Broken Hill
UNITED WE STAND AND MINERS MEMORIAL
included in fare
Broken Hill was borne of the richness that lies beneath it, and in this far-flung outpost, mining was a tough and dangerous business.
Visit the Broken Hill Trades Hall, a heritage-listed building that was home to the city’s first labour movement. Here, you’ll enjoy a live performance by local actors showcasing the early mining story and life in Broken Hill. Under the ‘United we stand’ banner, the Union successfully championed the 35-hour working week and created safer and fairer working conditions that Australian workers continue to enjoy today.
The striking Miners Memorial that stands over the town is a powerful salute to more than 800 miners who’ve lost their lives working here. Fittingly, the towering 54-metre structure dominates the city’s highest point on the Line of Lode remnant mullock dumps that cross the city, and its east-west axis tracks the path of the rising and setting sun.
From your vantage point on the lookout above the city, you’ll also enjoy sweeping outback vistas and a unique view of the Indian Pacific stretched out below you.
Recommended Fitness Level: Low – coach tour with short walks required. No wheelchair access.
THE REGIONAL ART GALLERY
Included in fare
The Emporium is a landmark 1850s building that houses the best of the region’s celebrated artworks. This remote outback town has an extraordinary artistic legacy, cleverly curated in the Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery.
As the oldest regional art gallery in New South Wales, this beautiful heritage space boasts a nationally acclaimed collection of early 20th-century Australian paintings, with works by Margaret Preston and Arthur Streeton, through to contemporary pieces by Rick Amor, Charles Blackman, Arthur Boyd, Lloyd Rees, Barbara Hanrahan, Mandy Martin, Clifton Pugh, Tim Storrier, Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, Emily Kane Kngwarreye, David Malangi, and many other fine Australian artists, including Broken Hill local, the late Pro Hart.
The gallery has an annual program featuring local artists, supported by touring exhibitions from major cultural institutions.
Enjoy a light morning tea while you take in the many facets of this engaging gallery.
Recommended Fitness Level: Low – short walks are required to view artwork throughout the Gallery.
MAIN DRAG WALKING TOUR WITH SHELITA BUFFET
included in fare
When the world fell in love with the blockbuster movie The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Broken Hill suddenly had more than mining and famous painters to put it on the map – it had a faceful of fluttering fake lashes and pouting lips coated in lurid lipstick to back it up. Join the fun with a tour of the main drag with fabulous local Drag Queen sensation, Shelita Buffet.
This is a town tour with a difference, as Shelita educates and entertains on the mining history, iconic buildings, and art installations that represent the fascinating interfusion that makes up contemporary Broken Hill. From the Town Hall to the Police Station and the Palace Hotel to the Giant Ant Sculpture, you’ll catch all the highlights, presented with Shelita’s inimitable flair.
Recommended Fitness Level: Moderate – walking tour of approx 2 km.
Bells Milk Bar
included in fare
Recommended Fitness Level: Low – Coach with short walks at Bells.
