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The history of Broken Hill Australia is a story of trials and triumphs. The discovery of the rich line of lode in the far west of New South Wales was an important event in the young history of Australia.

The Wiljakali Aboriginal people had lived in the Broken Hill region for more than 40,000 years when the first Europeans arrived in the far west of New South Wales.

Surveyor-General Sir Thomas Mitchell was the first white man in the area. Only three years later, in 1844, Charles Sturt named the Barrier Ranges and mentioned a "broken hill". Although Sturt's expedition failed to find the Australian inland sea, their mapping and descriptions of the far northwest helped to open up this unknown region.

Pastoralists followed the early explorers in the 1850. This was the beginning of major changes for the local Aborigines. Flocks of sheep, fences and mining stopped their traditional nomadic life.

• Charles Rasp, a German boundary rider who worked at Mount Gipps station pegged the first claim on top of the "broken hill". Rasp thought the hill would contain deposits of tin, but first samples examined in Adelaide showed quantities of lead and zinc with traces of silver.
  On September 5, 1883 he registered his mining lease. Mount Gipps station manager George McCulloch, James Poole, David James, George Lind and Geore Urquhart joined and together they formed the "syndicate of seven".
  It took nearly two years until finally rich silver chlorides were found.
• In 1885 the "Syndicate of Seven" registered the Broken Hill Proprietary Company or BHP. The big Australian mine put Australia onto the world's economic stage.

• Argent Street runs parallel with the ore-loaded hill. In the early days it was just a sandy, or muddy street without defined footpaths. The early buildings were constructed of timber and iron. Water and food was short, dust storms were common, nevertheless, Broken Hill had a population of more than 20,000 by 1891. It is hard to imagine how poor living conditions must have been for the early miners and their families.
• Broken Hill became a municipality in 1888. The foundation stone for the impressive town hall was laid by Sir Henry Parks in 1890. The new town hall was designed in Australia-Italianate style and built with stone from the Block 14 mine.

Read more about the attractions in Broken Hill Australia.

• More civic buildings, the police station, courthouse and post office were built in the 1890s, along with schools and the technical college.
• 1892 the Stephens Creek reservoir and reticulation system was built and improved living conditions in the town. Yet, conditions for the miners were still poor, hundred of men were killed in the mines.
• At the turn of the century 27,000 people lived and worked in Broken Hill, and the town had 60 liscensed hotels.
• Following bitter industrial disputes in the early 20th century, the Broken Hill Barrier Industrial Council was formed in 1923. It was an affiliation of 18 unions. As a result, working conditions in the mines finally improved.
• The Broken Hill Proprietary Company (BHP) hasn't been the only mining company in Broken Hill. Actually, BHP ventured into steel manufacturing and later into petroleum exploration. "The big Australian", as BHP once was known, merged with the Anglo-Dutch Billiton to form the world's largest mining company in 2001.

These days Broken Hill is a major centre with modern amenities in Outback New South Wales. Broken Hill Australia has played an important part in the history of Australia. The city has a lot of charme, friendly people and much to explore beyond. Discover the "accessible Outback". Drive on sealed highways and feel the vast distances and the grandeur of the Australian Outback.

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