Broken Hill, known as 'The Silver City', is the largest centre in Outback New South Wales. Located 1160 km from Sydney the city came into existence in 1885 after Charles Rasp had recognised the mineral potential of the area two years earlier. Today the city sits on one of the world's largest known silver-lead-zinc lodes – a deposit which is 7 km long and over 220 metres wide.
The city is large and prosperous. Over the years it has become the state's premier desert centre known for its outstanding Outback artists, its rich indigenous culture, its unusual Living Desert Reserve with its fascinating international sculptures, and its easy access to a rich diversity of desert landscapes.
No visit to Broken Hill is complete without spending time in the city's excellent art galleries, walking down the main street and admiring the old hotels (one of which featured in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) and gracious public buildings, visiting the Thankakali Aboriginal Arts and Crafts Centre, travelling out to the semi-ghost town of Silverton (where so many Australian films are shot) and going on a conducted tour of the town's great mining complex and the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
