BROKEN HILL, NSW. — Broken Hill is a mining city in far western New South Wales, located in the Barrier Range. Because of its proximity to the South Australian border, the city and surrounding area go by Australian Central Standard Time which is the time zone used in South Australia and the Northern Territory, rather than the Australian Eastern Standard Time followed by the eastern states (outside of daylight saving).
The city is well-known for its mining history, and for being the birthplace of the Broken Hill Proprietary Company.
Surveyor-General of New South Wales, Sir Thomas Mitchell, was the first known European in the area, journeying through in 1841.
However, it was in 1844 that explorer Charles Sturt discovered the series of hills and high ground that he named Stanley’s Barrier Range, after Lord Stanley, the British Colonial Secretary of the time – and because they formed a barrier to his explorations.
Sturt noted a gap in the range, now known as the Barrier Range, which he referred to as a “broken hill”.
Boundary rider Charles Rasp found silver ore, initially believing it to be tin, on the broken hill in 1883.
On the advice of George McCulloch, manager of the Mount Gipps station which employed him, Rasp and six associates formed a Syndicate of Seven to establish the Broken Hill Proprietary Company (BHP) and pegged the entire ridge.
In January 1885, the syndicate located a rich silver, lead and zinc lode 7 kilometres long and 220 metres wide, assuring the success of the future settlement.
Broken Hill was declared a town on Saturday, August 15, 1885.
