Broken Hill in the Living Desert

In this post: The city of Broken Hill, how it got its name, and the living desert that surrounds it. Plus some desserts.

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 40-year-old bookmark (give or take a few years) and I proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

Today’s travel notes

Me and the TC recently made a big trek westwards from Sydney, to explore parts of NSW and South Australia. Broken Hill was one of the places on our bucket list.

The book I’m in

The Ten Year Affair by Erin Somers. I’m nestled in near the start of this book, getting to know the characters and the situations they manage to get themselves into. So far, it’s a warm and amusing experience.

Travel tips

Take an early morning stroll in the living desert, but make sure you don’t get lost. It’s big country: Large landscapes, rolling hills, and a lot of sameness.

Recommended restaurants and bakeries

The Silly Goat is excellent for brunch. Their sweets looked scrummy, though we didn’t endulge this time.

The Musicians Club provides a good nosh-up for dinner. Their citrus tart is a delicious dessert.

The Deli presented us with delicious, gluten free cakes, a little like muffins.

The photos

Me at the top of the Line of Lode (it’s a mine dump), with the city of Broken Hill spread out below:

Why the name “Broken Hill”? The city is named after a range of ragged rocky outcrops that looked as if it had a break in it. The broken hill itself has since disappeared. It turned out to contain the world’s largest ore seam of silver lead, and zinc. After the resulting mining spree, the hill is now a large flat mine dump, part of which is still being mined.

The mine dump is called the Line of Lode. Let’s put on our wings (this worm is still patiently awaiting the day that I morph into a beautiful winged creature) and zoom some distance away from Broken Hill. This shot shows the Line of Lode and the city:

Due to the wealth of silver, zinc, and lead in its rock, Broken Hill became a bit of a trend setter in mining matters. Mining revenue supported the new nation of Australia in no small way. The mining and minerals technology developed in the city were adopted worldwide, as were many of the financing practices. Some of today’s large mining companies owe their beginnings to the miners at Broken Hill. Take BHP Billiton for example: BHP comes from the company’s former name, “Broken Hill Proprietary Company Limited”.

The Line of Lode is part museum, part working mine. Derelict structures greet you as you make your way to the top:

Erected on top of the Line of Lode is a memorial to the miners who contributed so much to the city and the country. More than 800 people have died during mining activities here. The memorial shows names of deceased miners in columns lined with dusky pink roses, along with each person’s date and manner of death. This photo shows but a few of the names. The list stretches for several more panels:

The city of Broken Hill

The Line of Lode looms large from the city too. On Sulphide street, the 30-metre high mullock (an Australian term for a hill of mining waste) lurks behind the Palace Hotel:

The streets in the city are named after the ores mined and the chemicals used in the mining process. Here’s Argent Street:

The Broken Hill Courthouse is also on Argent Street:

Several areas in the city are designated alcohol free zones, in a bid to improve public safety. In these areas, it’s illegal to consume alcohol 24 hours a day, 7 days a week:

A big ant prowls Crystal Lane. This impressive creature is part of the pavement art created for the “Beyond The Dust” festival in 2025:

Above the streets, Corellas lurk. Like this one, which looks like a somewhat jaded reveller with its soiled feathers and splodged eye shadow:

Living Desert State Park

Twenty minutes’ drive from Broken Hill, along Nine Mile Road, is the Living Desert State Park. We were lucky to see the desert even more alive than usual, due to the unusual amount of rain the region has had over the past several months. The desert was covered in green shrubbery, even outside the park.

The park itself is well worth a visit. The entry fee is $10 per person, payable at an automated pay point beyond the gate. The payment system is eccentric. It’s unmanned, just a machine, and accepts card only. When we arrived, there were a few confused people wandering around looking for help. Eventually, by group effort, we all made it through the system and into the park.

Video: It’s mid morning in the Living Desert State Park. Several kangaroos bound across a bowl-shaped valley below us:

The next video shows more kangaroo action, later in the day. It’s approaching sunset. Two kangaroos tap each other playfully with their paws. Being but a small worm in a large world, I’m not sure what type of kangaroo or wallaby these are. They’re reddish in colour, with rather endearing tufty hairstyles: