Broken Hill

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 lies on the traditional lands of the Wilyakali people. It became prominent in Australia's mining, industrial relations, and economic history after the discovery of silver-lead-zinc ore in the Broken Hill ore deposit, in an ore body known as the Line of Lode. This led to the opening of several mines and established Broken Hill's recognition as a prosperous mining town well into the 1990s. Despite experiencing a slowing economic situation in 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. The Line of Lode Reserve, comprising a visitor centre and restaurant, is atop a man-made hill in the centre of the city. 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. The town has a...