station 252 Argent Street, Broken Hill

AUGUST

MEDICAL

• Broken Hill Eisteddfod

Broken Hill Hospital

SEPTEMBER

176 Thomas Street, Broken Hill

8087 0299

8080 1333

Royal Flying Doctors Service

8080 3737

Broken Hill GP Super Clinic 235 Thomas Street, Broken Hill

8088 7044

South Medical Centre 202-210 Patton Street, Broken Hill

8088 3350

• Silver City Cup • Broken Hill Fringe

DENTAL

DECEMBER

The Dental Centre 51 Iodide Street, Broken Hill

8087 3576

Barrier Dental Clinic 168 Beryl Street, Broken Hill

8088 1022

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Broken Hill Silver City Show

OCTOBER • Outback Challenge

• Twilight Christmas Community Markets

For more information on what’s on in Broken Hill, visit www.brokenhillaustralia.com.au.

PHARMACIES Outback Pharmacies Tembys Day & Night Pharmacy CP Peoples Chemist South Pharmacy

8087 3452 8087 3326 8087 2266

TRANSPORT Broken Hill Yellow Taxis

13 10 08

Countrylink

13 22 32

Regional Express Airlines Road Condition Reports

13 17 13 8082 6660

Community Markets When: Every 2nd Saturday of the month Where: 200 Beryl Street, Broken Hill A variety of goods for sale! Fresh fruit & veggies, gourmet meats, jams, pickles, cakes, biscuits, Asian food, chocolates, sweets, olive trees and products, souvenirs, toys, clothes, paintings, folk art, engraved glass ... and, of course, a good old Aussie BBQ!

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Managing Director Jarrod La Canna

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Compiled with the assistance of the Broken Hill City Council.

Images courtesy of the Broken Hill City Council and Destination NSW.

The information contained in this publication is provided as a guide only. Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information, John Batman Group disclaims any liability or responsibility for the accuracy of the information contained herein. Advertising material appearing in this publication is supplied by the operator or service provider and John Batman Group is not responsible for the accuracy of advertising content.