Broken Hill, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Geology
Broken Hill's massive oreOre
An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements including metals. The ores are extracted through mining; these are then refined to extract the valuable element....
body, which formed about 1,800 million years ago, has proved to be among the world's largest silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
-lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
-zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
mineral
Mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
deposits. The orebody is shaped like a boomerang
Boomerang
A boomerang is a flying tool with a curved shape used as a weapon or for sport.-Description:A boomerang is usually thought of as a wooden device, although historically boomerang-like devices have also been made from bones. Modern boomerangs used for sport are often made from carbon fibre-reinforced...
plunging into the earth at its ends and outcropping in the centre. The protruding tip of the orebody stood out as a jagged rock
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
y ridge
Ridge
A ridge is a geological feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for some distance. Ridges are usually termed hills or mountains as well, depending on size. There are several main types of ridges:...
amongst undulating plain country on either side. This was known as the broken hill by early pastoralists. Miners called the ore body the Line of Lode. A unique mineral recently identified from Broken Hill has been named Nyholmite after one of the city's famous sons Ron Nyholm (1917–1971).
Economy
Broken Hill Ore Deposit
The Broken Hill Ore Deposit is located underneath Broken Hill in western New South Wales, Australia, and is the namesake for the town. It is arguably the world's richest and largest zinc-lead ore deposit.- Discovery :...
- the world's richest lead-zinc ore body - have until recently provided the majority of direct employment and indirect employment in the city. The Broken Hill Proprietary Company became Australia's largest mining company, and later became part of the world's largest mining company, BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton is a global mining, oil and gas company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and with a major management office in London, United Kingdom...
.
Before the 1940s, mining was done by hand tools with high labor utilisation rates and included horse-drawn carts underground. The advent of diesel powered mining equipment in the late 1940s and the move toward mechanised underground mining has resulted in less labor used per tonne of ore recovered, and the mine workforce has declined. Another factor in the shrinking of the workforce has been the consolidation of mining leases and operators from several dozen to just two main operators at present.
While the low metal prices of the 1990s led to the failure of miner Pasminco Ltd, the recent resurgence in metal prices has returned the sole existing operator, Perilya Limited, to profitability and prompted Consolidated Broken Hill Limited to advance development of the previously unmined Western Lodes and Centenary Lodes. This created over 70 jobs during development and will lead to a second, new, milling operation built within the town. Although the mining industry is resurgent, labor utilisation will remain low.
Owing to its exposure to the vagaries of the mining industry, and because of a swiftly shrinking population, similar to other rural centres, and compounded by its isolation, Broken Hill has actively encouraged its widespread artistic credentials and is promoting itself as a tourism destination in order to become less reliant upon mining as a source of employment.
Demographics
The impact on Broken Hill's economy of the shrinking mining industry and the more efficient mining rates resulted in a higher proportion of part-time employment, higher employment participation rate by females, a general reduction in overall household incomes, and an increase in the average age of people in Broken Hill as the young move away for work.
Broken Hill has always had a small indigenous community. In recent years the proportion of the population identifying as Aboriginal has increased markedly; from 0.6% in 1971 to 5.1% in 2006, partly owing to the migration of non-indigenous Australians away from Broken Hill.
In the 19th and early 20th century Broken Hill was home to a community of Afghans. Afghans worked as camel drivers in many parts of outback Australia, and they made a significant contribution to economic growth at a time when transport options were limited. The camel drivers formed the first sizeable Muslim communities in Australia, and in Broken Hill they left their mark in the form of the first mosque in NSW (1891).
Media
- Local Talk Broken Hill Magazine - Free Broken Hill Community Magazine + Print, Design, Web, Video & Photography Services
- Barrier Daily TruthBarrier Daily TruthThe Barrier Daily Truth is the local newspaper for the remote mining town of Broken Hill, New South Wales.The Barrier Daily Truth covers a range of stories that affect local residents, including industrial news relating to the mines and stories submitted by readers such as local sport stories...
- Local Newspaper
Major Metropolitan and National Newspapers from Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne are available in Broken Hill.
Local Radio Stations that are available in the Broken Hill region include:
- 2DRY FM - 107.7FM - community radio station
- Radio 1656 AM - Independent Local Radio
- ABC Local RadioABC Local RadioABC Local Radio is a network of publicly owned radio stations in Australia, operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.ABC Local Radio stations broadcast across the continent using terrestrial transmitters and satellites...
- 999 AM (NB: ABC Local Radio's national and state-wide programming is received from Adelaide instead of Sydney when the Broken Hill studios are not broadcasting local programming.) - Triple JTriple Jtriple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
(ABC) - 102.1 FM - ABC Radio National - 102.9 FM
- ABC Classic FMABC Classic FMABC Classic FM is a classical music radio station available in Australia, and internationally online. It is operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation . It was established in 1976 as "ABC-FM", and later for a short time was known as "ABC Fine Music" , before adopting its current name...
- 103.7 FM - ABC NewsRadioABC NewsRadioABC NewsRadio is an Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio service devoted to delivering live and 24-hour news updates and information. The service is available on a number of broadcasts right around Australia, including AM/FM radio, some pay-TV platforms and online via the Internet.Originally...
- 104.5 FM - 2BH Commercial Radio - 567 AM
- 2HIL2HIL2HIL, branded on-air as Hill FM, is an Australian radio station owned by Broadcast Operations Group. The station serves Broken Hill, New South Wales....
Hill FM Commercial Radio - 96.5 FM - Hype FM - 87.6 FM
The following television channels are available free-to-air in the Broken Hill region.
- ABC which broadcasts the ABC1ABC1ABC1 was a United Kingdom based television channel from Disney using the branding of the Disney owned American network, ABC.The channel initially launched exclusively on the British digital terrestrial television platform Freeview on 27 September 2004. On 10 December 2004 it was launched on...
, ABC2ABC2ABC2 is a national public television channel in Australia. Launched on 7 March 2005, it is the responsibility of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's television division, and is available nationally to digital television viewers in Australia...
, ABC3ABC3-Future shows:Programming confirmed for future broadcast will include:* After School Care * Bindi's Boot Camp * Bushwacked! * Dance Academy * Dancing Down Under...
and ABC News 24ABC News 24ABC News 24 is an Australian 24-hour news channel launched and owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The channel replaced the former ABC High Definition simulcast of ABC1 and commenced broadcasting at 7:30pm 5:30 on Thursday, 22 July 2010.-Pre-launch:The ABC announced in January 2010...
channels. - SBSSBS TVSBS One is a national public television channel in Australia. Launched on 24 October 1980, it is the responsibility of SBS's television division, and is available nationally...
broadcasting the SBS ONE and SBS Two channels. - Southern Cross GTS/BKNSouthern Cross GTS/BKNGTS/BKN, known on-air as Southern Cross Television, is an Australian television station based in Port Pirie. It broadcasts throughout South Australia's Spencer Gulf and in Broken Hill...
(formerly "Central Television".) - Southern Cross TenSouthern Cross TenSouthern Cross Ten is an Australian television channel broadcast by the Macquarie Media Group in Queensland, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and South Australia. The channel is owned by the Macquarie Media Group as is affiliated to Network Ten...
. - Southern Cross Nine.
- ElevenEleven (TV channel)Eleven is an Australian free-to-air standard definition digital television channel, which was launched by ElevenCo, on 11 January 2011.-Joint venture:...
(first digital multichannel ever launched in Broken Hill).
Although Broken Hill is in New South Wales, the programming schedules for these channels is the same as Channel Nine, Channel Ten and Channel Seven in Adelaide, with local commercials inserted and some variations for coverage of Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
or National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
matches, local and national news and current affairs programs, some lifestyle and light entertainment shows and infomercials.
Southern Cross GTS/BKN primarily broadcasts Seven Network programming plus some Nine Network output, mainly AFL, NRL, cricket and some other sporting and major events, with Channel Nine programming often delayed to make way for Seven output. Southern Cross Ten broadcasts Network Ten output and some programming from the ONE HD sports channel.
On Sunday 31 October 2010, Southern Cross GTS/BKN commenced broadcasting a full-time Channel Nine
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
station available in digital broadcast format only. This service will initially be a relay of TCN
TCN
TCN stands for:* Take Care Now, a private company providing out-of-hours medical cover in England* TanenbaumCHAT North Campus, a private Hebrew high school in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada* TCN-9, a Sydney television station...
Sydney, with local advertising inserted.
Analogue Television transmissions were turned off and discontinued on 15 December 2010 as part of the Federal Government's national digital TV switchover scheme.
The Southern Cross Central service (unrelated to the original Central GTS/BKN) and Imparja Television
Imparja Television
Imparja Television is an Australian television network servicing remote eastern and central Australia, that began broadcasting on 2 January 1988. It is based in Alice Springs, where it has a studio and satellite uplink facility. Notably, it is controlled by Australian Aborigines through ownership...
are available via satellite and terrestrial transmission in the adjacent areas.
Broken Hill was featured during the 2nd leg of The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business.
History
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
, although this was probably only intermittent, owing to the lack of permanent water sources. As in much of Australia, a combination of disease and aggression by white settlers drove them from their lands.
The first European to visit the area was the then Surveyor General of New South Wales
Surveyor General of New South Wales
The Surveyor General of New South Wales is the person nominally responsible for government surveying in New South Wales. The original duties for the Surveyor General was to measure and determine land grants for settlers in New South Wales...
, Major Thomas Mitchell, in 1841. Three years later, in 1844, the explorer Charles Sturt
Charles Sturt
Captain Charles Napier Sturt was an English explorer of Australia, and part of the European Exploration of Australia. He led several expeditions into the interior of the continent, starting from both Sydney and later from Adelaide. His expeditions traced several of the westward-flowing rivers,...
saw and named the Barrier Range while searching for an inland sea; the range was so named as it was a barrier to his progress north. Burke and Wills
Burke and Wills expedition
In 1860–61, Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills led an expedition of 19 men with the intention of crossing Australia from Melbourne in the south to the Gulf of Carpentaria in the north, a distance of around 3,250 kilometres...
passed through the area in their famous 1860-61 expedition, setting up a base camp at nearby Menindee. Pastoralists
Pastoralism
Pastoralism or pastoral farming is the branch of agriculture concerned with the raising of livestock. It is animal husbandry: the care, tending and use of animals such as camels, goats, cattle, yaks, llamas, and sheep. It may have a mobile aspect, moving the herds in search of fresh pasture and...
first began settling the area in the 1850s, with the main trade route to the area along the Darling River
Darling River
The Darling River is the third longest river in Australia, measuring from its source in northern New South Wales to its confluence with the Murray River at Wentworth, New South Wales. Including its longest contiguous tributaries it is long, making it the longest river system in Australia.The...
.
Broken Hill itself was founded in 1883 by a boundary rider called Charles Rasp
Charles Rasp
Charles Rasp is known as the first person to identify the economic potential of the ore deposits at Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia....
who patrolled the Mount Gipps fences. In 1883 he discovered what he thought was tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
but when the samples came back they were instead silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
and lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
and the ore
Ore
An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements including metals. The ores are extracted through mining; these are then refined to extract the valuable element....
body they came from became the largest and richest of its kind in the world. The Broken Hill Proprietary Company (BHP)
BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton is a global mining, oil and gas company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and with a major management office in London, United Kingdom...
(later BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton is a global mining, oil and gas company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and with a major management office in London, United Kingdom...
) was founded by the Syndicate of Seven
Syndicate of Seven
The Syndicate of Seven is the name given to the original members of the Broken Hill Mining Company formed in 1883, who lodged applications for mining leases along the Line of Lode at Broken Hill in New South Wales, Australia....
to mine the ore body of Broken Hill in 1885. However by 1915 BHP realised its ore reserves were limited and began to diversify into steel production and on 28 February 1939 mining at the BHP mines at Broken Hill had ceased.
However BHP was by no means the only miner at Broken Hill and mining continued at the southern and northern ends of the Line of Lode. Currently the southern and northern operations are run by Perilya Limited who plan to open further mines along the Line of Lode.
The Battle of Broken Hill
The Battle of Broken Hill
The Battle of Broken Hill otherwise known as the Broken Hill Massacre, was a fatal incident which took place near Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia on 1 January 1915. Two Muslim men shot dead four people and wounded seven more, before being killed by police and military officers...
took place on New Year's Day 1915 when two men fired upon a trainload of picnickers in a self-described attack on the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
. Since, at that time, Australia was preparing to attack the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, those people were first speculated to be Turkish
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
, but later identified as being from British colony of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
(modern day Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
). They killed four and wounded six, before they were killed by a group of policemen and soldiers.
It is also known for its input into the formation of the labour movement in Australia, and has a rich trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
history. Some of the most bitter industrial disputes have been fought in Broken Hill in 1892, 1909 and 1919. The last of these led to the formation in 1923 of the Barrier Industrial Council
Barrier Industrial Council
The Barrier Industrial Council is the Labour council for the isolated mining town of Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia.The organisation grew out of three of the largest strikes in Australia's history in 1892, 1909 and 1919...
, a group of 18 trade unions, which became one of the most influential organisations in the politics of the city.
Like many "outback" towns, Broken Hill was built on precious metals, having once had the world's richest deposits of lead, zinc and silver. Although now depleted somewhat, mining still yields around two million tonnes annually. Some mine tours are available. Sheep farming is now one of the principal industries in the area and there are considerably more sheep than people — almost 2 million Merino sheep.
On 10 January 2007, the Broken Hill City Council was dismissed by the New South Wales Minister for Local Government following a public inquiry.
Railways
Silverton Tramway
The Silverton Tramway was an Australian long narrow gauge railway running from Cockburn on the South Australian state border to Broken Hill in New South Wales. Operating between 1888 and 1970 it served the mines of Broken Hill, and formed the link between the standard gauge New South Wales...
. The line was so named because it was originally intended to serve the mining town of Silverton
Silverton, New South Wales
Silverton is a small village at the far west of New South Wales, Australia, 25 kilometres north-west of Broken Hill. At the 2006 census, Silverton had a population of 89 people....
, but by the time the railway reached the town it was already being eclipsed by the newer and bigger mine at Broken Hill. The main purpose of the railway was to transport concentrates and ores from the mines to the smelters and port facilities on the coast at Port Pirie, South Australia. As a backload to Broken Hill it transported supplies, principally coal for boilers at the mines and timber for the timber sets used underground in mining. The Silverton Tramway was owned by Broken Hill mining interests.
The main sidings and locomotive servicing facilities were located in Railwaytown, a suburb of Broken Hill with sidings running to the south and north to serve the mines. The main passenger station was at Sulphide Street.
From the later 1890s, Broken Hill Council campaigned for a tramway to provide public transport around the town and to the mines. Eventually the NSW Government decided to build a tramway which was officially opened on 19 March 1902. It was run by steam trams transferred from Sydney by sea and then by rail across South Australia. It was a curious operation which after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
suffered increasingly bad losses until the New South Wales Government closed the system in December 1926.
Another curiosity was the Tarrawingee Tramway which was a narrow gauge railway line which ran north from Broken Hill for about 40 miles (64.4 km) to an area of limestone deposit which was quarried and transported to Broken Hill for use in the smelters at the mines. The tramway opened in 1891 but closed in 1898 as the smelters moved to Port Pirie. In 1889 the Public Works Committee of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
recommended that the Government take over the line and it subsequently became a narrow gauge part of the New South Wales Government Railways
New South Wales Government Railways
The New South Wales Government Railways was the government department that operated the New South Wales Government's railways until the establishment of the Public Transport Commission in 1972. Although later known officially as the Department of Railways, New South Wales, it was still generally...
(NSWGR) run under contract by Silverton Tramway.
It was an excursion train on the Silverton Tramway that was fired on by two immigrants in 1915 (see Battle of Broken Hill).
In 1919, a 4 foot 8½ inch (1435 mm) standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
rail link from Broken Hill to Menindee
Menindee, New South Wales
Menindee is a small town in the far west of New South Wales, Australia, in Central Darling Shire, on the banks of the Darling River, with a sign-posted population of 980.-History:...
was opened as the first stage in a planned direct route to Sydney. The terminus for the train was at Crystal Street station, some distance from the Silverton Tramway's Sulphide Street station. The railway mainly hauled water from the Darling River
Darling River
The Darling River is the third longest river in Australia, measuring from its source in northern New South Wales to its confluence with the Murray River at Wentworth, New South Wales. Including its longest contiguous tributaries it is long, making it the longest river system in Australia.The...
. The rolling stock all had to be transported by sea to South Australia and the railway was supervised by the superintendent of the Broken Hill Tramways.
In November 1927 the direct link to Sydney was completed. In September 1937 the NSWGR placed into service the Silver City Comet
Silver City Comet
The Silver City Comet was a train service that operated from 1937 to 1989 and ran between Broken Hill and Parkes in rural New South Wales and with special services to Sydney. It was to be the first ever airconditioned-train service in Australia and all sets were based in Parkes during their lifetime...
, an air conditioned rail car which ran between Broken Hill and Parkes
Parkes, New South Wales
- Transport :Parkes has a local bus service provided by Western Road Liners, which acquired Harris Bus Lines in March 2006. The Indian Pacific also stops twice a week, as well as the Broken Hill Outback Xplorer service, run by CountryLink, which heads to Broken Hill on Mondays and Sydney on...
.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
land transportation between South Australia and Eastern Australia became important with the threat posed by submarines and mines to coastal shipping. Extensive transshipment
Transshipment
Transshipment or Transhipment is the shipment of goods or containers to an intermediate destination, and then from there to yet another destination....
yards were constructed at Broken Hill in 1942 to allow transshipment of munitions. However in the event the threat was never fully realised.
With the purchase of the Sulphide Corporation by the Zinc Corporation in 1948 a modern zinc smelter was constructed at Cockle Creek, south of Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
. This started to take lead and zinc concentrates directly from Broken Hill in the 1960s via rail marking the first major use of the rail link to NSW. This was the well known W44 Concentrate Train
W44 Concentrate Train
The W44 Concentrate Train conveyed lead and zinc concentrates from the Zinc Corporation-owned mines at Broken Hill, New South Wales to the new Sulphide Corporation Cockle Creek Smelter south of Newcastle....
.
In 1970 the 3 foot 6 inch (1067 mm) gauge railway from Port Pirie to Broken Hill was converted to a 4 foot 8½ inch (1435 mm) gauge, thus completing the standard transcontinental gauge line from Sydney to Perth.
Water
Broken has never had a permanent local water supply which meets the town's needs. By 1888 when the town's population had reached 5000, the state government built a series of small storage tanks.By the 1890s, mining development had increased to the point that there was a severe water shortage and the mines and the people fought for water. Emergency water supplies were shipped by rail from the Darling River
Darling River
The Darling River is the third longest river in Australia, measuring from its source in northern New South Wales to its confluence with the Murray River at Wentworth, New South Wales. Including its longest contiguous tributaries it is long, making it the longest river system in Australia.The...
. In 1891, the Stephens Creek Reservoir was completed by a private company. The cost of water was high but not excessive and people were willing to pay because the environment was arid. Another reservoir was built at Umberumberka, however variable rainfall meant supplemental supplies by rail and rationing was still needed.
In 1952, Broken Hill's demands for a permanent water supply were met with the completion of a 24 inch pipeline from Menindee
Menindee, New South Wales
Menindee is a small town in the far west of New South Wales, Australia, in Central Darling Shire, on the banks of the Darling River, with a sign-posted population of 980.-History:...
. The pipeline can supply 1.6 megalitres of water per hour. Water storage facilities that are part of the Menindee Lakes
Menindee Lakes
The Menindee Lakes comprise a system of historically ephemeral, freshwater lakes fed by the Darling River when in flood. They lie in the far west of New South Wales, Australia, near the town of Menindee 100 km south-east of the mining city of Broken Hill...
Scheme on the Darling River, have secured water supply to Broken Hill, making it a relative oasis amid the harsh climate and topography of the Australian outback. High evaporation
Evaporation
Evaporation is a type of vaporization of a liquid that occurs only on the surface of a liquid. The other type of vaporization is boiling, which, instead, occurs on the entire mass of the liquid....
rates have resulted in the policy of using the local storages for supply before using the pipeline.
Electric power
By the 1920s most of the nine mines on the Line of Lode had their own steam powered electrical generators to power the surface and underground workings. As Broken Hill is in a desert with little water and virtually no fuel steam generation was an expensive option. In 1927 a plan for a central power generating facility was proposed by F. J. Mars, consulting electrical engineer with the Central Mine. The proposed powerhouse would generate electricity and compressed air.The mines agreed and formed Western New South Wales Electric Power Pty. Ltd. to construct and run the plant. The powerhouse was completed in 1931 and was diesel powered. This was one of the earliest examples of the use of diesel power generation in Australia. The plant was enlarged in 1950 to cope with increased demand from the North Mine. At the same time, a new power station run by the Southern Power Corporation (owned by Consolidated Zinc) was erected near the new Broken Hill Consolidated Mine to provide power to the southern end of the Line of Lode. Both stations were connected as a grid.
A HVDC back-to-back station with a maximum transmission rate of 40 megawatts was built at Broken Hill in 1986. It consists of 2 static inverters working with a voltage of 8.33 kV. After this station was operational the two other power stations closed and their equipment was gradually removed.
Attractions
Stephen's Creek
Stephens Creek Reservoir is an artificial dam situated 17 km north east of the far western town of Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia....
, several quarries, lakes, the Mundi-Mundi plains, and terrific sunsets.
Broken Hill is a major base for both the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia
Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia
The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia is an emergency and primary health care service for those living in rural, remote and regional areas of Australia...
and School of the Air
School of the Air
School of the Air is a generic term for correspondence schools catering for the primary and early secondary education of children in remote and outback Australia.-History:...
. The Pro Hart Gallery
Pro Hart
Kevin Charles "Pro" Hart, MBE , born in Broken Hill, New South Wales, was considered the father of the Australian Outback painting movement and his works are widely admired for capturing the true spirit of the outback...
and Sculpture Park contains a large collection of the noted Australian artist Kevin 'Pro' Hart's
Pro Hart
Kevin Charles "Pro" Hart, MBE , born in Broken Hill, New South Wales, was considered the father of the Australian Outback painting movement and his works are widely admired for capturing the true spirit of the outback...
paintings and sculptures, as well as many artistic works of others that Hart collected during his lifetime. The gallery also features the Rolls Royce that he painted in his unique style.
Many clubs exist and are open most nights of the week until late. Establishments catering to both locals and tourists include the Musician's Club and the Democratic Club.
Additionally, Broken Hill, its nearby neighbour Silverton
Silverton, New South Wales
Silverton is a small village at the far west of New South Wales, Australia, 25 kilometres north-west of Broken Hill. At the 2006 census, Silverton had a population of 89 people....
, and the surrounding desert have served as the backdrop for shooting numerous movies
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, television programs, video-clips
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
and commercials. The clear blue skies and the magic light feature in movies including Mad Max 2 (a.k.a. The Road Warrior) and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is a 1994 Australian comedy-drama film written and directed by Stephan Elliott. The plot is based on the journey of three drag queens who travel across the Australian Outback from Sydney to Alice Springs in a tour bus that they have named...
. Mario's Palace, now trading as The Palace Hotel Broken Hill, had the "tack-o-rama" mural that was featured in The Adventures of Priscilla.
Visitors to the town are often fascinated by the houses built with corrugated iron walls. Although corrugated iron is widely used as a roofing material throughout Australia, it is not commonly used for walls in houses.
Because of its rich historic heritage, the City of Broken Hill has been nominated for listing on the Commonwealth National Heritage list
Commonwealth National Heritage List
In 2004, a new heritage management system was introduced by the Commonwealth Government to protect Australia’s heritage places. Key elements are amendments to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 , which include explicit requirements for cultural heritage protection,...
(the highest level of heritage protection in Australia) and the nomination will be assessed in 2007 and 2008.
Transport
Broken Hill is one of the stops of the Indian Pacific passenger service, operated by the Great Southern RailwayGreat Southern Railway
Great Southern Railway can refer to:* Great Southern Railway - tourism and rail operator* Great Southern Railway - Former railway serving the South Gippsland region in Victoria, Australia...
, from Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
to Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
via Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. The popular weekly CountryLink
CountryLink
CountryLink is the operator of passenger rail services in country New South Wales, Australia and into Queensland and Victoria. It is an operating brand of the Rail Corporation New South Wales, a government-owned entity...
Xplorer service between Broken Hill and Sydney, which was introduced in 2005, arrives from Sydney on Mondays at 19:33, departing Broken Hill on Tuesdays at 7:45 for the return to Sydney. Regional Express
Regional Express Airlines
Regional Express Pty Ltd is an airline based in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia. It operates scheduled regional services. It is Australia's largest regional airline outside the Qantas group of companies and serves New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, North Queensland and Tasmania...
operates air services from Broken Hill Airport
Broken Hill Airport
Broken Hill Airport is an airport in Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia.The airport currently is used as a base of operations for the RFDS South-Eastern section thus making it a very important hub for this service....
to and from Adelaide, Dubbo, and Sydney.
Climate
Broken Hill has a desert climateDesert climate
A desert climate , also known as an arid climate, is a climate that does not meet the criteria to be classified as a polar climate, and in which precipitation is too low to sustain any vegetation at all, or at most a very scanty scrub.An area that features this climate usually experiences less than...
(BWk) under the Köppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
. Winter in Broken Hill can be very cold and dry, while summers are highly variable — mostly hot and dry. The average maximum during the summer months (November to March) is about 32 °C (89.6 °F) with an average of 25% humidity, although occasional rainfall and cooler weather occur. Dust storm
Dust storm
A dust / sand storm is a meteorological phenomenon common in arid and semi-arid regions. Dust storms arise when a gust front or other strong wind blows loose sand and dirt from a dry surface. Particles are transported by saltation and suspension, causing soil to move from one place and deposition...
s are a common problem in the desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
but the people of Broken Hill created reserves to surround the town thus protecting the town from the worst of the storms.
Notable people from Broken Hill
- Steve Abbott - comedian
- Jack AbsalomJack AbsalomJack Absalom is an Australian artist, author and adventurer.Born in Port Augusta, South Australia, he worked in the North Mine at Broken Hill, New South Wales, where he has resided for the past 50 years...
- artist - Pro HartPro HartKevin Charles "Pro" Hart, MBE , born in Broken Hill, New South Wales, was considered the father of the Australian Outback painting movement and his works are widely admired for capturing the true spirit of the outback...
- artist - June BronhillJune BronhillJune Bronhill OBE was an internationally acclaimed Australian soprano opera singer.-Biography:She was born June Mary Gough in the inland Australian city of Broken Hill, New South Wales...
- soprano operaOperaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
singer, whose adopted (stage) surname is a contraction of the name of her hometown - Trevor ButlerTrevor ButlerTrevor Butler was the winner of Big Brother Australia 2004. As well as being the first, and currently the only, contestant to win $1,000,000, as opposed to the $250,000 of previous seasons, he also boosted interest in the final eviction by proposing to his then-girlfriend Breea Forrest live on the...
- Big Brother Australia 2004 winner - Steve Cropley - editor in chief, AutocarAutocarAutocar is a weekly British automobile magazine published by Haymarket Motoring Publications Ltd. It refers to itself as "The World's oldest car magazine".-History:...
magazine - Don F. Fairweather - mine manager, leader, supporter of Aboriginal affairs and musician
- Murray FarquharMurray FarquharMurray Farquhar OBE was the Chief Stipendiary Magistrate of New South Wales between 1971 and 1977. Farquhar was born in the mining city of Broken Hill, New South Wales in Far West New South Wales. He attended Broken Hill High School and served in the Australian Army in the Second World War...
- NSW Chief Stipendiary Magistrate (1971–1977) - Stewart Finlay-McLennanStewart Finlay-McLennanStewart Finlay-McLennan is Australian actor. He is also credited as actor under the names of Stewart McLennan and Stuart McLennan....
- actor - Florence May HardingFlorence May HardingFlorence May Harding , known as May Harding, was a teacher, naturalist, botanist, and artist at Broken Hill, New South Wales.-Family Life:...
- artist and Teacher - Ion IdriessIon IdriessIon Llewellyn Idriess, OBE was a prolific and influential Australian author. He wrote more than 50 books over 43 years between 1927 to 1969 - an average of one book every 10 months, and twice published three books in one year...
- novelist - Rae Desmond JonesRae Desmond JonesRae Desmond Jones is an Australian poet, novelist, short story writer and politician.Jones was born in the mining town of Broken Hill in the far West of New South Wales. Although many of his poems and stories are concerned with urban experience, he has always felt that desert landscapes are...
- poet and novelist - "Lord Tim" GroseLord TimLord Tim is the professional name of Australian musician Tim Ian Grose. Based in Wollongong, New South Wales, he is best known as the founder of the heavy metal band Dungeon. The band started in 1989, released several albums, and was considered one of the leading metal bands in Australia...
- heavy metal musician - Sir Maurice Alan Mawby - metallurgist & initiator with Albert Morris of 'the green belt' to regenerate flora and fauna around the mines
- Albert MorrisAlbert MorrisAlbert Morris was born on 13 August 1886 in Bridgetown, South Australia. Faced with the depression in the South Australia of the late 1880s, Morris's father sought work in the new mines of the Barrier ranges and moved his family to Broken Hill to live....
- assayist & naturalist - Prof Sir Ronald Sydney NyholmRonald Sydney NyholmSir Ronald Sydney Nyholm was an Australian chemist, born on 29 January 1917 at Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia, as the fourth in a family of six children. Broken Hill is a mining town whose streets are named after minerals, a fit place for to sire an inorganic chemist. Beryl-and-Sulphide...
- chemist and teacher - Chips RaffertyChips RaffertyChips Rafferty MBE was an iconic Australian actor. Called "the living symbol of the typical Australian", Rafferty's career stretched from the 1940s until his death in 1971, and during this time he performed regularly in major Australian feature films as well as appearing in British and American...
- actor - Olive Riley - blogger
- Stephen RoweStephen RoweStephen Rowe is the name of:*Stephen Rowe , Australian rules footballer*Stephen Rowe , Canadian poet-See also:*Steve Rowe , Australian musician*G. Steven Rowe, American politician...
- singer/songwriter - Richard Thilthorpe SleeRichard Thilthorpe SleeRichard Thilthorpe Slee, , Mining Engineer, Mine Manager, General Manager, B.H.P., Broken Hill, was born in Sydney NSW on 29 August 1879, the eldest son of Richard Slee and Mary Ann Slee . His parents had nine children, of whom five boys and two girls survived to adulthood...
- General Manager, BHP Mine - Dean SolomonDean SolomonDean Solomon is retired Australian rules footballer. He played for the Fremantle Dockers and the Essendon Bombers in his 13 year, 209 games and a premiership career.-Early career:...
- former Fremantle Dockers player - Brent StakerBrent StakerBrent Staker is an Australian rules footballer in the AFL, who plays for the Brisbane Lions.-Early life:Staker grew up in Broken Hill in remote country New South Wales....
- Brisbane Lions footballer (Former West Coast Eagles footballer) - Thelma ThomasThelma AffordThelma Afford was an Australian costume designer, theatre performer, and fashion journalist who worked in Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney.- Early years :...
- costume designer - Nikki VisserNikki VisserNikki Visser is a former Australian model and television personality. She is most famous for her cover appearances on Inside Sport, FHM and Ralph magazines during the 1990s and early 2000s.- Early life :...
- model and actor - Taylor WalkerTaylor Walker (footballer)Taylor Walker is an Australian rules footballer for Adelaide in the Australian Football League.- Early career :Walker accepted a NSW Scholarship contract in 2006 with Adelaide, when 16 years of age...
- Adelaide Crows footballer - Robin SellickRobin SellickRobin Sellick is an Australian portrait photographer. Sellick first rose to prominence in the 1990s when his work started appearing in magazines such as Vogue and Marie Claire.-Early life:...
- commercial photographer - Susan Dorothea WhiteSusan Dorothea WhiteSusan Dorothea White , also called Sue White and Susan White, is an Australian painter, sculptor, and printmaker. She is a narrative artist and her work concerns the natural world and human situation, increasingly incorporating satire and irony to convey her concern for human rights and equality...
- artist - Douglas Lehman - Real Estate mogul
See also
- Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the CloudsSpirits of the Air, Gremlins of the CloudsSpirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds is a 1989 post-apocalyptic Australian film directed by Alex Proyas.The film was shot on location near Broken Hill, New South Wales and at Supreme Studios Sydney.-Cast:* Michael Lake as Felix Crabtree...
, 1989 film shot in Broken Hill
Further reading
- Railed Transport in the Broken Hill District. Singleton, C.C. Australian Railway Historical Society BulletinAustralian Railway HistoryAustralian Railway History , is the premier magazine covering railway history in Australia...
, April; May; June; July; August 1962