Broken Hill is a town that promotes itself as being in the ‘Outback’ and if this town isn’t ‘Outback’ then I don’t know what is. Please don’t shoot me down in flames🔥……..I am saying it as it is and how it is promoted.
Broken Hill is a mining 👨🔧city founded in 1883. A boundary rider patrolling the fences of the Mount Gipps station found what he thought was an outcrop of tin. However samples were proven to be that of silver and lead. He must have had some insight that the load of orebody they came from was something quite big.
He was later joined by six associates and they called themselves the Syndicate of Seven and founded the mining company Broken Hill Propriety (BHP). Broken Hill continued to be a prosperous mining town well into the 1990’s. Besides mining, which is still happening today in various surrounding areas, the town has quite a few heritage listed buildings.
It’s also growing as a tourism town in the middle of the outback. The Palace Hotel was used as a stop-over for the characters in the 1994 Australian iconic movie, The Adventures of 👠 Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Other movies that have been filmed around the area were Max Max 2 and Mission Impossible 2.
👉 About 5 km southwest of the Broken Hill township, is the enormous Broken Hill Solar Plant. There is a great viewing platform and plenty of parking if your towing a caravan. Worth a stop with very informative signs.
👉Don’t forget to pop into the Visitors Information Centre where you can pick up a city map 🗞 and take a self-guided tour of the heritage buildings in town. The rugged barren landscape has been an inspiration to many artists 🎨 and you will find more than 20 galleries throughout town. Did you know this is the home of Pro Hart who was one of the famous ‘Brushmen of the Bush’👨🎨?
👉We decided to stay approximately 15 kms east of town at the Broken Hill Outback Resort. I must admit when we first came through town and then headed out towards the resort, I wondered if I had made the right choice🤔. But as soon as we drove in I knew it was a good choice😅.
Up until 1987 the pub traded as the Mount Gipps Hotel. From the late 1800’s the pub served many a weary traveller including miners👷♂️, soldiers and artists. You can just imagine them covered in red dust and enjoying a cold drink or two while yarning 🗣about their adventures. It reopened in 2018 after its refurbishment and again caters for all sorts of travellers including the new wave of campers and caravanners.
🔌Powered large grass sites $40 (ask them for the deals – when we stayed it was stay 4 pay 3 making it $30 per night.)👍
🚻Modern clean amenities 👍
👕Laundry 👍
🍽Camp Kitchen 👍
📱TV/Telstra reception 👍
🐶Pet Friendly 👍
🍻Bar/restaurant 👍
👩🎤Live music Saturday and Sundays 👍
💩No dump point 😏
We had a great time in Broken Hill and I am sure not everything is listed here. But I think you will get a good idea of what’s install.