In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · Australia
Broken Hill
Give Broken Hill 2 nights: one for the mining and art sights in town, one for Silverton and a sunset at the Living Desert. Fewer and you drive 500+ km for a look.
Broken Hill is a silver-mining city of about 18,000 people in far west New South Wales, 500 km from Adelaide and over 1,000 km from Sydney. It runs on Australian Central Standard Time, an hour and a half behind Sydney, and feels closer to South Australia than to the coast. Mining money built the wide streets and the grand pubs; artists and film crews have kept them interesting. Two nights covers the town, Silverton and one desert sunset. Three if you add Menindee or White Cliffs.
- Country
- Australia
- Best months
- Apr–May, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Dec–Feb (40 °C+ days), and driving at dusk or dawn year-roundDec–Feb (104 °F+ days), and driving at dusk or dawn year-round
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- AUD
- Money
- Currency is the Australian dollar (AUD, A$). Contactless cards and phones are accepted almost everywhere, including public transport in the big cities; some small cafes are card-only.
- Daily spend
- Budget A$120–180 excl. bed · Mid A$180–300 excl. bed · High A$300+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Telstra has the widest outback coverage; Optus and Vodafone (TPG) are cheaper and fine in cities and along highways.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 000 · From a mobile 112
- Plugs
- Types I · 230 V · 50 Hz · Angled two- or three-pin Type I, shared with NZ, Fiji and China; sockets have their own switch — turn it on.
- Tipping
- Cafés and casual meals: Nothing; a tip jar is optional.; Restaurants: Not expected; 10% for very good service in a nice restaurant if you wish.; Taxi / rideshare: Round up or nothing.; Tours and guides: Optional; A$10–20 for a great day guide.; Surcharges: Weekend and public-holiday surcharges of 10–15% are legal if shown on the menu.
- Water
- Tap water is safe in cities and towns; in remote places use signed drinking taps. Carry plenty on any outback drive or walk.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets in parks, beaches, shopping centres and petrol stations (servos); the National Public Toilet Map app lists them.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | A$5–7 |
| Pub counter meal | A$25–40 |
| Beer: schooner in a pub / six-pack at the bottle shop | A$8–12 / A$20–25 |
| Museum or gallery entry | A$5–20 |
| Scenic flight over town, 25 min | from A$95 |
| Fuel, per litre in town | A$1.90–2.20 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | A$20–40 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- BHQ · Broken Hill Airport
- About 6 km from the centre; Regional Express flies from Sydney and Adelaide. Taxis meet the flights — ask the crew to call one.About 3.7 mi from the centre; Regional Express flies from Sydney and Adelaide. Taxis meet the flights — ask the crew to call one.
Typical fares
- Taxi, airport to Argent Street
- about A$20–25, 10 min (check)
- Regional Express, Sydney to Broken Hill
- about 3 h direct, one return flight a day (check)
- NSW TrainLink Outback Xplorer, Sydney to Broken Hill
- about 13 h, departs Monday (check)
Get around
You need a car to see the town properly and everything beyond it. Rental desks sit on Argent Street and in the visitor centre building; expect a daily cap of 100–200 km and a per-km charge beyond it, and unsealed roads only in a 4WD. Taxis cover the centre, the station and the airport. Coach tours run if you would rather not drive.You need a car to see the town properly and everything beyond it. Rental desks sit on Argent Street and in the visitor centre building; expect a daily cap of 62–124 mi and a per-km charge beyond it, and unsealed roads only in a 4WD. Taxis cover the centre, the station and the airport. Coach tours run if you would rather not drive.
See and do
Known for
- Line of Lode and the Miner's Memorial
- Silverton and the Mad Max 2 Museum
- Pro Hart and the outback art galleries
- Living Desert sculptures at sunset
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Silverton | Drive 26 km northwest on sealed roadDrive 16 mi northwest on sealed road | About 30 min each way |
| Living Desert Reserve and Sculpture Symposium | Drive 9 km north off Nine Mile Road, then walk about 1 km uphillDrive 5.6 mi north off Nine Mile Road, then walk about 0.6 mi uphill | About 20 min each way plus the walk |
| Menindee and Kinchega National Park | Drive about 110 km southeast on the sealed Menindee roadDrive about 68 mi southeast on the sealed Menindee road | About 1.5 h each way |
| White Cliffs | Drive about 260 km north via WilcanniaDrive about 162 mi north via Wilcannia | About 3 h each way |
| Tibooburra and Sturt National Park | Drive north on the Silver City Highway | About 4 h each way |
Sleep
- Argent Street and the CBD
- Historic pubs and motels, walkable to the train station and the main strip. Best for a first visit without a car.
- South Broken Hill
- Quieter, near the airport and the Royal Flying Doctor Service base; cheaper motels, need a car.
- Out-of-town cabins
- Self-contained places on the Menindee road, 5 km out; good for families and longer stays.Self-contained places on the Menindee road, 3.1 mi out; good for families and longer stays.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Thanks |
| How far is it? | How far's that? |
| Can I pay by card? | Card OK? |
| Where is the fuel station? | Where's the servo? |
| Is the road sealed? | Is it bitumen all the way? |
| No worries | No worries |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake or 'G'day' / 'How are you going?'; first names from the start; avoid: Formal titles; long answers to 'how are you'
- Rounds: Buy your round ('shout') when drinking in a group; avoid: Leaving before your shout
- Queues: Queue patiently; sitting in the front seat of a taxi when alone is common; avoid: Pushing in — it is noticed
- Country: Listen to Welcomes and Acknowledgements; use local place names when offered; avoid: Touching artefacts or photographing ceremonies without permission
- Beach: Swim between the flags; respect lifesavers' instructions; avoid: Swimming at unpatrolled beaches alone
- Humour: Expect teasing and understatement; laugh along; avoid: Taking dry sarcasm literally or boasting
- Walking and driving: Keep left on footpaths and escalators; wave thanks to drivers who let you in; avoid: Stopping on the road to photograph kangaroos
Scams and watch-outs
- Do not drive outside town between dusk and dawn: kangaroos on the road cause most outback crashes, and repairs here take days.
- Summer days reach 40 °C and nights can stay above 25 °C. Carry water, fuel up early, and don't walk the mullock heap at midday.
- Rental cars limit free kilometres and often restrict unsealed roads; check the excess before you leave the lot.
- Mobile coverage drops quickly outside town. Download offline maps before you go.
- The Indian Pacific stops here but you cannot start or end your journey in Broken Hill on that train.
Broken Hill is a small, friendly outback city and violent crime is rare; the real risks are heat, distance and wildlife on the road at night. Lock the car, keep water in it, and don't walk alone in the dark on the town fringe.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Broken Hill yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Line of Lode and the Miner's Memorial
- Silverton and the Mad Max 2 Museum
- Pro Hart and the outback art galleries
- Living Desert sculptures at sunset
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Visit Broken Hill (official tourism): www.visitbrokenhill.com.au/
- Destination Broken Hill visitor information: destinationbrokenhill.com.au
- Visit NSW — Broken Hill area: www.visitnsw.com/destinations/outback-nsw/broken-hill-area/broken-hill
- NSW TrainLink regional travel: transportnsw.info/regional-travel
- Broken Hill Airport (Broken Hill City Council): www.brokenhill.nsw.gov.au/Facilities/Airport
- Wikivoyage: Broken Hill, revision 5327525 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5327525
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Broken Hill
Can you take me to this address, thanks?
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Broken Hill; consulates are in Sydney and Melbourne. US, UK, Canadian, Australian and Irish citizens: your own country's consular service is in Sydney (check).
Outback distances are real: fuel before you leave town, tell someone your route, and carry more water than you think you need.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/broken-hill). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.