Broken Hill area info

[mav Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close mav]

We are planning a trip, not sure when.. probably the next school holidays.

I would like to take a trip out to Broken Hill to show the kids some history and the landscape. Can any experienced travelers or Broken Hill locals point me in the direction of the attractions and good accommodation in the area. I am looking at this place to stay in Broken Hill - http://www.totaltravel.com.au/link.asp?fid=1046307

Cheers,

Matt,

There is a lot of interesting things around the area including Silverton which is a short drive north of BH. I personally recommend the Outback Villas for accommodation in BH. It is a great place to stay with kids as they are self contained cabins or if you wish there is a three bedroom house. They are just up the road from the shopping mall and Maccas.

[photoprado Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close photoprado]

Re: Broken Hill area info

We were there for a couple of days last year. Vastness of the landscape is stunning.

Found this accommodation quite private and handy - self cater though.

There is plenty to see around the place. Lots of art galleries and museums in town. Just walking around the place is interesting. We did the mine tour down at the daydream mine

We also stayed down at the shearers quarters at Kinchega N.P. and travelled in via Lake Mungo. Both worth visiting if you are in the area.

Michael

[adam's prado Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close adam's prado]

Re: Broken Hill area info

hi all,
We were in Broken Hill not long ago, we were there for 3 cram packed days could easily done a week there and still not seen it all my wife and I had a ball. First impressions were not all that great BUT we were overwhelmed by how nice and helpful the locals were. We stayed at Lake view caravan park it was nice and roomy met heaps of grey nomads who also gave us great advice on what to do. The things we done were: Royal Flying Doctors base really interesting makes you proud to be Australian with the things these people do that took up a couple of hours, the day dream mine tour really good, on the first sunset we were there we done the living desert and sculpture symposium to this is great to do wit a food hamper a glass of wine (beer),pretty much all of the art galleries around town, Silverton is a great place the pub is really good and friendly but becareful of the camels crossing the road , there are a few off road tracks you can do around the area that follow the HWY highly recommend it you see a whole lot As usual, we also went to the miners memorial which pays tribute to the miners that have lost there lives and also had a meal at the restaurant overlooking Broken Hill on sunset. All in all you won't be bored if you decide to go there, I would like to mention that Broken Hill just about has a pub on every corner, lots of cafe's and entertainment just about every night we loved it there the first place we stopped was the information center really helpful and before we went there we checked out www.visitbrokenhill.com.au hope this helps.
Adam

[05oiler Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 05oiler]

Re: Broken Hill area info

It has been a few years since we were at Broken Hill but we stayed at the Comfort Inn Crystal just across the road from the Railway Station. The Self Contained Cottages are the go. Gives you plenty of room. The accommodation is right in town and you can go to a number of clubs and pubs and leave the car. There is a town walk to view the restored buildings in the CBD. Make sure you have a look at the Broken Hill Mint (walking distance), the Sulpture Symposium, the Miner's Memorial and Restaurant overlooking the town. We found some great meals at the Sturt Club just a couple of streets across from Crystal Street. There's lots to see, Daydream Mine and Silverton are great. Keep going from Silverton and you come onto a Lookout over the Mundi Mundi Plain. If you come down through Louth, it is worth staying at Trilby Station, you must book ahead, but they are great people. It is right on the Darling River. Hard accommodation or camp.

Regards

Garry

[Schaffer Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Schaffer]

Re: Broken Hill area info

We stayed at Kayshas cottage which was a three bedroom home and paid about $120 a night. Right near the Plaza Shopping centre. Found it through the Stayz website which has been good for us.

Worth while going to the Living Desert BUT pay the deposit for the key. I would hate to have walked it when it gets dark and cold. Also go up the top of the Hill mine at both night and day. Very worth while but be careful on the big chair. My son slipped and knackered himself. It looked real painful

Silverton and the Reservoir are interesting. Check out the Art Gallerys. I really recommend dropping into Howard Steers studio. Great prices and art. There is only one studio that you pay to enter, Pro Harts, and you are either a fan of his work or not. I'm not.

If you get out to Kinchega then head out the the lakes (Lake Weatherall I think). It's incredible to see that much water locked up in a desert environment.

[LostDingo2 Find all posts View Profile Close LostDingo2]

Re: Broken Hill area info

Highly recommend staying at the Shearers quarters at Mungo. Can't beat the cleanliness and price.

If going to Broken Hill you need to go to Mungo 8)

http://lostdingo.redbubble.com/sets/...nov-11-2008-31

[Guest Close Guest]

Sorry to dig up an old thread.

I'm planning to head up to Broken Hill over a 4-day weekend and will be bringing several families along, numbering around 30-40 people with kids from 1y.o to university age but mostly under 12.

1. Are there any accommodation options there that might be suited to a group booking? 1 cabin/motel room per family with some communal areas for a joint BBQ, playground, etc.
2. What are the roads like to the attractions mentioned above? The smallest car travelling in the group would be a Honda Jazz.
3. I need to work out an itinerary for the trip and need your help as it is unfamiliar territory to me and not sure how long each visit will take. The places that looks interesting are:
- Living desert (12km from BH)
- Silverton/Daydream mine (26km from BH)
- Kinchega NP/Menindee (111km from BH)

A rough itinerary is
Day 1 Travel to BH and check out the town centre, Sculpture Symposium
Day 2 Silverton/Daydream mine
Day 3 Kinchega NP/ Lake Menindee
Day 4 Check out from accom, more local attractions, return to ADL.

All help and advice appreciated

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

Whilst in Broken Hill I would recommend you go and see the worlds largest Canvas Painting, its in one of the local stores, might be a jewelery or gem store from memory. Anyway well worth the admission price in my opinion.

The Sculpture park doesn't take that long, you can either drive to the top or walk up the hill, the walk is not long but its steepish and rough so not for the elderly or very unfit. Also good to get to the sculpture park towards the evening, great photo opportunity through the hole in one of the sculptures at that time of day. To drive to the top you might need to get a key or something, can't recall as the 2 times I have been we walked up the hill.

Lots of art Gallery's in BH as well as Silverton and are worth a visit to most, you won't see all there is to see in BH in a long weekend.

The Line of Load on top of the hill is also a good spot to go, a bit sad reading all the names of those who have died in the mines, especially some of the really young ones from years ago.

Been a long time since I have been so the memory is fading a bit.

Not that you have time but Mutawinji NP north east of BH is a great spot as well, some good hiking there, but you need 2 days minimum just there.

Cheers Andrew

[Guest Close Guest]

Thanks Andrew. Sounds good.
I assume there won't be any challenging roads we would come across.

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

You would need to go looking for a challenging road, it would mostly be bitumen. The exception would be out Kinchega way, its all clay out there and if it rains you aren't going anywhere, no issues in the dry though. They will close the roads anyway if it gets a bit of a sprinkle, plenty of bitumen options to get most places.

When you leave Menindee lakes if you have time and want to get off road on some reasonable dirt roads; its a nice drive to cut through on pine hut road towards the bottom corner of Dangalli and then in the old Wentworth rd to the Cooltong out the back of Renmark, just be aware that it is remote here and not seeing other travellers is a real possibility.

Cheers Andrew