Broken Hill Day 2

Painter and artist Pro Hart was born in Broken Hill in 1928. We stopped to see his Gallery and home on our way to The Living Desert. Pro Hart’s sculptures can be seen scattered throughout Broken Hill.

In 1993, artists from around the world began work on 12 sandstone sculptures in the middle of the desert outside Broken Hill. Giant sandstone blocks weighing more than 50 tonnes had been shipped in from the Wilcannia region for the sculpture symposium, organised by artist Lawrence Beck. Six weeks later, the artists unveiled their creations, and today, this is one of the most photographed sites in the Australian outback. The sculptures can be found on Sundown Hill, in the Living Desert Reserve.

Half an hour from Broken Hill is the historic Silverton. Famous for its role in silver mining history and on the silver screen, the historic town of Silverton perfectly captures the charm of the outback. Silverton is home to impressive colonial buildings, including the Silverton Gaol Museum. Many movies use Silverton as a set including Mission Impossible II, Mad Max 2 and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

Bell’s Milk Bar came highly recommended by several friends and travellers so it was a must on our list. The original 1950’s decor, old style malted milks and food certainly lived up to our expectations.

Last stop of the day was the iconic Silver City Mint and Art Centre. We particularly wanted to see local artist Peter Anderson’s ‘The Big Picture’, the World's Largest Acrylic Painting on Canvas by a single artist. This was incredible, the mural is almost 100 metres long.

Broken Hill has an abundance of beautiful workers cottages, many beautiful restored which together with the heritage buildings, mine and other attractions makes it a must visit on our list for all travellers.Read more