Broken Hill

Broken Hill was borne of the richness that lies beneath it and, in this far-flung region of Australia, mining was a tough and often dangerous business. Visit the Broken hill Trades Hall, a heritage-listed building home to the city’s first labour movement. 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 enjoy today,

The striking Miners Memorial that stands over the town is a constant and powerful salute to the 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 traverse the city, and its east-west axis track the path of the rising and setting sun.

From your vantage on the lookout above the city, you’ll also enjoy the 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.

On the western extremity of New South Wales, remote Broken Hill is an unlikely hotspot for creatives but this plucky township certainly has its place on the global art scene. So much so, it attracted international artists to create a defining and permanent installation that beautifully blends its unique environment with its artistic legacy.

From October to March, guests can take a self-guided walk around the captivating Living Desert Sculpture site. The 12 imposing sandstone artworks, each with their own story to tell, sit on a majestic hilltop within The Living Desert Reserve that houses a 180-hectare flora and fauna sanctuary.

The Living Desert Sculpture site is a self-guided walk offering breathtaking views of the NSW outback, and is the perfect location to capture some stunning photos.

Recommended Fitness Level: Moderate – includes a short approx. 1 kilometre walk on sealed pathway and some rocky ground.

*This tour operates October to March

Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery  is the oldest regional art gallery in New South Wales holding an important cultural position and role in the broader western New South Wales region.

The Emporium was associated with two well-known Broken Hill families, the Sullys (1885-1925) and the Sweetapples (1924-1985), and had its own livery stable and blacksmiths in the yard at the rear of the buildings. In 1998 the Broken Hill City Council purchased the building to provide a permanent home for Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery and the city’s art collection.

The Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery provides an annual program of locally curated exhibitions along with touring exhibitions from major cultural institutions. A selection of works from the collection is on permanent display in the upstairs gallery whilst the touring exhibitions fill the lower floor.

On display is an extensive collection of Australian colonial works including James Coutts Michie and James Ashton along with several important Victorian painters such as Arthur Hacker RA. The gallery also has a nationally recognised collection of early 20th century Australian paintings including works by Margaret Preston and Arthur Streeton through to contemporary works 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 Pro Hart.

Enjoy strolling the gallery and immersing yourself in this historic building and cultural art works.

Recommended Fitness Level: Low mobility – short walks are required to view artwork throughout the Gallery.

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.

Recommended Fitness Level: Low – Coach with short walks at Bells.