Broken Hill Information

• Broken Hill City Council
• Broken Hill Visitor Centre
• St. Patrick's Racing Club
• Outback and All that Jazz Festival

Broken Hill is set in beautiful outback New South Wales and is home to many artists drawn to the landscape and far horizons. Situated in the Far Western corner of the state, Broken Hill’s major industries are pastoral, mining and tourism. It was founded on the silver, zinc and lead deposits discovered in 1883 but has subsequently become a tourist destination and home to many television and film crews taking advantage of the sunlight, warmth and open country. 4WD adventurers use Broken Hill as a springboard for exploring the ‘Accessible Outback’ and then disappear in a cloud of dust to all points of the compass.

The climate of Broken Hill is warm and dry. The average maximum temperatures range from the low 30s in summer, in the 20s during spring and autumn and down to a very cool 12-18oC in winter. However, it can get hot. In January and February it can soar into the mid 40s and stay there for days at a time.

Far Western NSW defines an area one third of the state, located principally in the sparsely populated regions north and west of the Barwon-Darling river system. It borders on three states (Queensland, South Australia and Victoria). This region is divided into two administrative clusters of the Greater Western Area Health Service - in the north west of the state (towns such as Walgett, Brewarrina and Bourke), and to the west and south of the state (towns include Wilcannia, Menindee, Wentworth, Balranald and Broken Hill).

The population of Far Western NSW is 48,524 with 21,314 people living in Broken Hill. There are around 665 births annually in the far west and one quarter of the population is over 55 years. Overall 13% of the population is Aboriginal. (Source: Australia Bureau of Statistics 2002)

Most people coming to Broken Hill comment on the relaxed pace of life, friendliness of the townsfolk, and the range of social activities available to them including the two race meetings (St Pat’s and the Silver City Cup) and the Outback Jazz Festival.