Broken Hill is Australia’s longest running mining town and also one of the most isolated. Situated in Outback NSW, it sits just near the border of South Australia and is surrounded by desert. It is a township often depicted in film and novels, and as Australia’s first city to be included on the National Heritage List, one that that many Australian’s and overseas visitors have on their Australian Outback Adventures bucket list. But are there things to do in Broken Hill with kids? Of course there are! It’s one township you need to visit at least once.
Why you should embark on a few Australian Outback Adventures
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Heading to Outback Australia provides you with a real concept of the scope of Australia. When you’re looking out to the horizon, you are likely to be overwhelmed with a sense of awe. It’s almost a spiritual experience. And then there’s the red dirt. I won’t lie, it really does get into everything but it’s the real thing – you can’t buy that!
Embarking on Australian Outback adventures requires a little planning. It’s certainly not a destination that you head to on a whim without any preparation, especially if you are driving. While the main roads into town are well serviced, they are isolated. On occasion you’re sharing the road with emus, kangaroos and goats rather than other cars. You need to be well provisioned in case of a any mechanical trouble. Sound scary? Well for some travellers its enough to put them off the very idea, but it shouldn’t because with good planning you will have the time of your life. A road trip out here is one the whole family will be talking about for months or even years after you return. There are just so many things to do in Broken Hill with kids!
If you’re keen to head to Outback Australia, Broken Hill is the most accessible of all the Outback townships and a good one to dip your toes into the adventure gig.
Things to Do in Broken Hill with Kids
Line of Lode Lookout and Miner’s Memorial
One of the most impressive, and also quite confronting if you think about it, aspects of Broken Hill is the man-made slag heap that now encompasses the hills called the Line of Lode. Dissecting the town, this man-made creation today features the Line of Lode Lookout and Miner’s Memorial at the top of its summit.
The iconic Miner’s Memorial pays tribute to the 800+ miners who lost their lives working in the mines of Broken Hill. You can read what led to their passing from cut fingers which led to sepsis, led poisoning and freak accidents.
The lookout provides a gorgeous vista across Broken Hill and you can also dine at the cafe which offers some delicious meals. It’s one of our top things to do in Broken Hill with kids – look out for the giant park bench for some unique shots.
Location: Federation Way, Broken Hill NSW 2880
Opening Times: all hours
Cost: Free to access
Pro Hart Museum
My first introduction to Pro Hart was through television commercial for Stainmaster carpet which led to “Oh Mr Hart, What a Mess!” becoming a catch phrase across my school playground. It was only as I grew older that I realised that Mr Hart was actually Kevin Charles “Pro” Hart MBE, a celebrated Australian artist from Broken Hill.
Pro Hart passed away back in 2006, but today visitors to Broken Hill can visit the Pro Hart Gallery where a wide selection of his paintings are on display as well as the works of other artists including Arthur Boyd, John Constable, Claude Monet, and Albert Tucker.
The gallery was originally designed by Pro Hart himself and spans three levels of building. Make sure you spend some time exploring his studio, although it is eyes only – you’ll need to look through the glass to se it in full.
Location: 108 Wyman St, Broken Hill
Cost: Adults: $5.00 Children and Pensioners/Concession: $3.00 Under Twelve: Free
Gallery Hours: Monday – Saturday: 9:00AM – 5:00PM Sunday: 10:00AM – 5:00PM Public Holidays: Closed (Includes Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day, Good Friday, Anzac Day Open from 12PM). Off Season (1st of December – 28th of February): 10:00AM – 4:00PM (Mon-Sun)
Website: www.prohart.com.au
Bruce Langford Visitors Centre – Royal Flying Doctors Service
No trip to Broken Hill is complete without a visit to the Bruce Langford Visitor Centre at the Broken Hill Base of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS). This interactive museum leads you through the history of the Royal Flying Doctors and provides the visitor with insight into a typical day as a RFDS doctor, nurse and pilot.
The museum is situated within the working RFDS airport providing an opportunity for visitors to view the aircraft in the hangar, watch the admin team and the mechanical team in action, explore the Mantle of Safety Museum and watch a locally produced documentary (bring your tissues) featuring some of the medical emergencies the RFDS have attended.
In late 2018, an updated visitor centre and museum is forecast to be opened.
Click to sign your kids up to the Flying Doctors Kids Club and they’ll receive birthday and christmas cards and newsletters throughout the year. Membership is FREE!
Location: Broken Hill Airport, Airport Rd, Broken Hill
Cost: Family $24.00 (2 adults and 2 children under the age of 12). All proceeds from admissions and merchandise sales go towards the purchase of new aircraft and vital medical equipment.
Opening Times: Weekdays from 9.00 – 5.00pm.
Website: www.flyingdoctor.org.au
Historic Daydream Mine
Founded in 1881, the Historic Daydream mine is one of the oldest in Australia and was opened before the Broken Hill Mining Company (BHP).
Visitors can choose to do the ground tour or the one hour, fully guided underground and surface tour of the old mine. Here you will learn how the mine was established, how it was operated and a little about the Cornish men and boys who worked in the mine and how they sorted the silver they discovered.
Make sure you order the homemade scones, jam and cream along with a drink for after your tour.
Location: 20 Klms along Turn right go 12.8 klms, Silverton Rd, Silverton
Cost: Adults – $30.00, seniors & pensioners – $28.00 Children – $10.00, students 16 yrs+ – $25.00
Opening Times: Standard hours 10am & 11:30am only unless prior arrangements are made. School holidays (NSW, SA, VIC) 10am to last tour 3pm. Tours go approximately each hour.
Website: currently not working
Mad Max Museum
Almost 40 years ago, Mad Max was shot in Outback NSW. It rocketed Mel Gibson to international fame and has since attracted a cult following. The world’s only Mad Max Museum has been created in Silverton, NSW where a huge amount of film paraphernalia, relics and replicas have been curated to give the visitor an incredible insight into the film costumes, set design, story and everything else.
Whilst the kids are yet to watch Mad Max, they found the museum fascinating and we were able to introduce them to the concept of dystopian worlds.
Location: Mad Max 2 Museum, 9 Stirling Street, Silverton NSW
Cost: We were charged $30.00 for 2a + 2c
Opening Times: 10.00 am – 4.00 pm daily
Website: Mad Max Museum Facebook Page
Silverton Hotel
If you know someone who has visited (or lived) Broken Hill they are likely to have told you about the Silverton Hotel. This little nugget of gold (or silver) is pretty much always open with the air conditioning on high and a cold drink waiting for you.
We stopped in for one of their famous hotdogs and were super impressed to find the meals generous, the drinks cold and the bathroom facilities super clean.
While the donkeys were missing on our trip, they can usually be found around the Silverton Hotel so bring a carrot or two with you to sweeten them up. You may also recognise the place from such films as Razorback, Wake in Fright, The Slim Dusty Movie, Mission Impossible II and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
Location: 12 Layard Street, Silverton NSW
Opening Times: Monday – Saturday 5.00 am – 12.00 pm (Midnight). Sunday 10.00 am – 10.00 pm. Good Friday 12.00 noon – 10.00pm. Christmas Day Closed – No Trading
Website: silvertonhotel.com.au
The Living Desert and Sculptures
This is another of Broken Hill’s must do attractions with the Living Desert Reserve featuring both a flora and fauna sanctuary and the famous Sculptures.
You can choose to park at the bottom of the hill and walk up to the sculptures, or drive around to the car park adjacent to the artworks. The Sculptures themselves feature 12 sandstone artworks, each providing a narrative developed by their artist. They were installed back in 1993 with artists from around the world selected to create the pieces.
The Flora and Fauna Sanctuary is set on 180 hectares which is protected by an electric, predator-proof fence. While their is plenty of signage to warn visitors of the electric fence, make sure you keep the kids away! Look out for the Sturt Pea Wildflower display! This area showcases the flora, fauna and Aboriginal culture of western New South Wales.
Location: Off, Nine Mile Rd, Broken Hill NSW
Cost: $22.00 for a family.
Opening Times: Opens just before sunrise and just after sunset. See the park signage on entry.
School Of The Air
The School of the Air has always fascinated me. This incredible service ensures that children living in isolated pockets of Australia receive a FREE education. Conducting school lessons via satellite, teachers at the School of the Air engage children living on remote outback station homesteads. Sound like fun!
Unfortunately, our trip was during the NSW School Holidays so we missed out on seeing the School of the Air in action but have included it in our round up of things to do so you hopefully you can visit on your trip.
Location: 586 Lane Street, Broken Hill NSW
Cost: FREE
Opening Times: 8:15am CST each morning, during the school term. Bookings must be made at least one day prior at the Broken Hill Visitor Information Centre.
Website: School of the Air website
Mundi Mundi Plains Lookout
The Mundi Mundi Plains Lookout provides you with a breathtaking view across the desert plains right into South Australia at least 100 kilometres away. The lookout is absolutely perfect and with such a flat plain you can see the curvature of the horizon. If you’re happy to dodge the wildlife as you leave, watching the sun set here is magnificent.
Location: S Broken Hill, Silverton NSW
Bell’s Milkbar
Fancy a little childhood nostalgia? Head to Bell’s Milk Bar, one of Broken Hill’s longest running businesses established 1938, and order yourself a milkshake. The menu also includes soda spiders, malted milks and a few little treats.
As huge fans of Daisy’s Milkbar in Sydney’s Petersham, it is super exciting to see another establishment rebooting the milkbar scene of the 1950s. The milkshakes are served in metal containers and you even get malt in them. I was disappointed that the straws were plastic though – bring back the paper straw, it is much better for our environment. Our favouirte flavour (there are around 40 to choose from) was the Turkish delight. Nom Nom
Wander the back rooms to feast your eyes on some of the collectables from the era. The kids (and you too) will love this place.
Location: 160 Patton st, Broken Hill NSW
Opening Times: 10.00 am – 5.30 pm
Website: Visit the Bell’s Milk Bar Facebook page
A Road Trip Video
Where to Stay with Kids
Travelling with kids? No doubt you will be looking for accomodation that will cater for your families needs. For us, now that the kids are a little older, we love finding accomodation that offers enough space to ensure we are not falling over each other.
To really see what Broken Hill has to offer you will need a handful of days. For our trip we planned three nights and searched for accomodation that suited two families. (Please note that we were not caravanning or camping on this trip.
Whilst Red Earth Motel was our first choice, we planned our stay too close to the school holidays and discovered that it was booked out. They look fantastic and have excellent reviews for families staying there with 2+ children.
We ended up staying at Outback Villas which offer family accomodation in two and three bedroom villas. The villas, while small, were very clean and comfortable. Our host replenished our towels as needed and was always available by text when needed.
Getting to Broken Hill
There are a number of ways to get to Broken Hill, each providing positive and negatives.
Car
Driving to Broken Hill from any of the Australian Capital Cities will take a number of hours and is likely to require a stop over at another town along the way.
Coming from Sydney
The most direct route will take you over the Blue Mountains to Mudgee, through to Dubbo, then along the Barrier Highway via Nyngan, Cobar and Wilcannia. Give yourself two days when travelling with kids.
Coming from Melbourne
The easiest way to get to Broken Hill from Melbourne is to follow the Calder Highway through to Bendigo and then Mildura before hopping on the Silver City Highway from Wentworth.
Coming from Adelaide
Adelaide is the closest Australian capital city from Broken Hill. Jump on the Barrier Highway and follow it all the way to Broken Hill.
Plane
The quickest way to get to Broken Hill is via plane. It is also likely to be the most expensive method of travel for a family wishing to explore Outback NSW. Regional Express Airlines fly direct every day to and from Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne (via Mildura).
Train
If you are looking for a rail adventure, look no further than the Indian Pacific which runs directly to Broken Hill from Sydney and Adelaide once or twice a week, depending on the season.
NSW TrainLink runs weekly direct services to Broken Hill from Sydney on the ‘Outback Explorer’. Head to Transport NSW for full details.
Please note, our trip was completely self funded.
Planning an Australian Outback Adventure
Our Australian Outback Adventures covered over 3,000 kilometres in just under a fortnight. Our route covered:
First Leg: Sydney – Mudgee – Dubbo – Nyngan.
Distance: Approximately 555 kilometres or 6 1/2 hours.
Read about Nyngan with kids
Read about Dubbo with kids
Read about Bathurst with Kids (alternative route)
Mudgee with Kids coming soon
Second Leg: Nyngan – Cobar – Emmdale Roadhouse – Wilcannia – Little Topar – Broken Hill
Read about Cobar with Kids
Distance: Approximately 590 Kilometres or 6 hours
We will update this post with coverage of each leg as they are uploaded. Stay tuned for more Australian Outback Adventures.
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Awesome piece of information there. I will have to plan a trip to this great outback town……and planning starts from now!!
Hi great piece – thanks.
How long would you recommend at Broken Hill with 2 kids 4 & 9 years?
Hi Suzanne
I guess it depends on how much you want to pack into your trip. We stayed for 3 nights and were able to see quite a lot.
Great article Leah, there’s a terrific milk bar in Orange too, nostalgic and down to earth too. Reading up as I’d love to go to Broken Hill… we have tiny cars that I do not think are up to the trip…hmmmm.