23 June 2026 – 0 kms – Broken Hill
Wiljakali Country
Broken Hill got its start as a mining town. It is still a mining town. It is rough and gritty and polluted. It mines lead and silver and zinc. Around 40 percent of children here have unacceptable levels of lead in their blood. There are handwash stations at the playgrounds so that you can wash the lead dust off your kids’ hands after they are finished playing in the park.
But the town also has a thriving arts scene and more artists per capita than anywhere else in Oz, apparently. Every building you look at seems to have historical significance. There are plenty of things to see and do as a tourist. So let’s go check some of it out.
Sheep stations were established in the region in the 1850s. Silverton (25km north-west of Broken Hill) was established in 1883 after the discovery of silver and lead deposits. It reached its peak population of approximately 3000 by the end of 1885.
Boundary rider Charles Rasp had a look around for minerals at Mt Gipps station during his duties in 1883, given the finds at Silverton nearby. He finds what he thinks is tin, but turns out to be silver, at what will become the ‘line of lode’. This turns out to be the world’s largest silver-lead-zinc orebody of such high grade. It is 7.5 km long and 1.6 kms deep.
According to the Broken Hill History site:
“Within weeks Rasp had staked a 40 acre claim and convinced his six Mt. Gipps workmates to invest £70 each. They pegged out seven blocks, numbered 10 to 16, now known as the “Syndicate of Seven”. The first shafts they sunk failed to turn up anything of value or interest, but then they hit a rich silver seam. In 1884, the Syndicate divided their shares, creating fourteen equal partners, but only five of the original shareholders remained: McCulloch, Rasp, Poole and Charley.
In 1885, the Broken Hill Propriety Co. Ltd: BHP, was registered as a public company, sparking a silver rush and then a mining boom that created an instant township”. If you know of the international company BHP, this is where it got its start”.
The ore body was shaped like an upside down “U”. BHP and its satellite companies owned the apex of the orebody and the richest and most easily mined ore. However, this was the narrowest part ot the orebody and was almost completely mined by 1930. By contrast, mines at the ends of the orebody had to sink deeper shafts to intersect ore, which was mostly sulphide-rich and harder to mine and concentrate. It was lower in silver and lead content. So mines in the middle of the ‘line of lode’ fluorished early, but the deeper mines at the ends struggled to begin with, but became the major producers going forward. Mining of the ore body continues today, but mining only comprises 11 to 15 percent of the workforce now.
We walk up to the Miners Memorial, established in 2001 on top of the overburden and tailings along the first mined sections of the line of lode.
We walk all over town. We never find the ‘good’ neighbourhoods. Even the newer homes from the 1960s or so look tired and worn. There are hundreds and hundreds of mining cottages around town though – they all have the same basic form. The mining cottages just vary in how people have done up the facade.
There were 47 licensed hotels within two years of the mines becoming established. There is literally a pub on almost every corner in town, though there’s not many that are still pubs.
There were some churches, too.
The 1970s appear to have seen a construction boom for civic buildings.
Across the road from the Council Chambers is the old Trades Union Hall which played a significant role in the various miner strikes and the gain of improved worker rights, conditions and pay over time.
There are multiple museums and art galleries in town. I just went up to the Pro Hart gallery. Pro Hart was famous for his depictions of mining town life in a distinctive style of painting. He was an interesting guy who worked in the mines by necessity. There are a lot of his works on display, not just the depictions of mining town life, and definitely worth the admission fee.
I did a lot of cross-training over these past two days. I’m certain I walked around 25-30 kms both days I’m in Broken Hill. I never had any desire to visit this town, and I probably don’t ever need to go back there. It was a one and done sort of place for me, much like many places on this tour. If I’d had a vehicle, I probably would have gone out to do the Desert Sunset bushwalk and the Desert Sculptures site, but they didn’t entice me enough to want to ride all the way out there and risk punctures.
When I speak to Nigel tonight, I ask if he’s ever spent any time here. No – he stopped for petrol there once on the way back from Adelaide. He says, “isn’t it just a mining town”?
I respond, “Yes, but people rave about it. There were a bunch of historical buildings, but I couldn’t get past just how dirty and polluted it was and how the mines were still active but not being forced to reduce all the lead dust being showered all over town.”
Nigel says, “yeah, I guess you’d never really think about visiting Port Augusta or Mt Isa, so why would that town be any different?”
So I’m glad I’ve seen it, but I’m also very ready to get out of here tomorrow at first light.