New South WalesIn 1883 a boundary rider found a lump of silver ore on a rocky outcrop he called a ‘broken hill’. Today mining continues and this elegant city has also become a centre for the arts and soft adventure outback tourism. Although in NSW, Broken Hill is closer to Adelaide than Sydney and even sets its clocks to South Australian time.
Perhaps the most interesting excursion from Broken Hill is to the white opal town of White Cliffs. Nearby Silverton, the location for so many Australian films, is another fascinating day trip.
The Murray River and the popular provincial town of Mildura in Victoria are accessible from Broken Hill as are three interesting national parks -
Mutawintji National Park to the north www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/(Mutawintji),
Kinchega National Park to the south www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/(Kinchega), and
Mungo National Park, further south near Mildura www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/(Mungo), and part of the
Willandra Lakes World Heritage area.
Other towns within easy driving distance of Broken Hill include:
| Tibooburra | Milparinka | Wilcannia | Menindee |
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To the east is Cobar, a former all-action boom and bust copper mining town on the edge of the Outback. Today mining is still important and the town has some impressive buildings from the boom eras. North from Cobar is another legendary Outback gateway town, Bourke. From the 1860s to the 1930s Bourke was a thriving river port and some distinctive architecture from that period remains. Beyond Bourke, north and west, is remote, stark Outback terrain. This remoteness might be boring to some but is compelling to others and continues to attract increasing numbers of visitors.
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DID YOU KNOW ... Australia is one of the safest places in the world, with a murder rate of 2 per 100,000 people. The USA rate is about 8 per 100,000 people. |
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