Broken Hill New South Wales Geography History Railways

Broken Hill has been called the 'Oasis of the West, 'Silver City' and the 'Capital of the Outback.' Although over 1100 km west of Sydney and surrounded by semi-desert the town still manages colourful park and garden displays to surprise the unsuspecting visitor.

Named after the broken hill on which ironThis article is about metallic iron. For the ironing device, see ironing manganese iron cobalt Fe Ru Full table General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metal Group, Period, Block 8 (VIIIB), 4 , d Density, Hardness 7874 kg/m3, ore was first discovered in 1883Events January January 16 The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, establishing the United States Civil service, is passed January 19 The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires begins service ( Roselle, New Jersey) It was built by Thomas E by a boundary rider named Charles Rasp , Broken Hill is Australia's longest-lived mining city. Its massive oreAn ore is a mineral deposit containing a metal or other valuable resource in economically viable concentrations. Usually, it is used in the context of a mineral deposit from which it is economical to extract its metallic component. Ores are mined. Ore bodbody, formed about 1800 million years ago, has proved to be the world's largest silverThis page is about Silver the element. For the color, see Silver Silver is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Ag ( L. Argentum and atomic number 47. A soft white lustrous transition metal, silver has the highest electrical and th- leadFor the "lead" in news writing, see news style. Lead is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Pb ( L. Plumbum and atomic number 82. A soft, heavy, toxic and malleable poor metal, lead has a dull gray appearance and is bluish white w- zincZinc is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Notable characteristics Zinc is a moderately reactive metal that will combine with oxygen and other non-metals, and will react with dilute acids to release hydro mineralMinerals are natural compounds formed through geological processes. The term "mineral" encompasses not only the material's chemical composition but also the mineral structures. Minerals range in composition from pure elements and simple salts to very comp deposit. The orebody is shaped like a boomerangA boomerang is a curved, usually wooden, device which is thrown. A boomerang spins as it flies through the air, and can travel long distances. A boomerang is designed to, when thrown correctly, fly a curved path to return to the person who threw it. To bo plunging into the earth at its ends and outcropping in the centre. The protruding tip of the orebody stood out as a jagged rocky ridge amongst undulating plain country on either side. This was known as the broken hill by early pastoralists. There has been a significant decline in the mining industry over recent years.

1 Geography

The desolate landscape surrounding Broken Hill is like driving towards a painting of soft mauve and sage hues. As the mineral resources in the Broken Hill area have dwindled, tourism has become increasingly important to the city's economy. The town is known as a center for artists, and a number of galleries line the streets.

It is here that the big red red Kangaroos run two hundred kilometres in a night chasing a thunderstorm, and the unique Sturt Desert Peas bloom in dark red soils. Magnificent clear blue skies and the magic light are also much loved by film makers from Mad Max to The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

Beyond the Darling River on the edge of the sundown, is where they used to say you would find Broken Hill, as if there was nowhere further to travel in Australia. Perhaps it was the feeling of suddenly being confronted by such vast space, like an inland sea rolling into the sunset.

It is also known for its input into the formation of the labour movement in Australia, and has a rich union history. Broken Hill is a major base for both the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia and School of the Air and the town and its surrounding are frequently used by film-makers for shooting movies, television programs, video-clips and commercials.

South east of the town is the Kinchega National Park which encloses the Menindee, named after the nearby town, and Cawndilla Lake s. Wilcannia is a small town situated on the Darling River, to the east of Broken Hill. It has many attractions of historical visit. The area is a fascinating place to visit with many contrasts.

As a result of Broken Hill's location on the New South Wales/South Australia border, far from any major New South Wales town and closer to Adelaide than Sydney, it has a strong psychological connection to South Australia. It uses Australian Central Standard Time, the same as South Australia; is in the (08) Western/central area code; and it's local television station, Central GTS/BKN, covers both Broken Hill and parts of South Australia.

2 History

Broken Hill was founded in 1883 by a boundary rider called Charles Rasp who patrolled the Mt Gipps fences. In 1883 he discovered what he thought was tin but when the samples came back they were Silver and Lead instead of tin and the ore body they came from became the largest and richest of its kind in the world. The Broken Hill Proprietary Company (BHP) was founded by the Syndicate of Seven to mine the ore body of Broken Hill in 1885. (In 2001 BHP merged with the Billiton company to form BHP Billiton.)

2.1 Railways

The city isolation was big problem till the Adelaide narrow gauge railway link was finished in 1888. Since the New South Wales Government would not allow the South Australia railway to cross the border, the last 30km was built by a private company as a tramway, the Silverton Tramway . The construction of a 4' 8½" rail link from Sydney came in the 1920's.

In 1970 the 3' 6" gauge railway from Port Pirie to Broken Hill was converted to 4' 8½", thus completing the standard transcontinental gauge line from Sydney to Perth.

The Silverton Tramway is so named because it was originally intended to serve the mining town of Silverton, however by the time that the railway reached that town, it was already being eclipsed by the newer and bigger mine at Broken Hill.

2.2 Water

In the early days there was water shortage and the mines and the people fought for water, so they would ship water on trains from the Darling River. Till 1952 when Broken Hill's demands for a permanent water supply were met with the completion of the pipeline to Stephen's Creek . Dams on the Darling River channel water to Broken Hill, making it an oasis amid the harsh climate and topography of the Australian outback.

Like many 'outback' towns Broken Hill was built on precious metals, having once had the world's richest deposits of lead, zinc and silver. Although now depleted somewhat, mining still yields around two million tonnes annually. Some mine tours are available. Sheep farming is now one of the principal industries in the area and there are considerably more sheep than people -almost 2 million Merino sheep.

3 Transportation

Broken Hill is also one of the stops of The Ghan and Indian Pacific Railway, luxury trains which are two of the classic train journeys. The GHAN goes from Adelaide to Darwin via Alice Springs, and The Indian Pacific from Sydney to Perth via Adelaide. The luxury trains take several days to traverse Australia but these are truly trips of a life time.

4 Climate

Dust storms are a common problem in the desert but the ingenious people of Broken Hill created reserves to surround the town thus protecting the encircled town from the worst of the storms. New South Wales cities

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