Broken Hill

Broken Hill
New South Wales
Argent Street, Broken Hill's main street
Broken Hill is located in New South Wales
Broken Hill
Broken Hill
Location in New South Wales, near the border of South Australia
Coordinates31°57′S 141°28′E / 31.950°S 141.467°E / -31.950; 141.467
Population17,456 (UCL 2021)[1]
Established1883
Postcode(s)2880
Elevation315 m (1,033 ft)
Time zoneACST (UTC+9:30)
 • Summer (DST)ACDT (UTC+10:30)
Location
  • 837 km (520 mi) north west of Melbourne
  • 511 km (318 mi) north east of Adelaide via State Route A32
  • 1,143 km (710 mi) west of Sydney via State Route A32
  • 296 km (184 mi) north of Mildura
LGA(s)
CountyYancowinna
State electorate(s)Barwon
Federal division(s)Parkes[2]
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
24.2 °C
76 °F
11.9 °C
53 °F
241.8 mm
9.5 in

Broken Hill is a city in the far west region of outback New South Wales, Australia. An inland mining city, it is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Highway (B79), in the Barrier Range. It is 315 m (1,033 ft) above sea level, with a cold semi-arid climate, and an average rainfall of 265 mm (10.4 in). The closest major city is Mildura, 300 km (190 mi) to the south and the nearest State Capital City is Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, which is more than 500 km (310 mi) to the southwest and linked via route A32, the Barrier Highway.

The town is prominent in Australia's mining, industrial relations and economic history after the discovery of silver-lead-zinc ore led to the opening of various mines, thus establishing Broken Hill's recognition as a prosperous mining town well into the 1990s. Despite experiencing a slowing economic situation into the late 1990s and 2000s, Broken Hill itself was listed on the National Heritage List in 2015 and remains Australia's longest running mining town.

Broken Hill, historically considered one of Australia's boomtowns, has been referred to as "The Silver City", and less commonly as the "Oasis of the West", and the "Capital of the Outback". Although over 1,100 km (680 mi) west of Sydney and surrounded by desert, the town has prominent park and garden displays and offers a number of attractions, such as the Living Desert Sculptures.[3] The town has a high potential for solar power, given its extensive daylight hours of sunshine.[4] In the Broken Hill region the major Aboriginal language groups are the Paakantji, Mayyankapa, and Nyiimpaa.[5]

  1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Broken Hill (urban centre and locality)". Australian Census 2021. Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ "Profile of the electoral division of Parkes (NSW)". Australian Electoral Commission. 25 February 2016. Archived from the original on 1 July 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  3. ^ "Broken Hill". Destination NSW. Archived from the original on 8 July 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  4. ^ "Broken Hill Solar Plant". AGL. Archived from the original on 27 April 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).