Broken Hill isn’t the kind of place that immediately springs to mind when you think about holidaying in NSW. There are no five-star hotels or sexy glamping sites, no ocean pool or beachside kiosk. Broken Hill is the opposite of a tourist trap: it’s a down-to-earth mining town whose charm is alive in its genuine, true-blue attitude and unpretentious sense of fun.
Despite the lack of holiday gimmicks, if you ask me, this is a place that every NSW resident needs to visit, at least once in their life.
Known by the traditional owners of the land (the Paakantji, Mayyankapa and Nyiimpaa people) as Willyama, Broken Hill is Australia’s longest-operating mining town. It’s also the place that Priscilla, Queen of the Desert pulled up back in 1994, a role that has secured it an honorary title as one of the state’s queer culture capitals. Sitting beneath the shadow of a 7-kilometre mound of mining debris, this colourful town is a beautifully bizarre confluence of worlds, and a visit here will teach you so much about what it means to live in NSW.
Keen? Read on for our guide to where to eat, drink and stay in Broken Hill.
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Driving from Sydney to Broken Hill will take you an almighty 13 hours – a journey you’ll want to split up over a few days with an overnight stay in Dubbo or Cobar. If you’re short on time, the flight from Sydney Airport takes 2.5 hours.
If you want to be in amongst the action, I’d suggest booking a room at The Palace Hotel. This grand, palatial pub is where some of the most iconic scenes from The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert were shot, and there’s a glam-as-anything themed suite dedicated to the movie if you want to really harness your drag queen energy. Wednesday nights are karaoke night, so come prepared with your best power ballad to impress the locals.
If you’d rather somewhere a little quieter, Broken Hill Outback Resort is a 15-minute drive outside of town – home to 80 affordable campsites (with and without power) as well as cabins with private decks, kitchenettes and spa baths overlooking the desert.
If you eat at one place in Broken Hill, make it The Old Salt Bush. Owner and chef Lee Ceccin is a font of knowledge when it comes to native ingredients, and crafts a stunning seasonal menu with dishes like salt bush gin cured salmon, emu kofta and a salt bush-infused bread course you’ll want to order as your main meal. Order the salt bush gin gin and tonic, and I dare you not to order a second round.
For the best breakfast in town, head to The Silly Goat – a warehouse-style space that pumps out exceptional coffee and elevated brunch dishes. The “salmon benny” comes on a toasted croissant with a zingy pesto hollandaise, and the scrambled eggs come folded with nduja for spice, and served with a soft, salty pillow of focaccia.
Another must-visit when you’re in town is Bells Milk Bar, a Broken Hill stalwart dating back to 1892. This charming, retro milk bar serves delicious ice cream-loaded thickshakes, plus tasty diner-style meals like hot dogs, loaded fries and spectacular sundaes.
Want to stock up on supplies for a picnic in the outback? The Deli serves fresh, seasonal treats handmade with love, including a ridiculously beautiful line-up of pastries and cakes.
For dinner, if you’re not splashing out on a fine dining experience at The Old Salt Bush, the town’s pubs offer an excellent line in good pub grub. Our top pick for a pub feed would be The Broken Hill Pub (affectionately known as the BHP), which offers elevated pub favourites alongside creative Asian-inspired dishes and some excellent cocktails to wash it all down.
When Byron Bay’s alt-pop darlings Parcels visited Broken Hill in 2021, their key stop was The Silverton Hotel: the gloriously Aussie pub in the small village of Silverton, 23 minutes drive from the centre of Broken Hill. Parcels aren’t the only famous fans of this historic drinking hole, it’s widely known as one of the most-photographed pubs in the country, featured in Mission Impossible II and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and the famous Mad Max II museum is just up the road (more on that later). If you drink just one schooner during your trip to Broken Hill, you’ll want to drink it here – and the pub menu is affordable and super tasty.
For a glorious goblet of Aperol Spritz or a well-executed Old Fashioned, head to Red Lush wine and cocktail bar on the ground floor of The Astra Hotel, and if you want to grab a liquid memento from the town, head to the award-winning Broken Hill Distillery.
The first thing you’ll notice in Broken Hill is the air: clear, unpolluted and pure as anything. But I’m not recommending breathing as an activity (though do that, too), I’m recommending looking up. The stars in the outback will blow your mind.
For a fully-immersive stargazing experience, book a guided session at Outback Astronomy. You’ll set up under the stars with blankets, hot chocolates and binoculars, and be guided through the constellations of the Southern Sky.
If all that gazing into the sky has got you keen to get amongst it, book a scenic flight with Far West Helico, a small, locally-run helicopter company that will take you on a magical journey through the sky above the outback.
Another magical way to take in the country air is from Broken Hill is Living Desert Sculpture Park, best visited at dusk when the setting sun casts a honey glow over the outback. Situated on the peak of a hill, the beautiful outdoor art gallery was founded back in 1992, when a group of artists from across the world were tasked with transforming sandstone rocks into works of art. Since it was unveiled in 1993, Living Desert Sculpture Park has become one of the most photographed sites in the Australian outback.
For an indoor art fix, head to Broken Hill City Art Gallery: the oldest regional gallery in NSW, home to an incredible collection of works by some of Australia’s very best artists.
And for a truly bizarre museum experience, beeline for the Mad Max II museum: one man’s love letter to the movie (filmed in the neighbouring outback) featuring an incredible collection of cars, buggies and other artefacts from the set.
The highlight of my trip to Broken Hill was the morning we spent at Silverton Outback Camels. This working farm is home to a herd of rescue camels, along with families of goats, sheep, pigs, donkeys, ponies and emus, all who live together on this sprawling, sun-drenched property. The main attraction here is the camel rides – led by the incredibly knowledgeable and kind-hearted farmer Peta – but for me, the magic came in the connections we formed with all of the animals that call Silverton home. There’s a laid-back, surreal energy to the farm – spend an hour or so wandering around the paddocks, and you’ll find yourself seriously considering giving up your day job, adopting some goats and never looking back.
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