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Broken HillBroken Hill, also known as the Silver City, is a town that is forever linked to the Australian mining industry.

The township was the site of the original mine that kick-started Australia’s largest mining company, Broken Hill Proprietary or BHP (now BHP-Billiton). From the wide open thoroughfares, designed to allow bullock drays and camel teams to pass through the town, to the street names, Broken Hill is a town that has never lost the links to its past. Since the first mine was dug, there has reportedly been $1.5 billion worth of minerals found locally, and treasures are still being unearthed.

The experience of travelling down a mine shaft to the underground chambers so far below the earth’s surface that they are kept warm geothermally, is not easily forgotten. The Day Dream Mine, located 16kms north

west of Silverton, offers underground and surface tours to visitors seeking a unique holiday experience.

The modern Broken Hill is more than just a mining town. It is a lush oasis of green parks in a desert and boasts a vibrant art scene. It is also a town that remembers its Aboriginal heritage, and offers easy access to unique national parks.

Increasingly tourists are travelling to Broken Hill to experience for themselves the unusual outback township that has been the scene for films including Mad Max II and Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

Visitors from the eastern states should remember to change their clocks when they reach Broken Hill, as the town runs on South Australian time, half an hour behind the rest of New South Wales.

For more information on Broken Hill, please visit www.brokenhillaustralia.com.au. Alternatively, drop into the visitor information centre on the corner of Blende and Bromide Streets, Broken Hill.

NN HILL BROKENHILExperience MiningBroken Hill is Australia’s longest-lived mining city.

MINERS’ MEMORIALThe Miners’ Memorial is set above the Line of Lode and pays homage to the contribution local miners have made to the town, including those who have lost their lives during the years. The tribute is high above the streets and offers not only a chance to appreciate the dedication of miners, but also a good vantage point from which to view the town.

VISITING DAY DREAM MINEVisitors can glean an insider’s view of mining by embarking on a Day Dream Mine underground tour. Visitors will be privy to travelling three levels down into the earth and viewing drive tunnels. For more information on the Day Dream Mine, please call 8088 5682. Bookings are essential.

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Hill The Silver CityBroken Hill is today such a lively town. With splashes of green vegetation, it may be difficult to imagine just what greeted Charles Rasp, the man credited with founding the township in 1883. Its desert location, so far from permanent water that the local Willyama Aborigines could only visit the area intermittently, meant the only Europeans present were a handful of sheep farmers.

The pastoralists had followed in the footsteps of Charles Sturt, who was the first European in the area when he investigated the Barrier Range in 1844. It is thought that Sturt coined the name Broken Hill, which is recorded in his diary. Rasp was a boundary rider on a property and well educated for the times. He spoke English, French and German. Although Rasp was no miner or geologist he believed the rocky outcrop known as Broken Hill may

contain tin, based on what he had read in a Prospectors Guide. Samples obtained showed that there was in fact silver chloride present in the rocks.

On September 5, 1883, Rasp, aided by two other men, James Poole and David James, marked the first local mineral lease. A syndicate of seven people each contributed 70 pounds in January 1885, and the group hit one of the world’s richest silver-lead-zinc lodes. Two of the original party, George Urquhart and George Lind both sold their shares for a pittance shortly before the big find, and missed out on amassing a fortune that left all others in the syndicate rich. In August 1885, the group formed a public company called Broken Hill Proprietary (BHP). By the end of the year, the mine had produced nearly 43,000 pounds worth of ore. BHP continued mining at Broken Hill until 1940, and today Perilya and CBH Resources mine what remains of the ore.

Other mines were to follow the initial discovery and the area quickly grew, becoming a municipality in 1888 and a city in 1907.

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Broken Hill boasts an array of things to see and do for visitors to the region.

• Visit the Miners’ Memorial, which commemorates the contribution by miners to the growth of Broken Hill as well as those who have lost their lives to their occupation.

• Visit Day Dream Mine and embark on an underground or surface tour to experience mining up close.

• View the 12 sandstone sculptures within the Living Desert Reserve. Combining both art and the environment, the sculptures are unique icons located 9kms from the city.

• Listen in on a School of the Air class via radio. Bookings are available through the Broken Hill Visitor Information Centre.

• Visit one of the many art galleries. The Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery boasts an array of rotating local and touring exhibits and is open daily, except for Good Friday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

• View the iconic ‘Silver Tree’ and a fascinating display of minerals at the Albert Kersten Mining & Minerals Museum located on the corner of Bromide and Crystal Streets. The museum is open weekdays 10am-4:45pm and weekends 1pm-4:45pm.

• Take a self-guided walking tour like the Broken Hill Heritage Trail, the Broken Hill Cemetery Walk or the Heroes, Larrikins and Visionaries of Broken Hill walk.

• Take a day trip to the heritage mining town of nearby Silverton.

• Enjoy a meal at one of Broken Hill’s many sumptuous restaurants or hotels.

• Take the family to Sturt Park and enjoy a picnic or barbecue.

• Browse through the local markets.

• Take the children to the fenced adventure playground at Sturt Park.

• Wander down Argent Street and browse through the boutiques and specialty shops.

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BROKENHILLBROKEDrive DistancesBROKEN HILL TO KMSAdelaide 500Albury 900Alice Springs 1,640Bourke via Wilcannia, Tilpa, Louth 620Brisbane 1,550Burra 355Cameron Corner 470Canberra 1,100Cobar 460Dubbo 750Flinders Ranges (Hawker) 430Hobart 1,550Lightning Ridge (via Cobar, Bourke, Walgett) 925Living Desert Picnic Area 12Melbourne 850Menindee 110Mildura 300Mungo National Park via Menindee 325Mutawintji National Park 130Pooncarie via Menindee 235Peterborough 290Port Augusta via Peterborough 415Silverton 25Sydney 1,150Tibooburra 330Wentworth 265White Cliffs 290Wilcannia 195Yunta 200Milparinka 295Ivanhoe 315Louth 410Tilpa 325Wagga Wagga 850

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Community MarketsWhen: Every 2nd Saturday of the month Where: 200 Beryl Street, Broken Hill

A variety of goods for sale! Fresh fruit & veggies, gourmet meats, jams, pickles, cakes, biscuits, Asian food, chocolates, sweets, olive trees and products, souvenirs, toys, clothes, paintings, folk art, engraved glass ... and, of course, a good old Aussie BBQ!

JANUARY• Broken Hill Community Markets held the 2nd

Saturday of the month

MARCH• St Patrick’s Day Race

AUGUST• Broken Hill Eisteddfod

SEPTEMBER• Broken Hill Silver City Show

OCTOBER• Outback Challenge

• Silver City Cup

• Broken Hill Fringe

DECEMBER• Twilight Christmas Community Markets

EMERGENCY: Police/ Fire/ Ambulance 000

POLICE

Broken Hill Police Station 8087 0299 252 Argent Street, Broken Hill

MEDICALBroken Hill Hospital 8080 1333 176 Thomas Street, Broken Hill

Royal Flying Doctors Service 8080 3737

Broken Hill GP Super Clinic 8088 7044 235 Thomas Street, Broken Hill

South Medical Centre 8088 3350 202-210 Patton Street, Broken Hill

DENTAL

The Dental Centre 8087 3576 51 Iodide Street, Broken Hill

Barrier Dental Clinic 8088 1022 168 Beryl Street, Broken Hill

PHARMACIES

Outback Pharmacies Tembys Day & Night Pharmacy 8087 3452 CP Peoples Chemist 8087 3326 South Pharmacy 8087 2266TRANSPORT

Broken Hill Yellow Taxis 13 10 08

Countrylink 13 22 32

Regional Express Airlines 13 17 13

Road Condition Reports 8082 6660

For more information on what’s on in Broken Hill, visit www.brokenhillaustralia.com.au.

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The information contained in this publication is provided as a guide only. Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information, John Batman Group disclaims any liability or responsibility for the accuracy of the information contained herein. Advertising material appearing in this publication is supplied by the operator or service provider and John Batman Group is not responsible for the accuracy of advertising content.

This guest services room publication is compiled and produced by John Batman Group – The Hospitality Supermarket, publishers of specialist room directories and magazines. John Batman Group – The Hospitality Supermarket, and Just Brilliant Guides are trademarks of Binders Compendiums Menu Covers Pty Ltd. © Copyright all rights reserved. JBG–O John Batman Group – The Hospitality Supermarket.

PO Box 726, Ringwood, Victoria, Australia 3134.Tel: (03) 9879 8588 Fax: (03) 9879 8688Email: info@johnbatman.com.auWeb: www.johnbatman.com.au

Compiled with the assistance of the Broken Hill City Council.

Images courtesy of the Broken Hill City Council and Destination NSW.

Freecall 1800 339 493www.johnbatman.com.au

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