B&W (T) Broken Hill Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia
By Black Bunny on 20-Aug-10. Waypoint GA2264

Burke and Wills (Traditional): Broken Hill.

The first Europeans to see the Barrier Range were Charles Sturt and party in 1844, with Sturt was trying to determine the existence of an inland sea. Sturt referred to a 'broken hill' in his diary. He also named the Barrier Range as a result of the difficulties it presented to his progress. Sturt described the land as some of the most barren and desolate he had seen.

During their trek of 1860-61 Burke and Wills passed through the area. They formed a base camp at Menindee to the south-east and stopped at Mootwingie to the north-east.

Burke and Wills:

From Menindee to Cooper's Creek was the most straightforward leg of the entire journey, even though the route formed a wide arc. The weather was good, and the recent rains provided plenty of water and lush grass. Having left the cumbersome wagons behind, the party began to make good progress. Leaving George Landells behind had also greatly improved Burke's frame of mind. Determined to make the most of the favourable conditions, Burke set a brisk pace – he did not allow the customary rest days, and often did not order a halt until well into evening. Burke set out for Cooper's Creek in high spirits. He was fortunate. The wet season had been extremely wet, and there was plenty of fodder for the animals. The weather was mild, topping 90F only twice. He allowed no rest days, and pushed his men from dawn until as late as 11pm. After 23 days he and his entourage reached Cooper's Creek, with the loss of only one camel. Burke and Wills got along admirably, and their harmony filtered down through the rest of the crew. But while Burke wrote to the committee that he had discovered valuable new pastoral land with plenty of water, Wills noted that there had been no permanent water for some 36 miles. This discrepancy should have tipped them off, but did not.

About this location:

Broken Hill is Australia's longest-lived mining city. Silver ore was discovered on this broken hill in 1883 by a boundary rider named Charles Rasp. The "broken hill" that gives its name to Broken Hill actually comprised a number of hills that appeared to have a break in them. The broken hill no longer exists, having been mined away.

Broken Hill is an isolated mining city in the far west of outback New South Wales, Australia. The world's largest mining company, BHP Billiton, has roots in the town. Broken Hill is located near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (national route 32) and the Silver City Highway (national route 79), in the Barrier Range. It is 220m (722 ft) above sea level, an average rainfall of 235 mm (9 in) and summer temperatures that reach well over 40°C (104°F). The closest major city is Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, which is more than 500 km (311 mi) to the southwest.