City Of Broken Hill

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Vast sunburnt plains, crimson sunsets and empty horizons — far west NSW is massive, rugged and oh so dry. But it's also fascinating and richly diverse. Should you get a chance to fly above its burnt swirls, dots and splotches, it will suddenly hit you: you're looking at Aboriginal art.

The NSW outback produces much of the state's wealth, particularly from the mines of Broken Hill, and its national parks boast stunning natural environments and significant Aboriginal heritage. It's sparsely populated, and the people you meet are special — larger than life — yet calm and caring.

From November to February the heat is intense — by 10am the Celsius landmark of 40 degrees is passed, and 51.7 degrees is the current daytime record.

There's plenty to see and do, and you can get into the towns and most national parks in a 2WD. But seek local advice if you want to venture onto unsealed roads, even in a 4WD. Although the country is flat to the horizon with small clumps of saltbush all over it, there are plenty of birds, mobs of emus, cattle, feral goats and kangaroos along the roadside to watch — and to watch out for!

Bourke
Immortalised in the expression 'back of Bourke' — that is, anything remote — this easy-going town sits at the foot of the outback. Beyond Bourke, green pastoral lands stop abruptly, settlements are few, and the country is flat, brown and alluring. Bourke itself is gorgeous, historic and quaint, sprawled along the beautiful Darling River with river gums and water birds.

Silverton is a small village north-west of Broken Hill. The town sprung up after two men drilling a well in the area hit a lode of silver in 1876.
The town's population exploded, reaching a peak around 3,000 in the 1890's. The discovery of an even richer silver-lead-zinc ore body in nearby Broken Hill led to a sudden decline in Silverton's population, and by 1901 it was home to less than 300.

Today, it is inhabited by only a handful of people. Most of the buildings have now vanished, but there are some interesting buildings that remain, including the Silverton Hotel, the Silverton Gaol (which houses a museum, displaying a huge array of historic items), the Masonic Lodge, the Methodist Church, the Courthouse, the Municipal Chambers and others.

The Silverton Hotel has appeared in many films thanks to its desert surrounds, and the inside walls are covered with memorabilia. A replica car from Mad Max is parked outside. There are three art galleries, a cafe serving hot meals, a coin carvery , the historic cemetary, an Opal & Pioneer Museum and a camel farm offering rides.

There are still remains of the Silverton Tramway for railway enthusiasts and a short drive north of the main town is a lookout with an awe-inspiring view over the Mundi Mundi plains. Commonly referred to as looking out into the Never Never, it is a fantastic place to view the sunset.


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Photo: http://travel.ninemsn.com.au/img/basic-destinations/new-south-wales/broken-hill.jpg
http://travel.ninemsn.com.au/domesticbasic/nsw-outback/668682/outback-nsw
http://www.visitbrokenhill.com.au/pages/outback-regions/
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