Broken Hill railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the Broken Hill line in

Broken Hill Broken Hill is a city in the Far West (New South Wales), far west region of outback New South Wales, Australia. An inland mining city, it is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Hi ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia. It was added to the

New South Wales State Heritage Register The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally covered by the Heritag ...

on 2 April 1999.

History

The Broken Hill Crystal Street Railway Station opened on 15 July 1919 when the line opened to

Menindee Menindee (derived from Minandichi, the original Indigenous name for Lake Menindee, and frequently but erroneously spelled "Menindie") is a small town in the far west of New South Wales, Australia, in Central Darling Shire, on the banks of the Da ...

. Until extended further east in 1927, the section was not connected to the rest of the

New South Wales Government Railways New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR) was an agency of the Government of New South Wales that administered rail transport in the colony, and then the state, of New South Wales, Australia, between 1855 and 1932. History The NSWGR built ...

network.

's first railway connection arrived in 1888, with the Silverton Tramway connecting the city to the

South Australian Railways South Australian Railways (SAR) was the organisation through which the Government of South Australia built and operated railways in South Australia from 1854 until March 1978, when its non-urban railways were incorporated into Australian Natio ...

' narrow-gauge system at Cockburn and on to

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

via Sulphide Street station. Broken Hill developed into a lucrative location with the mines providing a regular source of traffic. Although some 50 kilometres from the border, Broken Hill was the border station between

and

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

, with interstate trains changing locomotives up until the 1990s in the era of state-owned railway networks.

Services

Until its cessation in November 1989, Broken Hill was the terminus for the '' Silver City Comet'' from Orange. It was also the terminus for Australian National's '' Silver City Limited'' from

from December 1986 until 1990. Today, Broken Hill is served by

NSW TrainLink NSW TrainLink is a regional train and coach operator in Australia, providing services throughout New South Wales and into Australian Capital Territory, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria (state), Victoria, Queensland and South Australia ...

's weekly ''

Outback Xplorer The ''Outback Xplorer'' is an Australian passenger train service operated by NSW TrainLink between Central railway station, Sydney, Sydney and Broken Hill railway station, Broken Hill via the Main Western railway line, Main Western line. Commenc ...

'' to and from

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. NSW TrainLink also operates a daily road coach service to

Dubbo Dubbo (; ) is a city in the Orana (New South Wales), Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021. The city is located at the intersection of the ...

(linking with the Central West XPT to Sydney), which leaves from the city's Tourist Information Centre bus terminal. Journey Beyond Rail Expeditions' weekly ''

Indian Pacific The ''Indian Pacific'' is a weekly experiential tourism-oriented passenger train service that runs in Australia's east–west rail corridor between Sydney, on the shore of the Pacific Ocean, and Perth, on the shore of the Indian Ocean – ...

'' also calls at Broken Hill.

Description

The heritage-listed main station building is a type 18 design, constructed of brick, steel and glass with a clock tower in 1957. The original 1919 station survives a short distance away, disused and derelict. The former stationmaster's residence at 265 Wills Street (the former site of the NSW Government Tram Depot) has been privately owned since 1997. Neither building forms part of the modern station's heritage listing. With the construction of the Trans-Continental Standard Gauge railway in 1969, the station platform was extended to accommodate the new 15-carriage Indian Pacific and a new signal box constructed on the western end of the station building. With modern centralised train control, the signal box is no longer staffed.

Heritage listing

The new Broken Hill station is an excellent example of the application of the "modern style" to railway architecture. Very few sites of this scale were constructed at this time, so it is a rare example. It was also one of the most expensive station buildings constructed, reflecting political needs of the time. The juxtaposition of the now derelict first station building opposite, in pre cast concrete construction (which was a standard country station building) highlights the contrast between the political needs during the Great War and the post-World War II boom. The scale of the newer building belies the potential needs of the station and it is closely aligned to the major Victorian station buildings in design intent (but not in style or construction). The Broken Hill railway station was listed on the

on 2 April 1999.

References

Bibliography

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Attribution

External links

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Broken Hill station details
Transport for New South Wales {{Journey Beyond railway stations, Indian Pacific=y, state=collapsed Buildings and structures in Broken Hill, New South Wales Easy Access railway stations in New South Wales Railway stations in Australia opened in 1919 Regional railway stations in New South Wales New South Wales State Heritage Register Transport in Broken Hill, New South Wales