Traveltippo

Broken Hill - The Capital of The Outback

If you ever come to Australia you gotta see the Outback. Not many people can afford going to Alice Springs to see the red sand and the beautiful Uluru so if you don’t want to spend too much money on flights go to Broken Hill instead.

Broken Hill is just on the edge of the NSW Outback and is Australia’s longest lived mining city. It’s about 1200km far from Sydney… yeah I know… long drive, but it’s worth it. Experienced drivers would be able to make it in 15 hours.

Well… normally Australians would say you must be crazy to drive that much to see basically the big Nothing… DO NOT listen to them. This trip was one of the bests that I’ve ever done.

You’ll see kangaroos, emus, wallabies, wild horses, hawks, rabbits, cockatoos along the way. And if you are as good as me, you can get lost and find a 300km long dirt road with your non 4WD Honda Civic and can get stuck in the sand. Well this is the real Outback experience, isn’t it?

(Don’t forget to pack blankets, extra bottles of water, a flashlight and petrol.)

1. Broken Hill

Broken Hill is most famous for its silver, lead and zinc mines. This town is a fascinating place to visit with many natural and man made attractions. There are so many things to see here: historical buildings, history walking trails in the town, galleries, mining operations (some of them are open to public), the Sculpture Symposium, Silverton Hotel, clear blue skies and amazing sunsets.

2. SILVERTON

Oh, have I told you that this was the place where the movie Mad Max 2 -The Road Warrior (Mel Gibson) was shot? His car is still there at Silverton. I’m not 100% sure if this is the original though.

3. Old Mining Sites

4. The Living Desert

The Living Desert is about 9km far from Broken Hill. The views from the reserve are breathtaking. I advise you to go there a couple of hours before sunset. You’ll see 12 interesting sandstone sculptures and all of them has a story to tell.

The Sanctuary will help you to understand the Aboriginal Heritage and will make you realize how important it is to preserve it to the next generations.

The Sculpture Symposium is just on the top of the hill. You can either walk there (1.2km) or drive there. If you drive a key needs to be obtained from the Visitor Centre (corner of Blende and Bromide Street). $20 is the deposit and you’ll have to pay $10/car for the entry.

USEFUL LINKS:

http://www.silvercitytours.com.au/site/halfdaytours/

(Prices mentioned in this blog might change)

Pictures in this article are all copyrighted by the author Melinda Balazs.