The Living Desert, Broken HillCredit: Destination NSW
Man watching the sunset from The Living Desert Reserve in Broken Hill.
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There’s so much to see and do in the NSW outback city of Broken Hill. You can renew your love of art and discover a thriving gallery scene. Ignite your sense of wonder with an unforgettable stargazing experience. Recharge in a glamorous hotel suite inspired by an iconic movie. Or strike out on your own desert adventures. The choice – and the endless horizon – is yours.
Recharge in the Priscilla Suite
Broken Hill has been associated with drag culture ever since the Australian movie The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert was released in 1994 – several crucial scenes were filmed in the historic Palace Hotel. Catch yourself grinning as you step into the Priscilla Suite and put down your bags – it’s the very room that the movie’s characters stayed in, although it’s been redecorated in flamboyant style. Join in the fun at the pub’s regular drag bingo nights, and try to snag a room in September when colourful queens from around the country descend on the town for the popular Broken Heel Festival. Relish the dramatic contrast to the Priscilla vibe at the Mad Max 2 Museum in Silverton, a 20-minute drive out of town, where the filming of 1981’s Mad Max II in the area is celebrated with passion.
Discover outback art
The Broken Hill region has a long history of producing and attracting artists who find inspiration in the surreal landscape. Two of the best known local painters were Pro Hart and Jack Absalom: each has a retrospective gallery that’s part of the diverse offering of more than 20 art galleries around town. Feast your eyes on the remarkable collection of Aboriginal art at the Broken Hill City Art Gallery, which an excellent calendar of exhibitions, including the annual Maari Ma Indigenous Art Awards, displayed from November to February. Then step across the road from Broken Hill City Art Gallery to browse the paintings of local artist Amanda Johnson at Willy Nilly Art. If you’re driving to Broken Hill via Wilcannia, stop in to see the works of past, present and emerging artists alongside artefacts and oral histories of the local Barkintji people at the town’s Baaka Cultural and Art Centre.
Head to the Living Desert
Photography enthusiasts will love capturing the golden light in the Broken Hill area – especially at the Living Desert State Park, with its 12 sandstone artworks created by artists from all over the world. Create your own timeless images of the old prospector’s mine site and quartz outcrops on the 2.2km cultural walk trail through the reserve’s John Simons Flora and Fauna Sanctuary, which covers 180 hectares of native plants and wildlife and features a Sturt’s desert pea wildflower display. Feel the desert air cool with the setting sun when you stay overnight at the park’s Starview Campsite.
Satiate your hunger
Refuel for a big day in the desert with breakfast at The Silly Goat café, where the frequently changing menu might include granola bowls and smoked salmon bagels. Put some pep in your step with a stiff espresso and Italian-style treats at Giovanni and Co. Step back in time and grab a milkshake at Bells Milk Bar – it’s been open since 1892 and much of the décor remains the same as it was in the 1950s. Go behind the scenes on a tour of Broken Hill Distillery before sampling the spirits at the distillery door. Settle in for a cocktail at Red Lush, the sister bar to The Astra’s Trinders Restaurant, which offers a modern Australian menu as well as more casual tapas and gourmet pizza. Or mark the end of a memorable day of sightseeing with a meal of upmarket pub fare at The Palace Hotel or the Broken Hill Pub.
Broken Heel Festival 2017 Credit: Destination NSW
The Silver City Stiletto train bound for the Broken Heel Festival winds its way through Outback NSW.
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Broken Heel Festival 2017 Credit: Destination NSW
The Silver City Stiletto train bound for the Broken Heel Festival winds its way through Outback NSW.
Mutawintji National Park, Mutawintji Credit: Destination NSW
Mutawintji National Park tour guide Keanu Bates showing visitors Aboriginal rock art at Mutawintji Historic Site.
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Mutawintji National Park, Mutawintji Credit: Destination NSW
Mutawintji National Park tour guide Keanu Bates showing visitors Aboriginal rock art at Mutawintji Historic Site.
Soak up the night skies
Outback skies are something to behold: make sense of what you see with one of Outback Astronomy’s Sky Shows at its sky dome just outside Broken Hill. Peer into a pitch-black sky as knowledgeable guides point out individual stars and constellations. Gaze and graze on a hearty curry or stew and dessert during a Dinner with the Stars evening, and sleep in a glamping tent made for two with the stars for nightlights (loan of binoculars included) in the cooler months.
Dream outback dreams
Find a charming home to stay in among the selection of Broken Hill Heritage Cottages’ historic properties; enjoy deluxe or superior rooms at the Art Deco Royal Exchange Hotel; sleep at The Astra, a restored 1890s heritage building in the centre of town; or in Broken Hill Outback Church Stay’s restored 1911 church. Or settle in to one of the spa cabins and caravan and camping sites at the Broken Hill Outback Resort, just out of town.
Further afield, have a night to remember by staying at the iconic Silverton Hotel, 20 minutes out of town; continue another 25 minutes past Silverton to enjoy views over the Mundi Mundi Plains and the Southern Barrier Ranges at the Eldee Station farm stay; or enjoy an authentic outback experience at Mt Gipps StationStay, a working sheep station around a 40-minute drive north of town.
After getting to know Broken Hill, buckle up to explore the wider region and its national parks. Gain a fascinating insight into Australia’s pastoral history by staying at the Kinchega Shearer’s Quarters in Kinchega National Park, an 80-minute drive southeast of Broken Hill – the guest rooms are basic but air-conditioned. Find a shady spot among the gum trees at the Coach and Horses campground, beside the Darling River in Paroo-Darling National Park, three hours northeast of Broken Hill.
Be prepared for visiting remote outback NSW national parks by checking the latest updates from the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service before you set off. And remember to check the conditions before you set off for the day, as some roads can be cut off in wet weather.
Slip underground at White Cliffs
Take a three-hour drive northeast of Broken Hill to roam across White Cliffs, in the heart of opal country. Admire the ‘pineapple’ opals – so named for their spiky shapes – found in Australia’s oldest commercial opal field, and marvel at the way many dwellings here have been built underground to escape the heat. Get a feel for the town and learn about its colourful history on a White Cliffs Bus Tour, and sleep deeply in the subterranean White Cliffs Underground Motel, which has a honeycomb of whitewashed rooms.
Outback Astronomy, Broken Hill Credit: Destination NSW
Couple star gazing beneath the Milky Way at Outback Astronomy, Broken Hill.
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Outback Astronomy, Broken Hill Credit: Destination NSW
Couple star gazing beneath the Milky Way at Outback Astronomy, Broken Hill.
Silverton Hotel, Silverton Credit: Destination NSW
A vintage Mad Max inspired VW Beetle outside the Silverton Hotel in Outback NSW.
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Silverton Hotel, Silverton Credit: Destination NSW
A vintage Mad Max inspired VW Beetle outside the Silverton Hotel in Outback NSW.
More Inspirational Stories
Look At Me Now Headland, Emerald BeachCredit: Destination NSW
See wildlife in a whole new way in New South Wales.
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NSW’s animals are as welcoming as its locals. From kangaroos to snoozing koalas — and everything furry or finned in between — Australia’s wild animals are as unforgettable as the land they call home. Here’s where to find these incredible creatures in their natural habitat across New South Wales.
See kangaroos by the sea
Thrill to the sight of kangaroos, one of Australia’s most iconic native animals, in the wild all across Country NSW. Keep an eye out for eastern grey kangaroos at beautiful Diamond Head Beach in Crowdy Bay National Park on the Barrington Coast, a 3.5-hour drive north of Sydney. Let the unforgettable sight of a mob of ’roos backdropped by the deep blue of the Pacific Ocean put a spring in your step as you stroll along the 1.6km loop trail at the Look At Me Now Headland in the Moonee Beach Nature Reserve, at Coffs Harbour on the Mid North Coast. And refresh with a dip in the ocean as curious eastern greys look on from grassy clearings at Depot Beach and Pebbly Beach in Murramarang National Park, a four-hour drive from Sydney on the spectacular NSW South Coast.
Gaze up at koalas
Discover the eucalypt forests around eastern NSW and you may well spot a koala snoozing among the gum-trees. Marvel at these tree-dwelling marsupials from viewing platforms in the stunning bushland at Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary, less than an hour’s drive from Newcastle, or three hours north of Sydney. Then settle into your four-star glamping tent, studio room or deluxe suite at the sanctuary for a night among these iconic creatures. Head to Guula Ngurra National Park, an easy two-hour drive south of Sydney in the Southern Highlands, to hike through some of the 3,358 hectares of protected koala habitat in the recently created park (Guula Ngurra means “Koala Country” in the local Gundungurra Aboriginal language). Or hone your spotting skills at Narrandera Koala Reserve, around an hour’s drive from the regional town of Griffith in the Riverina region in the state’s southwest, where more than 200 koalas live among river red gums.
Dive in with wild dolphins
Come fin to fin with wild dolphins with Dolphin Swim Australia in Port Stephens, just an hour’s drive north of Newcastle or three hours from Sydney. Feel a surge of adrenaline as a catamaran tows you through the ocean among these playful creatures. Prefer to stay dry? See Port Stephens’s resident pod of bottlenose dolphins, many of them so friendly that the locals know them by name, on an outing with Imagine Cruises. Or head south for close encounters with dolphins in sheltered Jervis Bay, on the NSW South Coast, with Dolphin Watch Cruises Jervis Bay and Jervis Bay Wild.
Shoal Bay, Port Stephens Credit: Destination NSW
Dolphins swimming in Shoal Bay, Port Stephens.
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Shoal Bay, Port Stephens Credit: Destination NSW
Dolphins swimming in Shoal Bay, Port Stephens.
Whale watching, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
A whale breaches out of the water off Sydney waters.
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Whale watching, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
A whale breaches out of the water off Sydney waters.
Let whales stir your spirit
Marvel at the majesty of humpback whales as they travel along the New South Wales coastline from May to November each year. Embrace the sublime as you witness some of the 40,000 humpback and southern right whales that make their way along on the ‘Humpback Highway’ from Antarctica to the warm waters of their breeding grounds in the north. Clamber aboard a boat for an unforgettable day of whale watching in Sydney, join a cruise from seaside towns or find the perfect vantage point on land to see these magnificent creatures leap from the water all along the NSW coastline.
Meet a Tasmanian devil
Get up close with free-roaming Tasmanian devils without leaving mainland Australia at Aussie Ark’s wildlife sanctuary in the rugged Barrington Tops, a five-hour drive northeast of Sydney. Feel yourself moved by the stories you’ll hear on Aussie Ark’s 2.5-hour guided Devils in the Wild tour — the team behind this conservation initiative is breeding a wild population of the endangered carnivores to ensure their survival. And be astonished as you see Tasmanian devils thriving in the wild and, if you visit in breeding season, dote on super-cute devil joeys exploring their surroundings.
Play with seals
Come alive with a sense of joy at Montague Island Nature Reserve, a revered wildlife destination that’s home to little penguins, a huge colony of Australian fur seals and 90 types of birds just 9km off the town of Narooma, in the South Coast’s Eurobodalla region. Be delighted by their playfulness as you discover why friendly fur seals are called the puppies of the sea on a seal snorkel with Narooma Charters. Or delight to the sight of penguins waddling back to their nests after a day of fishing on a sunset tour with Montague Island Discovery Tours.
Montague Island Highlight Selects Credit: Destination NSW
Be immersed in wildlife experiences off Montague Island.
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Montague Island Highlight Selects Credit: Destination NSW
Be immersed in wildlife experiences off Montague Island.
Be captivated by a platypus
Be rewarded for your patience when you spot a platypus in the wild: while platypus inhabit a number of regions in NSW, these shy little icons can be very tricky to find. Increase your chances by visiting Bombala, about an hour’s drive from Cooma in the Snowy Mountains — it’s known as ‘Platypus Country’ because a large number of these mysterious monotremes (egg-laying mammals) live there. Practise mindfulness at the Bombala Platypus Reserve, 4.5km outside of town, where a viewing platform over the river makes spotting them easier. Or try a guided Platypus Walk with Vision Walks Eco-Tours near Byron Bay, on the far North Coast.
Bliss out with turtles
Discover the underwater wonderlands of the North Coast at Cook Island, less than 1km offshore from Fingal Head, just south of Tweed Heads on the far North Coast of New South Wales, to encounter astonishing numbers of green, hawksbill and loggerhead turtles. Deepen your respect for the incredible beauty of the underwater world on a memorable snorkelling tour with local operators such as Watersports Guru or Cooly Eco Adventures.
Take off to an island of seabirds
Look at the skies with awe as hundreds of thousands of seabirds wheel above you on Lord Howe Island, 700km northeast of Sydney in the Pacific Ocean. Fill your diary with sightings of the 130-odd permanent and migratory bird species found on the country’s premier bird-watching destination. Come in winter to see providence petrels circle in spectacular courtship rituals during their breeding season, while shearwaters return in awe-inspiring flocks at dusk each day from spring to late autumn (September to May).