Everything you need to know about Broken Hill – More than just a mining town.

Broken Hill is officially Australia’s first heritage listed city in 2015. It’s the start of the Australian outback and home to close to 20,000 people and it’s hot. It is a mining village, however, it is really welcoming to tourists and travellers alike and the pace of life is definitely slower here. Interestingly enough, BHP was founded here. I hadn’t realised, but BHP is an acronym for Broken Hill Proprietary. There is plenty to see when visiting Broken Hill and it depends on your interests and how much time you have as to what attractions you might like to visit.

Living Desert State Park

In our opinion, a trip to the living Desert State Park is a must! Make sure you purchase your tickets at the self-serve machine on your way in. There are a range of ways get through the park to view the sculptures, you can either access them via road, or you can take in the breathtaking views by walking up to the sculptures on a 3 km round hike – I’d suggest this! The hike is relatively easy for all ages, including the kids. Once you reach the top, you will see 13 awe inspiring sculptures with a rundown from each artist on what the sculpture represents. We enjoyed viewing the sculptures, however, for us, the walk to the sculptures far exceeded the sculptures themselves. At the bottom of the hike there are also toilets and barbecue/picnic facilities, as well as other walks, such as the Flora and Fauna walk and Cultural walk. On our hike to the living deserts sculptures we saw emus as well as kangaroos and Wallabies and lizards. Please be mindful. This is a natural habitat and be prepared in case you come across a snake.

Royal Flying Doctors Experience

There are several around the country, however we opted to visit the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) Headquarters and museum which is attached to the Broken Hill airport. What a fascinating experience. It included a series of videos and a guided tour of the museum. Our tour guide Andrew was sensational, super knowledgeable and friendly and really got the kids included as well so they were not bored at all. The tour also included a visit to the hanger where we saw three planes that are used as part of the RFDS service, and interestingly enough part of I set from the TV series on Channel 7 RFDS. Prior to this visit to the museum we knew about the RFDS but not in great detail and have walked away in awe of what the service delivers for outback Australia. If not in Broken Hill, I would definitely recommend a visit to one of their museums throughout Australia.

Line of Lode Memorial

While in Broken Hill, make sure you take a visit to the Line of Lode miners memorial. The line of load pays tribute to all of those who have lost their lives working in mind within Broken Hill. It brings to the forefront how dangerous morning has been over the years but also how health and safety legislation and measures have greatly reduced fatalities over the last 50 you will find a red rose next to every person who has lost their lives as well as their age and how they passed away, the line of the load also offers a spectacular view over Broken Hill.

In and around town

While in town, make sure you pop in to the palace hotel, where Priscilla Queen of the Desert was filmed. It’s still home to. Drag queen entertainment and also murals painted by indigenous artist Gordon Wayne. The murals are featured on internal walls and ceilings and cannot be missed.

Epic milkshakes are your thing. Make sure you had to South Broken Hill to Bells milk bar it is the oldest milk bar in Australia and is still set up like the 1960s. Here you can choose from an array of different milkshake flavours as well as oldschool deserts ice cream’s and spiders.

If you’re into gin, there’s a pub called TYDVIL Hotel, and they offer amazing gin tasting they make their own. There’s a grassed area at the back where kids can run around to.

Broken Hill is a hub of art. There are so many studios and galleries for people to view. The artwork is unique and inspiring. The Broken Hill city Art Gallery was founded in 1904 and it’s the oldest regional Gallery New South Wales Now you will find in the silver city mean and arts Centre, a canvas painting that is almost 100 m long and 12 m high. It is the worlds largest acrylic painting on canvas and he’s quite something

Daydream Mining Tour

When visiting the living sculptures, it is possible to do a tour of the historic Daydream mine. Unfortunately for us the mine was closed for the afternoon when we went to do it tours run at 10:30 and 11:30 each day. We recommend calling your head prior to ensure availability You can go deep underground through tunnels and caves and get a first-hand experience of what life was like for miners working in the mine in the 1880s, without electricity and only being able to see by lamp light. This is a guided tour and the guides can also show you about mining techniques used in the early days of Australian mining.

Fancy a Workout?

If you need time out away from your kids I definitely recommend the YMCA gym for a workout. It’s X dollars for a one off pass or free if you’re part of the fitness passport community. Don’t be fooled that the equipment on the left is all that is available upstairs. There is a spin studio and if you walk straight ahead from the entrance and turn right you will find a class studio and if you turn to the left you will find a massive functional gym section. The YMCA are also part of the Broken Hill aquatics centre. Unfortunately we ran out of time to visit here however local say this is the perfect place to cool off when it gets hot and hot it does.

A great place to stay in Broken Hill

There are a few caravan parks in Broken Hill however, we opted to stay four kilometres out of the centre of town at the Broken Hill racecourse. The racecourse offers $20 per night rates for unpowered or $40 per night including power and water. There are also clean toilets and brand-new shower facilities available for or paying guests. On a side note, these are the best showers that we have come across and would highly recommend staying at the racecourse. The current caretakers were super lovely and although only filling in for one month were very knowledgeable and professional. If you enjoy Parkrun, the Broken Hill Parkrun at 8 am on a Saturday morning takes off from the very end of the unpowered camp section and into the bush. It’s a 5 km loop. You can access a smaller part of the loop at any time, however by following the green flags however the gate is locked for you to get the whole 5 km. One afternoon we walked and the kids ride their bike out this way again please be mindful of potential snakes.

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Check out must see neighbouring town Silverton – A Broken Hill right of passage.