A future Nationals Government will commit $10 million towards the much-needed Broken Hill Airport upgrade project providing certainty for the critical regional link for South Australia Nationals Leader David Littleproud said while Broken Hill is the major regional airport in Far West NSW it requires major upgrades to accommodate additional aircraft movements and storage ensuring improved access for operators like the critical Royal Flying Doctor Service “Our regional airports provide a critical link to major cities which is not only important for tourism but for the health economic development and growth of our communities,” Mr Littleproud said “The Broken Hill Airport Upgrade project is vital to ensure the airport can efficiently and safely handle the projected growth and support the economic development of the beautiful Silver City.” said the Coalition will continue to stand up for the residents of regional and remote Australia and provide the services they depend on “An effective airport is crucial in regional communities for the delivery of healthcare services access to work and education opportunities and to keep residents connected,” Senator McKenzie said “This will make Broken Hill more attractive to investors allow specialised health providers to travel to the region more easily promote economic opportunities through tourism said the commitment enables Broken Hill to be one step closer to being able to host larger aircraft such as Boeing 737s and better options for people wishing to travel in and out of Broken Hill and the Far West region “The airport previously received funding and development thanks to the hard work of Mark Coulton MP and the actions of the former Coalition Government under Labor applications for assistance have been rejected,” Mr Chaffey said “This project is important for Broken Hill’s future; the Council believes in this project and The National Party believes in this project and we all want to see investment continue in Broken Hill This is our commitment to Broken Hill – we believe in regional communities and want to support projects that will make Broken Hill an even better place to live.” Broken Hill Mayor Tom Kennedy said council had been advocating for an upgrade of the airstrip for many years “It’s great to see The Nationals recognise what a crucial gateway to the Far West this facility is,” Cr Kennedy said “An upgraded runway will greatly boost local industry and tourism support vital Royal Flying Doctor Service operations and vastly improve disaster relief capabilities for the region.” Privacy Policy And what happens in Broken Hill, stays in Broken Hill. The mining city in the far west of NSW has the potential to be developed into Australia’s Las Vegas – and the concept is not as wild as it seems, property researcher Simon Pressley says. The buyers’ agent and managing director of Propertyology says Australia’s housing affordability issues can be partly addressed by boosting the profile and lifestyle in regional towns and cities, to attract new residents. Pressley says Broken Hill is the prime candidate for becoming Australia’s future tourist mecca and, by virtue of that, a more broadly appealing place to live. Right now, Broken Hill’s median house price is $195,000 – a sixth of the combined capital city median. Pressley’s idea for Broken Hill is a resort city with a casino, flash hotels, a world-class arts centre, a professional sports stadium and a major university. For this to work, not just in Broken Hill but any corner of Australia, it needs colossal vision from business magnates like Richard Branson, if not governments, Pressley says. Get the 'Great Australian Dream' 12 years faster with these bargain suburbs The price of property in Australia’s most isolated towns The 12 last suburbs where you can buy a house for less than $500,000 “Most people spend their entire life in the city they were born in. “Without exposure to diverse cities, big and small, you don’t know what you might be missing out on.” Broken Hill was once the ninth-largest city in Australia. It is the birthplace of the mining goliath BHP and has an airport, infrastructure, and industries. “You have to have a stable economy to create a stable community,” Pressley says. “If you add other economic bows to it, you build resilience. “There is no reason there could not be a mini version of Abu Dhabi or Vegas in Broken Hill. I am not saying build a casino city, but if you create something unique, people will go there and that energy spreads.” Broken Hill mayor Tom Kennedy is not unfamiliar with the idea of his town as the Aussie answer to Las Vegas and sees the merit. It was first raised with him by a group of town planners and surveyors last year. “This proposal had been put to me,” Kennedy says. “Our conversation was along the lines of the importance of decentralisation, not only to boost cities like Broken Hill, but to take some of that infrastructure dependency off Sydney and Melbourne, which are becoming bigger, sprawled out, and more unaffordable for the average person.” Kennedy says the council’s immediate priority is to boost Broken Hill’s population from 18,000 to 22,000, and secure federal and state government funding to upgrade the airport runway. He says the town is about 700 homes short of what it needs to meet demand from workers on upcoming mining projects and at a new compressed air storage facility. Broken Hill will also have a role to play in the AUKUS submarine contract, he says. “Because Broken Hill does have the railway and links up with capital cities, it is the ideal place,” Kennedy says. “For decentralisation to work, it would take a fair bit of capital expenditure from both the state and federal governments. “If they truly want decentralisation, they have to make sure airports, road networks and train facilities are of a good enough standard, and inject money into the same standards of hospital care and education. “The jobs will happen if you have that, and people will move if you have that.” Pressley’s Vegas pitch is in line with what the Regional Australia Institute broadly hopes to achieve. The independent think tank’s chief executive, Liz Ritchie, says she prefers the term “regionalisation” to decentralisation, and it is the focus of a 10-year framework of 20 goals. These include faster building approvals to keep up with population growth and increasing the vacancy rate to above 3 per cent, boosting workplace participation and improving access to doctors and childcare. Ritchie “loves” the concept of Broken Hill as a Las Vegas-style mecca. However, with a goal for 11 million Australians living in regional areas by 2032, her institute’s ambitions are much broader than any one town’s fortunes. “We know we are walking towards three mega cities, which is not a future that Australians want,” she says. “The agglomeration benefits have tapped out, and did so a number of years ago, because the congestion and pollution are so bad. “We would love to see our Prime Minister stand up and put forward a vision that has regional Australia at its core, rather than as a fringe component to mega-city planning and investment, which is essentially where we sit.” The information on this website is intended to be of a general nature only and doesn't consider your objectives, financial situation or needs. where we are privileged to live and operate For information directly relating to bushfires please call the Bush Fire Information Line on 1800 679 737 or visit the NSW Rural Fire Service Website here. [external link] We responded to over 150,000 incidents in 2023-24 The incidents displayed below are note-worthy incidents that have been published as media releases or tweets Details about incidents may change and should not be used as emergency information and/or advice North Parramatta | The fire at Dunlop Street, North Parramatta has been contained but is expected to smoulder through the morning. Because there may be smoke in the area, residents and businesses in the vicinity are advised to keep doors, windows, and vents closed. View on X [external link] Fire and Rescue NSW acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Custodians of the land and acknowledges and pays respect to their Elders Artists are drawn to this historic outback mining town where creative energy meets red dirt says the former director of the Broken Heel festival For dinner, I’d recommend the Old Saltbush Chef Lee Cecchin serves a great saltbush lamb as well as kangaroo and emu meat She makes excellent sauces using bush foods and it’s a cosy dining room arid scrub – mainly saltbush and mallee – but you can lose yourself in it especially in wildflower season (September and October) Trevor Ashley performs during the Broken Heel festival of drag outside the Palace hotel Photograph: Dallas Kilponen/Destination NSWIn a city strangers probably won’t talk to you on a night out Broken Hill is the opposite; it’s very friendly Locals often notice if there’s a new face and Plenty of times I’ve seen tourists make friends at the bar and get their next day planned Or a local will say “I’ll take you fishing” or offer to show them some secret spot Tydvil hotel has opened Broken Hill Distillery next door and its gin has won global awards You can try a selection in the hotel’s beautiful beer garden I’d recommend Spirit of the Outback infused with redgum honey and quandong The Palace books lots of touring musos who will stop en route to Adelaide or Mundi Mundi Bash. Sometimes we get impromptu performances, and then we’ve got our local artists and bands. We hold Australia’s only year-round game of two-up (coin flip game with 50/50 betting odds) every Friday night it’s quite the spectacle and a cacophony of voices We’re treated to a lot of contemporary art Broken Hill has a big mix (from video to sculpture sound and dance) of out-of-town artists on residencies or painting expeditions People come to immerse in the landscape or nature or isolation and get inspired by it I love it because new people are always keen for fun stuff like “let’s have a dinner party in a creek bed” or “let’s catch the flaming sunrise at a lookout” A new gallery called Slag Heap Projects on Oxide Street is presenting innovative work The scene is really accessible; at openings you get to chat to people involved in all sorts of creative practices Garage sales are great in Broken Hill and happen most weekends You don’t have to drive far to get to garages all over town some absolute gems are stuck in people’s sheds that never got shipped away Inside the Palace hotel which has rooms themed around characters from the film The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert.We’ve renovated several rooms at the Palace with wild wallpaper and themes based on the Priscilla movie We’ve redone the original Priscilla suite (from $265 a night) and added Bernadette’s boudoir (the character played by Terence Stamp; from $245 a night) Esther La Rovere is the manager and co-owner of the Palace hotel and the former director of the Broken Heel festival. Share via...Gift this articleSubscribe to gift this article Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe A long-running deal to consolidate ownership of all remaining silver lead and zinc deposits in NSW’s historic mining region of Broken Hill under one ASX-listed company has been recut after strong investor demand Mining in Broken Hill commenced in 1883 and BHP was formed two years later SaveLog in or Subscribe to save articleShareCopy link Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe. Follow the topics, people and companies that matter to you. From the giant mullock heap looming over its residents to the Khrushchev-era workers’ murals dotting the streetscape Broken Hill is a fascinating place. This tough union town once boasted over 70 pubs I wouldn’t have dreamt to walk into a pub and order a Campari and soda But the Hill has grown up and now has 20 art galleries One of those establishments is the Palace Hotel What strikes you most about the Palace are the bizarre kitsch frescos adorning its interior painted a copy of Botticelli’s ‘Birth of Venus’ on the ceiling and offered anyone £1000 to match his stellar brushwork Indigenous artist Gordon Waye won the challenge and went on to paint the remaining murals. The only mandate given to him was that each of the frescos had to contain a water scene to project the pub as an ‘oasis in the outback’ the pub’s iconic status grew when it was featured in the landmark Aussie movie we stay in the ‘Priscilla Suite’ the very room where the film’s characters stayed This cheesy setting is utterly hilarious and if it doesn’t bring a smile to your face I slip into one of the pink dressing gowns provided for guests and sip on a G&T as the strains of the pub’s drag show emanate from downstairs Over a delicious dinner, we chat with one of the pub’s owners, Esther La Rovere. She grew up in Broken Hill but left for the big smoke at 18 years old, before returning to partner in the business when it needed a lifeline. I ask her about the pub’s role in Broken Hill celebrating diversity. Esther, still sweeping up a rainbow of glitter from the recent Broken Heel Festival that attracted record crowds this year “We had people coming from all around Australia and the numbers are growing every year." The following morning, we enjoy a fabulous brekkie at The Caff with its funky bus seats and killer lattés before meeting Tri State Safaris’ Indigenous guide Mark stops the car to talk about a tree or lizard or to drag a dead roo the size of an NRL front-rower off the road who have poor uplift ability to avoid oncoming SUVs like ours That afternoon we arrive at Silverton, 30 minutes outside Broken Hill, to make a nitro-fuelled beeline for the Mad Max Museum which celebrates the area being the shooting location for much of the second film in the franchise The museum is a must-see for any fun-filled post-apocalyptic road trip who tells us in his heavy Yorkshire drawl: “As an eighteen-year-old living in Bradford I saw Mad Max and Mad Max 2 in a double feature I’d never seen anything like it in my life So my mates and I chased the film all over Yorkshire.” When Adrian moved halfway around the world to set up his museum he says she has since fallen in love with Silverton That evening we stay at the Silverton Hotel seven miners were said to have formed the Broken Hill Proprietary Company Limited (BHP) Perched at the bar, I look up to see politically incorrect signs on the ceiling – most are unprintable. Over a frothy schooner, I meet Adrian Marshal, who’s here for the Outback Challenge This gruelling 4WD event takes place over a week he shows me his bloated vehicle in which its previous 4.2-litre diesel engine has made way for a supercharged 355 Holden V8 We join Silver City’s tour of the town is a fount of knowledge about the town’s every aspect “In that pub you’d a get a fight quicker than a drink.” The passengers chuckle It’s almost a religious experience when we alight atop the mullock heap overlooking the town Eric gestures an arthritic finger to the rusting cage where he descended into the bowels of Broken Hill for 22 years. He walks us over to a memorial for dead miners and it suddenly puts the town’s giant workers murals in perspective and highlights the valuable role unions have played in our mines Our final night is spent at ibis Styles Broken Hill It’s aptly named as it’s more upmarket than other ibis hotels we’ve nested in previously we pass an endless monochrome of grey saltbush and can’t help wondering what other changes will occur in Broken Hill over the next 25 years Hitting remote outback roads in central NSW and beyond can be an exciting prospect for motorists but there are some extra factors to consider fuel up where you can and pack emergency and first aid kits Be aware of wildlife hazards that may increase at dusk or night This story first appeared in the NRMA's Open Road Magazine - November/December 2017 Issue. AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced Commonwealth Bank is providing Emergency Assistance to areas across Broken Hill affected by power outages Commonwealth Bank is providing its Emergency Assistance to customers and businesses in power outage affected areas in Broken Hill said: “We are committed to supporting our customers impacted by the power outages in Broken Hill We offer a variety of tailored support options and our website provides the latest information on branch and service availability CBA understands each customer will have different needs and encourages those affected to discuss their individual circumstances by either contacting the bank in the CommBank app phoning 1800 314 695 or visiting a Commonwealth Bank branch Business customers can also call 1800 314 695 or speak with their dedicated CommBank relationship manager Special arrangements are in place to provide support to Commonwealth Bank customers should they need it and the CBA team is ready to assist them with any financial concerns or enquiries "Our teams have already started to proactively check in with customers in the area and work with them to provide the individual support they need,” Mr Sullivan said For more information on the support we're providing to impacted communities, visit: commbank.com.au/emergencyassistance CBA Emergency Assistance includes a range of options To access this support please either contact us via the CommBank app, on 1800 314 695 or visit us in branch, if it is safe to do so. Further information about our Emergency Assistance is available online at: commbank.com.au/emergencyassistance For emergency help call the State Emergency Service on 132 500. Alternatively, visit: ses.nsw.gov.au In a life-threatening emergency call 000 (triple zero) Go to CBA Newsroom for the latest news and announcements from Commonwealth Bank Loan applications are subject to credit approval Interest rates are correct at the time they are published and are subject to change Hollard Insurance Partners Limited (Hollard) ABN 96 067 524 216 AFSL 235030 is the insurer for Home Insurance distributed by Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) ABN 48 123 123 124 AFSL and Australian credit licence 234945 CBA does not guarantee Hollard's insurance products CommBank acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands across Australia as the continuing custodians of Country and Culture. We pay our respect to First Nations peoples and their Elders, past and present. ©2025 Commonwealth Bank of Australia ABN 48 123 123 124 AFSL and Australian credit licence 234945 The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) has commenced an investigation into transmission network operator Transgrid’s compliance with regulatory obligations after a storm destroyed transmission towers and left the city of Broken Hill without power with the region’s only backup emergency generator failing A severe storm destroyed seven Transgrid transmission towers on Thursday 17 October causing significant disruption to the supply of electricity to Broken Hill White Cliffs and several other surrounding communities The region is primarily relying on Transgrid’s large-scale back-up generator while the company constructs temporary towers which are expected to be in place by 6 November 2024 Related article: Transgrid gets $45m funding for Broken Hill mini-grid Transgrid’s large-scale back-up generator tripped on Monday and has since been restored This means the region has electricity supply however it is possible power could be reduced in selected areas for short periods of time to protect the network from wider outages (known as load shedding) The NSW Government has declared an Electricity Supply Emergency for the Far West region of NSW under the Electricity Supply Act (1995) This is the latest step in the whole-of-government response to this natural disaster and is effective until 10 November This declaration will allow the Minister for Energy to give directions that are considered to be necessary to respond to the electricity supply emergency directions could be made to facilitate the delivery of equipment and fuel to the area The NSW Government is making the declaration in case additional measures are required if the back-up supply of electricity to the region is further interrupted “I want the community in the Far West region to know the NSW Government is working around the clock with the local member to fix this problem and ensure this doesn’t happen again Related article: Transgrid taps Hydrostor for backup power in Broken Hill “Our number one priority is to get electricity back and to get the community back on its feet obligations were placed on it to ensure reliability standards are met in the case of a natural disaster “An investigation has commenced to understand what has happened and what further actions can be taken to ensure this doesn’t happen again.” Sign up to receive the latest Energy News emailed directly to your Inbox Click Here to Subscribe alternative artists and drag queen divas come together to create one of Australia’s quirkiest towns.The Living Desert sculptures 2024Written by  Open RoadBroken Hill is in the far-western region of New South Wales sitting on the edge of Australia's famously arid and expansive Outback Broken Hill is situated in an area abundant with mineral resources The city's unique charm lies in its distinct blend of mining heritage striking natural beauty and vibrant artistic eccentricities an exquisitely restored 1950s diner that has been a local favourite for generations Its milkshakes and spiders are legendary; the 50 flavoured syrups are still made on-site according to original owner Les Bell’s secret recipes You can even flip through a magazine from 1956 while you wait or put some classic ‘50s tunes on the jukebox Answer the call of Bells and grab yourself a secret-recipe milkshake in a 1950's style milk bar When it’s time for something stronger, head for the Broken Hill Distillery It opened in early 2021 and just a year later its Gunpowder Gin won two medals at the prestigious World Gin Awards in London The distillery is open from Wednesday to Sunday for tours then pick up a bottle to take home with you In its heyday, there were more than 70 pubs in Broken Hill. While only around 20 are still operating, you’re sure to find somewhere to wet your whistle. The most famous is undoubtedly The Palace which starred in the 1994 movie The Adventures of Priscilla the interiors are decorated with intricate painted murals and a grand verandah overlooks the main street Other popular watering holes include The Broken Hill Pub, Junction Hotel and Tydvil Hotel. There’s long been a thriving arts community in Broken Hill. In fact, the Broken Hill City Art Gallery is the oldest regional gallery in NSW and there are around 20 smaller galleries in town The contemporary art scene owes much to the Brushmen of the Bush a group of five artists who collaborated in Broken Hill in the 1970s they changed the way the world viewed the outback Many of their works are still on display in local galleries and their legacy has drawn many budding artists to the area For art on a vast scale, visit the Living Desert & Sculptures 12 sandstone works dotted around the desert 15 minutes north of town Mining began in Broken Hill in the 1880s with the discovery of silver one of the world’s largest mining companies was founded here in 1885 – the letters stand for the Broken Hill Proprietary Company Broken Hill’s mines have produced more than $100 billion worth of ore and are still operating today There are many interesting places where you can learn more about the industry that built Broken Hill You'd be MAD not to go to Broken Hill and not visit the shrine to post-apocalyptic action film that is the Mad Max 2 museum in Silverton a three-day extravaganza celebrating all things drag If you have time for a road trip (and are driving a 4WD), head to Menindee Lakes around 90 minutes from Broken Hill which has attracted tens of thousands of migratory birds there’s nowhere in the world quite like Broken Hill A true frontier town built on sweat and silver it also attracts artists drawn to the captivating red desert plains and drag queens making a legendary pilgrimage Broken Hill has been made famous in myth and in movies and today it’s home to a remarkable cast of characters that will make for an unforgettable holiday Read More: Sydney to Dubbo Built around the 130-year-old Mt Gipps Hotel 14 kilometres outside of Broken Hill, the Broken Hill Outback Resort offers stylish self-contained cabins with kitchens and private decks overlooking the Barrier Ranges There’s also an area for caravans and camping with a camp kitchen and new amenities blocks The Palace Hotel is a well-heeled cultural icon and a super spot to rest your head and collect a road trip story ranging from basic pub-style with shared bathrooms to the grand Priscilla Suite you can re-enact your favourite scenes all night long The Imperial Hotel, which dates back to 1885 has been converted into 4.5-star boutique accommodation with six ensuite rooms and a 14m heated pool in the internal courtyard Transgrid says permanent reconstruction works on the transmission line supplying communities in Far West NSW are moving into overdrive south of Broken Hill with specialist crews completing civil foundation works and delivery of steel pole structures to site Eight permanent steel structures will be installed on the 3.5km section of the 220kV transmission line damaged by the extreme weather event in October 2024 Related article: Hydrostor’s Broken Hill mini-grid ticks state planning approval Up to 30 personnel are on site and have completed the earthworks to create construction pads ready for the installation of eight steel structures Transgrid delivery partner Civil Group Australia has also completed drilling and concrete pouring to create 18 foundations for the new permanent pole structures Six 40m-tall H-frame transmission structures and two three-pole tension structures have been delivered to site The components will be moved to their individual locations shortly in preparation for erection works in April Stringing of high-voltage conductor is expected to be undertaken in May The switchover to the new permanent section of the transmission line has been planned to avoid wherever possible any interruption to the communities of Far West NSW Head of Transgrid’s far west operations response Sam Pickering said the $9 million project is on schedule to be completed mid-year crews have worked hard to complete civil works to create the construction pads and foundations for the permanent steel structures which will replace the emergency towers installed last year following the severe weather event,” he said will continue to be a hive of activity as we carry out the next stage of erecting the eight steel structures before conductor stringing is undertaken Related article: Investigation underway following Broken Hill blackout “As part of our comprehensive maintenance program Transgrid carries out regular inspections of the 260km transmission line from Buronga to Broken Hill to ensure its ongoing safety and reliability “We are continuing to work with local communities and other key stakeholders to develop longer-term solutions to ensure the provision of safe reliable and affordable energy to Broken Hill and surrounding towns.” Australia's most populous state is home to its largest city: glitzy, vibrant, intoxicating Sydney, an unforgettable metropolis in a privileged natural setting. Bondi Beach and the harbour are justly famous, but in reality the whole NSW coast is simply magnificent: a mesmerising sequence of beach after quality beach backed by a series of excellent national parks and interesting coastal towns. New South Wales Back to topAttractionsMust-see attractionsKu-ring-gai Chase National Park Australian bushland and tranquil water vistas this 14,928-hectare park forms Sydney’s northern boundary Bondi Beach It’s the closest ocean beach to the city centre (8km away) Watsons Bay east of the city centre and north of Bondi as evidenced by the heritage cottages that pepper the… Taronga Zoo Sydney this forested harbour hillside is full of kangaroos Jenolan Caves the limestone Jenolan Caves is one of the most extensive accessible and complex systems in the world – a vast… West Head This central section of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is a spectacular wilderness with awe-inspiring vistas over Pittwater and Broken Bay Cockatoo Island convict architecture and art installations fascinating Cockatoo Island (Wareamah) opened to the public in 2007… Centennial Park Scratched out of the sand in 1888 in grand Victorian style Sydney’s biggest park is a rambling 189-hectare expanse full of horse riders View more attractionsArticlesLatest stories from New South WalesRead more articlesFilter by interest: Coasts & IslandsFood & Drink All Interests Adventure Travel Art & Culture Beaches Coasts & Islands Food & DrinkWildlife & Nature drought and the ongoing destruction of their habitat pose huge threats to the koala population Sustainable TravelExplore the sustainable paradise of Lord Howe IslandAug 16 Read more articlesBuild a memorable collectionGet to the heart of New South Wales with one of our in-depth Visit in ShopAustralia $29.99 Visit in ShopEast Coast Australia $25.99 Beyond New South WalesFor Explorers Everywhere No part of this site may be reproduced without our written permission This acquisition involves a deal with NFM subsidiary BHA No Impact Minerals has announced the acquisition of a significant 675km² landholding adjacent to its existing position near the Broken Hill silver-lead-zinc deposit in New South Wales This acquisition involves a deal with New Frontier Metals (NFM) to acquire its subsidiary BHA No NFM will receive A$275,000 ($173,370) worth of Impact shares based on a 14-day volume-weighted average price as of 7 March 2025 and will be subject to a six-month voluntary escrow The completion of this transaction is expected to occur this week This acquisition builds on Impact’s previous research under the BHP Xplor programme solidifying its position as a major ground-holder south of Broken Hill Research funded by the Xplor programme included mapping and sampling 655 rock chip samples across 99 mafic sills at Broken Hill Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis detailed magnetic interpretation of the south Broken Hill area and geophysical case studies over the Dora East discovery were conducted With 100% ownership of tenements now covering 1,770km² and more than 100km of strike Impact is well-positioned for future exploration The company is currently focused on completing the pre-feasibility study for the Lake Hope High Purity Alumina project in Western Australia a portion of the funds from the current rights issue announced last month will be directed towards developing key copper targets for drilling which includes conducting ground geophysics over a newly identified sub-basin The Broken Hill region is witnessing renewed exploration interest Recent activity includes Broken Hill Mines’ purchase of the Rasp Mine and Pinnacles deposit and South32’s joint venture north of the Broken Hill mine This interest is driven by rising silver prices and long-term demand for zinc and lead In May 2024, German investor Susanne Bunnenberg increased her stake in Impact Minerals by acquiring an additional 450.2 million shares raising her interest from 15.83% to 16.85% Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network. Broken Hill is one of Australia’s premiere mining hotspots and the birthplace of BHP Your standout small cap resources stocks for Friday It is incredible to think that more than 140 years since the first discovery at Broken Hill valuable metals are still being extracted and mining continues to be a mainstay of the far west New South Wales town 1.6km-deep Line of Lode still supports mining and was the birthplace of none other than Broken Hill Proprietary Company Limited The Line of Lode mines have supported a population that peaked at 35,000 and still stands at about 18,000 today there have been the ebbs and flows common in the industry but mining of silver lead and zinc has always been carried out and with exploration ongoing in the region the industry is set to continue for many more years And just across the border in South Australia are mining and exploration plays in uranium Coolabah Metals is set to become the latest chapter in a book getting increasingly larger as it consolidates the Rasp mine in the town itself with the shuttered Pinnacles mine 15km to the southwest Appropriately this will see the company change name to Broken Hill Mines as part of a reverse takeover where it has taken a 70% interest in a joint venture that could see high-grade silver-lead-zinc ore from the mine fed into the operating but under-utilised Rasp processing infrastructure This interest was secured after paying a second option fee of $600,000 making it the exclusive operator of Pinnacles at which operations were suspended in 2020 Profits will be shared 70:30 with the Pinnacles vendors via an agreed net smelter return calculation with appropriate deductions Pinnacles remains relatively undeveloped but is considered one of the region’s highest-grade and shallowest deposits It has a resource of 6Mt grading 10.9% zinc equivalent with an exploration target range of between six million and 15Mt offering potential for further growth a key feature for the JV with the previous metal trading at or near record levels Operations are expected to resume from the main Edwards pit The deal is significant for CBH and for the mining town as it consolidates two of the three companies with operating mines at Broken Hill and is expected to bring a wealth of development opportunities Tightening copper supply in China and potential tariffs on the red metal from Donald Trump’s US government have intensified concerns about a supply squeeze and lifted prices Since the beginning of 2025 the copper price has climbed ~28% from just above US$4 a pound to around $5.10 In the past week the copper price rally has accelerated to levels that should see miners radically uplift their cash flows Many analysts believe the market will see much higher copper prices by the end of this decade as supply deficits emerge and subsequently intensify leading to remarkable returns for investors in well-managed copper companies There are relatively few new copper projects coming on line but one that is shaping up well in the South American coastal copper hotspot is Hot Chili’s Costa Fuego from which a robust PFS was delivered on Thursday. So encouraging was the PFS that it places the copper-gold project within an elite group of copper developments globally. The study shows post-tax NPV of US$1.2bn, post-tax IRR of 19.5% and all-in-sustaining costs of US$1.85/lb from production of 1.5Mt of copper and 780,000 ounces of gold over a 20-year mine life.  These economics are highly leveraged to the copper price. At Thursday’s spot price of US$5.35/lb, the NPV increases to US$2.5bn and the IRR to 30%.  Over the mine life, the PFS estimates total revenue of around US$17.3bn and total free cash flow of around US$8.6bn. Hot Chili also announced probable ore reserves of 502Mt at 0.37% copper, 0.1g/t gold, 0.49g/t silver and 97ppm molybdenum. “With both copper and gold prices at record highs, our PFS has demonstrated two of the most critical factors in assessing the likelihood of meaningful, near-term copper supply – top quartile production capacity and lowest quartile capital intensity,” managing director Christian Easterday said. And there’s room to grow with the La Verde copper-gold porphyry discovery 30km south of the planned Costa Fuego central processing hub providing a platform for front-end open pit mine life growth. Drilling is ongoing at La Verde and Easterday said exploration success here represented a highly prospective further growth opportunity.  Graphite is another of the critical minerals in the spotlight due to its important use in new-age batteries. Warming up in the spotlight is Renascor Resources with its vertically integrated battery anode material project in South Australia. The project involves several components – the Siviour deposit, the world’s largest proven graphite reserve outside of Africa, a graphite mine and processing operation as well as a battery anode material production facility.  With this strategy it plans to break China’s iron grip on supply of the battery metal by going one step further, producing upgraded material for EV batteries on our shores. The battery anode material project is projected to have a 40-year life with a globally competitive operating cost of US$1782/t over its first decade. An initial upstream investment for the Siviour mine and concentrator has been forecast to cost $214.5m.  Renascor has now received early contractor involvement submissions from leading EPC firms GR Engineering Services and Primero Group, who are vying to be the preferred contractor for the landmark project.  Their work has already paid dividends, delivering design improvements which will improve the engineering of the mineral processing plant, reduce operating costs, improve the targeted graphite grade and recovery.  The production of graphite larger than 150 microns will lift from 17% to 27% of total production. Larger flake sizes are known to draw premiums from customers. “The competitiveness of Renascor’s BAM project is based in large part on the quality of the Siviour Graphite Deposit and its potential to offer amongst the lowest operating cost and most capital efficiency of any ex-China graphite project,”  Renascor MD David Christensen said. RNU shares have been as much as 6.7% higher in ASX trading to 4.8c. With gold holding above USA$3000/oz a number of ASX gold players have been benefitting, including New Murchison Gold which has risen from 0.9c early this month to 1.7c and attracting strong volume with the trading of almost 55m shares on Friday being an example. The company holds a substantial package of tenements in the prolific Murchison goldfield near Meekatharra, Western Australia. Primary focus is on the Garden Gully Gold Project which comprises a 677km2 tenure package covering the Abbotts Greenstone Belt and other key regional structures.  The project has multiple gold deposits along the belt with the most advanced being the Crown Prince deposit, which is delivering solid exploration results. Last week the company received firm commitments from existing and new strategic, institutional and sophisticated investors for a placement of $16.5m at 1.3c per share. The placement was strongly supported by major shareholder Westgold Resources with a subscription of $2.8 million, resulting in a shareholding of 16.22% post-placement.  Another to benefit from precious metals strength, in this case silver, is Argent Minerals which has the Kempfield project in the central part of the prolific Lachlan Fold Belt in NSW. Kempfield hosts a JORC resource of 63.7Mt at 69.75g/t silver equivalent for 142.8m silver equivalent ounces, including 65.8Moz silver, 125,192oz gold, 207,402t lead and 420,373t zinc. Recent drilling intersected shallow, broad zones of silver-gold-copper-lead-zinc mineralisation with up to 110m thick VMS-style mineralisation. The results have potential to increase the company’s resource in a zone that remains open along strike and at depth. Since mid-January ARG securities have risen from 1.8c to 3c on Friday with more than 35 million shares changing hands. This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent financial advice before making any financial decisions. While Coolabah Metals, Hot Chili, Renascor Resources and Argent Minerals are Stockhead advertisers, they did not sponsor this article. Investor Guide: Critical Minerals 2025 featuring Barry FitzGerald Get the latest breaking news and stocks straight to your inbox. Markets coverage, company profiles and industry insights from Australia’s best business journalists – all collated and delivered straight to your inbox every day. The truck involved in the crash is taken away from the scene. (Supplied) The Barrier Highway has reopened following a two-vehicle crash on Sunday.  A 41-year-old man died and a female driver and truck driver were taken to hospital.  Motorists are advised to check livetraffic.com for updates. Link copiedShareShare articleThe national highway that connects far west New South Wales to the east coast has reopened nearly 24 hours after a fatal crash yesterday afternoon. A 41-year-old man died following the two-vehicle crash between Broken Hill and Wilcannia on the Barrier Highway. The highway is a major route for freight, commuters and tourists between Sydney, Adelaide and far west New South Wales. The head-on collision occurred around 4pm about 60 kilometres from Broken Hill, near Little Topar. Emergency services were called to the scene following reports of a crash involving a car and truck. The male passenger of the car was treated by NSW Ambulance but died at the scene. The 40-year-old South Australian driver was taken to Broken Hill Base Hospital in a serious but stable condition. She was arrested on Monday evening, taken to Broken Hill police station and charged with dangerous driving occasioning death and negligent driving occasioning death. The highway was closed for about 24 hours after the crash. (Supplied) She faced Broken Hill Local Court and was granted conditional bail. She will next appear in the same court on May 13, although the woman will be excused if legally represented. Broken Hill Police Detective Inspector Matt Sippel said the 55-year-old truck driver had been released from hospital. "The truck driver was taken to Broken Hill Hospital under observation, but he seems to since to have been released and is assisting police," he said. Why Trump wants to reopen an infamous US prison — and whether it's possibleTopic:Explainer Play Duration: 54 minutes 5 seconds54m Brought to you by can be found in all kinds of unexpected places — like Broken Hill Sufi music has a special place in the history of Central Australia attracting attention and acclaim from Sufis throughout the world Nadia Rahim is scholar and spokesperson for the Sufi Oz ensemble Nadia has a Master's Degree in Muslim Societies and Civilisations from University College London The Outback Sufi conference will be run from May 9-11 in Broken Hill. from Narnia to Harry Potter Published: ThuThu 1 May 2025 at 5:00am Published: 24 Apr 2025Thu 24 Apr 2025 at 5:00am Published: 17 Apr 2025Thu 17 Apr 2025 at 5:00am Published: 3 Apr 2025Thu 3 Apr 2025 at 4:00am Download the ABC listen app to hear more of your favourite podcasts Origin and EnergyAustralia agree to defer bills after brownouts cripple region for better part of a week Customers who have suffered through Broken Hill’s mass outages are set for a temporary reprieve on their bills as locals continue to be hit with night-time power cuts in sweltering conditions Two power companies – Origin and EnergyAustralia – have agreed to defer bills to those who have been affected by the outages that crippled the region for the better part of a week but won’t be hit with a bill for a minimum of 30 days and the companies will not chase outstanding debts The government had already announced a support package entitling residential electricity account holders to $200 payments while small and medium businesses can get $400 Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email The energy minister, Penny Sharpe, called on smaller providers to also look after customers. “There’s questions about whether you’ll be charged for your solar and for all of those fixed costs … we’re working through those issues,” she said. “But I have asked all of the retailers to make sure that people aren’t charged for electricity that they weren’t able to use.” Broken Hill went a fifth straight night without an outage on Tuesday, but about 1,800 customers in surrounding towns lost power for 90 minutes. The outages have followed severe thunderstorms on 17 October that damaged power lines, with dodgy backup generators leaving 20,000 locals with on-and-off power. Repeated brownouts, particularly throughout the evening peak, occurred when electricity supplied by multiple generators was unable to meet demand. Free newsletterGet the most important news as it breaks Read moreBut officials confirmed swift progress on reconnecting the region to the national grid meant it was likely to be online by Saturday rather than next Wednesday Workers have been scrambling to fix a 3.5km section of transmission line damaged in the storm “We are now working through the process of tensioning securing and testing the lines that supply mains power to far west NSW,” the Transgrid representative Sam Pickering said Sharpe would not be drawn on the Broken Hill mayor Tom Kennedy’s suggestion that Transgrid should be fined millions of dollars if an investigation found its backup generators were faulty “I know the mayor is very interested in all of this … we’ll continue to work through that but that’s going to take a little while,” she said Head south from the frontier mining town of Broken Hill to Victoria’s picturesque river city of Mildura and then on eastward to iconic Gundagai via NSW’s Riverina towns of Hay and Narrandera before heading onto the stunning harbour city of Sydney We began the first leg of this trip at the NRMA charging station in the heart of Broken Hill on Bromide Street near the base of the Miner’s Memorial With a 300km trip ahead of us, A Better Route Planner told us the trip could use up 80 per cent of our battery charge so we opted to charge up to 96 per cent mindful to move on from the charger should another EV driver require a top up With the battery recharged, we took the 5 minute trip to the Albert Kersten Mining and Minerals Museum which boasts a huge 42kg silver nugget alongside numerous other geological delights The outback centre is known to many as “The Silver City” due to its rich seams of silver A final stop at the Thankakali Aboriginal Corporation art gallery before we left town reminded us how this rugged ancient landscape has been cared for by the Wilyakali people for over 40,000 years To get to Mildura we went south along the long straight road that is the Silver City Highway We passed cattle stations and were surprised to see vast bodies of water along the road in the form of the Popiltah and Nialia Lakes We drove alongside the winding Murray River before crossing over it into Mildura There we stopped to recharge at one of the two NRMA chargers in the Orange Avenue carpark We needed a good 1 hour and 15 minute top up before heading on to Hay, so we checked into Plugshare and went for a wander to grab a bite at one of the many dining options on Langtree Avenue a few blocks over After charging up we checked out the Mildura Station Homestead the recreation of a classic 1850s settler timber home that sits by the side of the mighty Murray From Mildura we set out along the majestic Hay Plains The drive along the Sturt Highway took us up to the meandering Murrumbidgee River with this seemingly never-ending landscape providing plenty of opportunity for Caraoke the skies had put on a stunning sunset show behind us Before charging up at Moppett Street NRMA charger (which by the way is perfectly located next to a shaded picnic table), we made sure to catch the Hay Water Tower on the edge of town before the brilliant sunset colours faded Part of the Silo Art Trail the Hay Water Tower commemorates World War I and II servicemen and women of Australia and was created by Melbourne artist Matt Adnate A handy thing about driving a Tesla is that when you enter your final destination it calculates how long you need to charge to reach your next charging station we followed the car’s advice and stopped at Narrandera at 8.30am for the first charge of the day With a forecast half an hour needed to top up we had enough time for breakfast under the jacaranda tree at Café Shazaray Narrandera is known as the ‘place of many lizards’ by the Narrungdera clan that called the area home for many thousands of years before being wiped out in a single massacre by settlers in 1841 Before heading eastward, we visited the Wiradjuri Honour Wall located in Marie Bashir Park that was built from rammed earth to remember the people of the Narrungdera Clan as well as the Wiradjuri people of Narrandera Shire Famously known as the site of the Dog on the Tuckerbox we followed the Tesla’s directions to Gundagai site of the first Tesla Supercharger we used on this road trip The quick ten-minute charge afforded a toilet and coffee break before we nabbed a photo in front of the iconic canine statue Though the Hume Highway artfully dodges the actual town of Gundagai, those wanting a longer pitstop could do worse than nipping into town for a coffee or a picnic stop at Anzac Park on the banks of the Murrumbidgee The well-travelled highway between Gundagai and Goulburn provides an easy 110km/hr drive to the next potential charge stop On reaching Goulburn, we couldn’t pass up the chance to stop at that fifty-foot family favourite, the Big Merino an imposing celebration of the region’s wool industry The Tesla Superchargers at the Visitor Information Centre are a popular stop for Tesla drivers and we took advantage with a quick top up We could also have used the Goulburn Gateway or the Mittagong NRMA charger With Belmore Park just across the road we stopped for lunch This lovely green space also offers clean public toilets and the 20-minute charge is just the right amount of time to rest before the home stretch Goulburn to Sydney is perhaps one of the most travelled routes in Australia and perhaps not the most exciting road trip we decided to take the detour through the lush Southern Highlands - a perfect contrast to the dusty distances we’ve traversed since leaving Broken Hill yesterday morning We took the Highland Way just after Marulan (which also has a charger if you’re in a shorter range EV and want a quick top up) and headed through to Bundanoon (place of deep gullies) on Gandangarra and Dharawal Country Historic Bundanoon is a pretty highland town surrounded by wineries and vineyards, as well as the stunning Morton National Park. From Bundanoon we drove through the equally pretty towns of Exeter and Sutton Forest before heading back onto the highway for the final glide into Sydney to return our EV to the welcoming team at SiXT. ShareBroken Hill Picture: Destination NSWBy Mark DapinUpdated April 11 2024I've got to be careful what I write about Broken Hill I implied that the townspeople ate too much junk food and never walked anywhere it's extraordinarily remote - 1143 kilometres west of Sydney and working on South Australian time zinc and lead mining town that hit hard times and had to transform itself into something else it slapped on a bit of lippy and slipped into a frock to become the drag capital of the desert All articles from our website & appThe digital version of Today's PaperBreaking news alerts direct to your inboxInteractive Crosswords Sudoku and TriviaAll articles from the other regional websites in your areaContinueThe city's landmark Palace Hotel was a setting for the cult road movie/musical in which two drag queens and a transgender woman cross the outback in a cabaret tour bus decorated with a surreal gallery of eclectic murals and now attracts a fantastically diverse clientele of bushmen and men wearing Akubras who could be any or all of the above "We're kind of like Vegas," says Palace regular and local lawyer Steve Wright "in the desert; two-up's legal all year round .. But he can't quite make the comparison work The Palace is not so much a gay pub as a Priscilla pub Visitors can sleep in bedrooms above the bars including two Priscilla Original Suites where the drag queens stayed in the movie The hotel's reception doubles as a drag-queen gift shop Film-makers have always been drawn to Broken Hill by the light Other movies made in the area include Wake in Fright Razorback and a bafflingly large number of sequels such as Mission: Impossible II Picture: Destination NSWBroken Hill is the only place outside of the UK that has a memorial to the bandsmen who drowned on the RMS Titanic in 1912 whose heroism in continuing to play while the ship sank struck a chord with the colliery bandsmen of the city The musicians are remembered with a broken column erected in 1913 in Sturt Park Reserve Notable local buildings include the ornate people's palace of the Trades Hall and the Synagogue of the Outback Museum which was once the most remote synagogue on Earth The museum also has a shed dedicated to the Titanic The St Pats Day Races in March draw huge crowds which is unusual for a city with only about half a dozen racehorses The Perfect Light Film Festival follows a week or so later During the Mundi Mundi Bash music festival in August The Broken Heel Festival ("3+ days of drag and divas in the desert") in September celebrates all that glitters but isn't mined Picture: Destination NSWThe town has developed a reputation as an arts hub as many younger artists have moved to the area for the light and the space and the unbelievably cheap property (the average price for a three-bedroom house is $201,000) The spirit of the 1970s circle of primitive painters The Pro Hart Gallery showcases the variable work of the local man who pioneered "cannon painting" and "balloon painting" enjoys a better reputation among art critics and is well represented in the Broken Hill City Art Gallery The restaurant at the Palace serves superior pub food but the Old Salt Bush is the town's fine-dining destination: try Salt Bush's entree share plate the Old Salt Bush is housed in a building signposted as the Silver City Chinese Restaurant But if you're looking for the Silver City Chinese Restaurant you'll find it in a former pub signposted as the Old Willyama Hotel (this is the kind of problem that arises when signage is heritage-listed) the Sufi Bakery does a nice line in sourdough breads the Sufi Bakery does a nice line in sourdough breads and pastries And the homemade "very hot chilli pie" from Mac's Oven Foods lives up to its enticing name There has not been a new pub opened in Broken Hill since the 19th century but the BHP (Broken Hill Pub) is a much-admired renovation with a popular restaurant at the back and a front bar that opens out to the street Most visitors will take a side trip to the ghost town of Silverton On the wall of the pub is an honour board remembering 10 lost hotels and a brewery the town has also been home to the Mad Max 2 Museum which must surely be the only museum to a movie sequel anywhere in the world Service is unhurried and quickly becomes familiar: the bloke drinking next to you in the bar in the evening is the barista serving you coffee in the morning Most people are happy to interrupt whatever they are doing to stop for a chat And you'll generally have the pavement to yourself because Getting there: You can fly direct from Sydney to Broken Hill with either Qantas or Rex Rex also flies direct from Adelaide and Dubbo The NSW TrainLink Outback Xplorer leaves Central Station in Sydney at 6.18am once a week The train heads back from Broken Hill to Sydney on Tuesday at 7.15am The journey takes about 13.5 hours and costs the unusual sum of $143.88 return in economy class Staying there: Excellent studio apartments at the Red Earth Motel start at $175 per night The Red Earth is one of the best motels I have stayed at in Australia Single rooms with shared bathroom at the Palace Hotel start at $65 per night ShareTravel's Top PicksHungry TravellerThe West Hollywood power move isn't booze - it's a healthy breakfast by the poolCelebrities are flocking to it in big numbers. ReviewTucked away in Byron Bay, this stylish stay offers more than just good looksYou'll experience a sense of calm from the moment you arrive. Ditch airport dramas in the UK by travelling by train - here's a guideTurn up the bliss factor by swapping flights with rail journeys. A new cruise ship has scored pole position at the famous Monaco Grand PrixThe glamorous vessel will be used as a floating hotel. In southern Spain time slows down - and the tapas keeps comingSlow travel is on the rise; here's where to experience it Impact Minerals Limited (ASX:IPT) is pleased to announce the acquisition of a large 675 sq km landholding adjacent to its current land position surrounding one of the world’s greatest mines containing over 350 million tonnes of massive sulphide mineralisation the Broken Hill silver-lead-zinc deposit in New South Wales The acquisition builds on exploration and research completed as part of the BHP Xplor program, in which Impact participated in its inaugural year, and positions the company as one of the largest ground holders in the region, particularly to the south of Broken Hill. Impact now has 100% ownership of tenements covering 1,770 sq km and over 100 kilometres of strike (Figures 1 and 2; ASX Releases January 17 The Broken Hill region is currently experiencing a resurgence of interest in exploration. Broken Hill Mines (ASX: BHM, formerly Coolabah Metals Limited) recently purchased the privately owned Rasp Mine in Broken Hill and the nearby Pinnacles deposit. In addition, South32 Limited has entered a joint venture with a private company that owns a significant ground holding north of the Broken Hill mine This interest is partly driven by a recent increase in silver prices and long-term demand trends for zinc and lead Since the discovery of the giant Broken Hill deposit in 1883 most previous exploration has focused on silver-lead-zinc mineralisation various styles of copper mineralisation are also known to occur throughout the region and have been the focus of some exploration and shallow drilling though with limited success (Figures 1 and 2) Since copper mineralisation is commonly associated with “Where is the large copper deposit at Broken Hill?” Image of regional total magnetic intensity showing the Broken Hill orebody (Line of Lode) Impact’s granted licences and licence applications and the new tenements acquired Note the Thackeringa Fault and Farmcote shear zone both interpreted as deep-seated long-lived crustal lineaments and the interpreted sub-basin in the new tenements Widespread copper occurrences attest to the prospectivity of the region for copper Impact’s rock chip locations are also shown Image of the first vertical derivative of regional magnetic data as in Figure 1 A detailed interpretation of this data has resulted in the identification of numerous target areas for large copper deposits Impact became interested in the region's copper potential during exploration for silver-lead- zinc at the Dora East prospect located about 30 km south of Broken Hill (Figures 1 and 2) Impact discovered moderate widths of high-grade silver-lead-zinc mineralisation and narrow zones of high-grade copper-silver mineralisation (Figure 3 and ASX Releases December 8 Click here for the full ASX Release This article includes content from Impact Minerals, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here Download the PDF here. Download the PDF here. Download the PDF here. Download the PDF here. Download the PDF here. The securities of White Cliff Minerals Limited (‘WCN’) will be placed in trading halt at the request of WCN, pending it releasing an announcement. Unless ASX decides otherwise the securities will remain in trading halt until the earlier of the commencement of normal trading on Wednesday 7 May 2025 or when the announcement is released to the market Click here for the full ASX Release This article includes content from White Cliff Minerals Limited, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here a wholly owned subsidiary of Freeport-McMoRan Inc (NYSE:FCX) relating to its PIL property (" PIL Property ") The PIL Property consists of 50 mineral claims in the Toodoggone District of northern British Columbia The Company also entered into an earn-in agreement (the " ATTY Earn-In Agreement ") with Freeport relating to its ATTY property (the " ATTY Property " The ATTY Earn-In Agreement is not subject to Exchange approval as it qualifies as an "Exempt Transaction" under Exchange Policy 5.3 Acquisitions and Dispositions of Non-Cash Assets The PIL and ATTY earn-in agreements are arm's length transactions and no finder's fees are payable in connection with either earn-in agreement Freeport may acquire an 80% interest in the PIL Property by making aggregate cash payments of CAD $3,000,000 to Finlay and completing an aggregate of $25,000,000 of exploration expenditures on the PIL Property over a 6-year period Freeport may acquire an 80% interest in the ATTY Property by making aggregate cash payments of CAD $1,100,000 to Finlay and completing an aggregate of $10,000,000 of exploration expenditures on the ATTY Property over a 6-year period The earn-in in respect of each of the Properties may be exercised separately and the full details of the exercise requirements for each earn-in are set out in the table below Following the completion of the earn-in on either of the Properties Freeport and Finlay will respectively hold interests of 80% and 20% in such Property and a joint venture company will be formed for further exploration and development  In the event that a party does not fund their portion of further joint venture programs their interests in the joint venture company will dilute Any party that dilutes to below a 10% interest in the joint venture company will exchange its joint venture company interest for a net smelter returns (" NSR ") royalty of 1% on the applicable Property which is subject to a 0.5% buyback for USD $2,000,000 Staged cash and expenditure terms for the PIL and ATTY earn-in agreements These earn-in requirements can be accelerated by Freeport at its discretion Finlay will be the operator on the Properties under the direction of a joint technical committee that will approve work programs and budgets during the earn-in period The PIL & ATTY Properties are each subject to a 3.0% NSR royalty held by Electrum Resource Corporation (" Electrum ") the outstanding voting shares of which are held by Company directors John A The Company has a current right to buy back ½ of the royalty (1.5%) on each property for an aggregate payment of $2,000,000 and $1,500,000 respectively  Finlay and Electrum have entered into amended and restated royalty agreements (the " A&R Royalty Agreements ") relating to each of the PIL and ATTY Properties pursuant to which upon and subject to the exercise of the earn-in in respect of each Property by Freeport the buy-back right will be amended to provide for a 2.0% royalty buy-back for each Property in consideration for an increased buy-back payment that will be sole-funded by Freeport without joint venture dilution to Finlay and will be divided equally between Finlay and Electrum subject to the exercise of the applicable Freeport earn-in to extinguish share issuance obligations of 1,000,000 common shares and 500,000 common shares owing to Electrum prior to or on a production decision on the PIL and ATTY Properties respectively Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) is a leading international metals company focused on copper with major operations in the Americas and Indonesia and significant reserves of copper The 100% owned PIL Property covers 13,374 hectares of highly prospective ground in the prolific Toodoggone mining district of north-central British Columbia The core PIL claims were staked over 30 years ago by the founders of the Company numerous Cu-Au-Mo porphyry and porphyry-related Au-Ag epithermal targets have been identified at PIL The identified targets are central to a broader 70 km porphyry corridor trend which includes: Centerra Gold's past producing Kemess South Cu-Au porphyry mine and Kemess Underground Cu-Au-Ag porphyry resource Thesis Gold's Lawyers-Ranch Au-Ag epithermal resource and the newly discovered Amarc Resources and Freeport AuRORA Cu-Au-Ag porphyry Readers are cautioned that mineralization on the foregoing regional properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralization on the PIL Property The PIL Property is road accessible and permitted for the 2025 season The 100% owned ATTY Property covers 3,875 hectares in the prolific Toodoggone mining district of north-central British Columbia The ATTY Property adjoins Centerra Gold's Kemess Project and Amarc Resources and Freeport's JOY property Several epithermal-style Ag ± Au ± Cu ± base-metal veins are exposed on the ATTY Property and geochemical and geophysical work have outlined at least two promising porphyry targets The ATTY Property is road accessible and permitted for the 2025 season Exploration for Finlay and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 has reviewed and approved the technical content of this news release About finlay minerals ltd. Finlay is a TSXV company focused on exploration for base and precious metal deposits with five 100% owned properties in northern British Columbia : the PIL and ATTY properties in the Toodoggone the Silver Hope Cu-Ag Property (21,322 ha) and the SAY Cu-Ag Property (26,202 ha) and JJB Property (15,423 ha) in the Bear Lake Corridor of BC Finlay Minerals is advancing the ATTY SAY and Silver Hope Properties that host copper-gold porphyry and gold-silver epithermal targets within different porphyry districts of northern and central BC Each property is located in areas of recent development and porphyry discoveries with the advantage of hosting the potential for new discoveries Finlay trades under the symbol "FYL" on the TSXV and under the symbol "FYMNF" on the OTCQB. For further information and details, please visit the Company's website at www.finlayminerals.com Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release Forward-Looking Information: This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation All statements in this news release that address events or developments that we expect to occur in the future are forward-looking statements  Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally identified by words such as "expect" "intend" or "believe" and similar expressions or their negative connotations or that events or conditions "will" "should" or "might" occur All such forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding the exploration plans for the Properties and the potential exercise of Freeport's option to acquire an interest in the Properties Although Finlay believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those forward-looking statements Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices and continued availability of capital and financing and general economic These forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions including assumptions regarding general business and economic conditions the timing and receipt of regulatory and governmental approvals the ability of Finlay and other parties to satisfy stock exchange and other regulatory requirements in a timely manner the availability of financing for Finlay's proposed transactions and programs on reasonable terms and the ability of third-party service providers to deliver services in a timely manner Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements   and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein Finlay does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements SOURCE finlay minerals ltd. View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2025/02/c5071.html News Provided by Canada Newswire via QuoteMedia Empire Metals Limited (LON:EEE)(OTCQB:EPMLF) the AIM-listed and OTCQB-traded resource exploration and development company is pleased to inform investors of its upcoming participation in two key industry events: These events provide an opportunity for the Company to update shareholders and potential investors on recent developments and strategic plans including highlights from the ongoing exploration and development activities at the Pitfield Project and other key announcements made in recent weeks An updated corporate presentation, reflecting the Company's latest developments, is available on the Company's website at: https://www.empiremetals.com/investors/shareholder-documents/presentations/ For further information please visit www.empiremetals.co.uk or contact: Empire Metals is an AIM-listed and OTCQB-traded exploration and resource development company (LON:EEE)(OTCQB:EPMLF) with a primary focus on developing Pitfield an emerging giant titanium project in Western Australia The high-grade titanium discovery at Pitfield is of unprecedented scale with airborne surveys identifying a massive coincident gravity and magnetics anomaly extending over 40km by 8km by 5km deep Drill results have indicated excellent continuity in grades and consistency of the mineralised beds and confirm that the sandstone beds hold the higher-grade titanium dioxide (TiO₂) values within the interbedded succession of sandstones The Company is focused on two key prospects (Cosgrove and Thomas) which have been identified as having thick An Exploration Target* for Pitfield was declared in 2024 covering the Thomas and Cosgrove mineral prospects and was estimated to contain between 26.4 to 32.2 billion tonnes with a grade range of 4.5 to 5.5% TiO2 Included within the total Exploration Target* is a subset that covers the weathered sandstone zone which extends from surface to an average vertical depth of 30m to 40m and is estimated to contain between 4.0 to 4.9 billion tonnes with a grade range of 4.8 to 5.9% TiO2 The Exploration Target* covers an area less than 20% of the overall mineral system at Pitfield which demonstrates the potential for significant further upside Empire is now accelerating the economic development of Pitfield with a vision to produce a high-value titanium metal or pigment quality product at Pitfield to realise the full value potential of this exceptional deposit The Company also has two further exploration projects in Australia; the Eclipse Project and the Walton Project in Western Australia in addition to three precious metals projects located in a historically high-grade gold producing region of Austria *The potential quantity and grade of the Exploration Target is conceptual in nature There has been insufficient exploration to estimate a Mineral Resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the estimation of a Mineral Resource This information is provided by Reach, the non-regulatory press release distribution service of RNS, part of the London Stock Exchange. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com Source Click here to connect with Empire Metals Limited (LON:EEE)(OTCQB:EPMLF) to receive an Investor Presentation Empire Metals (LON:EEE, OTCQB:EPMLF) is an exploration and resource development company focused on Australia gaining global recognition for its discovery and swift advancement of what is believed to be the world’s largest titanium deposit The company’s primary focus is the Pitfield project in Western Australia — a premier mining jurisdiction With over 1,000 square kilometres of land and a titanium-rich mineral system extending 40 kilometres in strike length Pitfield is shaping up to be a district-scale discovery with the potential to significantly influence the global titanium supply chain Empire’s focus on titanium comes at a pivotal time as it is officially recognized as a critical mineral by both the EU and the US for its essential role in aerospace Demand for titanium dioxide — the most widely used form — is surging while global supply is increasingly constrained by geopolitical risks With over 60 percent of supply concentrated in countries like China and Russia Western markets face growing vulnerabilities This Empire Metals profile is part of a paid investor education campaign.* Click here to connect with Empire Metals (LON:EEE) to receive an Investor Presentation Electric Royalties Ltd. (TSXV:ELEC)(OTCQB:ELECF) ("Electric Royalties" or the "Company") announces marketing activities intended to increase investor awareness about its royalty portfolio throughout 2025 The Company engaged Jefferson Financial for the distribution of an article in their Golden Opportunities newsletter for a fee of US$7,500 on April 3, 2025. Such fee will be paid in cash from the Company's cash on hand. U.S.-based Jefferson Financial produces invest-oriented newsletters, special reports and events including the New Orleans Investment Conference engage Jefferson Financial to distribute subsequent articles for similar fees The Company and Jefferson Financial are at arm's length and Jefferson Financial does not have any direct interest in the Company or its securities The Company engaged U.S.-based Trusted Causes LLC ("Trusted Causes") for the distribution of an article to audiences subscribed to the Headline USA Such fee will be paid in cash from the Company's cash on hand The emails have been or are to be distributed in April 2025 engage Trusted Causes to distribute subsequent articles for similar fees Trusted Causes is affiliated with Stefan Gleason The Company has granted an aggregate of 500,000 restricted share units ("RSUs") and 1,000,000 deferred share units ("DSUs") to certain officers and directors of the Company pursuant to its RSU/DSU plan ("RSU/DSU Plan") The RSUs will vest over a two-year term and DSUs vest immediately The grant of RSUs and DSUs is subject to acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange Electric Royalties is a royalty company established to take advantage of the demand for a wide range of commodities (lithium zinc and copper) that will benefit from the drive toward electrification of a variety of consumer products: cars renewable energy generation and other applications battery production capacity and renewable energy generation are slated to increase significantly over the next several years and with it This creates a unique opportunity to invest in and acquire royalties over the mines and projects that will supply the materials needed to fuel the electric revolution Electric Royalties has a growing portfolio of 43 royalties in lithium The Company is focused predominantly on acquiring royalties on advanced stage and operating projects to build a diversified portfolio located in jurisdictions with low geopolitical risk which offers investors exposure to the clean energy transition via the underlying commodities required to rebuild the global infrastructure over the next several decades toward a decarbonized global economy Brendan YurikCEO, Electric Royalties Ltd.Phone: (604) 364‐3540Email: Brendan.yurik@electricroyalties.comhttps://www.electricroyalties.com/ Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) nor any other regulatory body or securities exchange platform accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information and Other Company Information This news release includes forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively "forward-looking information") with respect to the Company within the meaning of Canadian securities laws This news release includes information regarding other companies and projects owned by such other companies in which the Company holds a royalty interest based on previously disclosed public information disclosed by those companies and the Company is not responsible for the accuracy of that information and that all information provided herein is subject to this Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information and Other Company Information Forward looking information is typically identified by words such as: believe This information represents predictions and actual events or results may differ materially Forward-looking information may relate to the Company's future outlook and anticipated events and may include statements regarding the financial results industry trends and growth opportunities of the Company and the projects in which it holds royalty interests While management considers these assumptions to be reasonable Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results performance or achievements of the Company or these projects to be materially different from any future results performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements but are not limited to risks associated with general economic conditions; adverse industry events; marketing costs; loss of markets; future legislative and regulatory developments involving the renewable energy industry; inability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources and/or inability to access sufficient capital on favourable terms; the mining industry generally income tax and regulatory matters; the ability of the Company or the owners of these projects to implement their business strategies including expansion plans; competition; currency and interest rate fluctuations The reader is referred to the Company's most recent filings on SEDAR+ as well as other information filed with the OTC Markets for a more complete discussion of all applicable risk factors and their potential effects, copies of which may be accessed through the Company's profile page at sedarplus.ca and at otcmarkets.com Source Click here to connect with Electric Royalties Ltd. (TSXV:ELEC)(OTCQB:ELECF) to receive an Investor Presentation Empire Metals (OTCQB:EPMLF, AIM:EEE) is unlocking one of the world’s largest and purest titanium deposits at its flagship Pitfield project in Western Australia. With growing global demand, a looming supply deficit, and near-term development milestones, Empire offers a compelling investment opportunity in the critical minerals space Empire Metals (OTCQB:EPMLF, AIM:EEE) is an Australian focused exploration and resource development company rapidly gaining international attention for its discovery and rapid development of what is believed to be the world’s largest titanium deposit The company is focused on advancing its flagship asset With a dominant landholding of more than 1,000 sq km and a titanium mineral system that spans 40 km in strike length Pitfield is emerging as a district-scale “giant” discovery with the potential to reshape the global titanium supply landscape Titanium has been designated as a critical mineral in both the EU and the US With more than 22,000 meters of drilling already completed and only a fraction of the mineral system tested Empire is aggressively advancing Pitfield towards a maiden JORC-compliant mineral resource estimate the company is also undertaking bulk sampling and metallurgical processing to advance flowsheet design and optimize product specifications It is also engaging with industry players to assess product suitability for premium pigment and titanium sponge markets a mining study to evaluate the potential for a low-cost strip mining approach The company is supported by a seasoned leadership team with deep expertise in exploration metallurgy and capital markets — ensuring that strategic decisions are guided by both technical excellence and a strong track record of value creation the Pitfield project is Empire Metals’ flagship asset and represents one of the most exciting titanium discoveries globally Spanning an area of approximately 1,042 sq km the project has revealed a colossal mineral system measuring 40 km in length and up to 8 km in width with geophysical indications of mineralization extending to at least a depth of 5 km Pitfield’s prime location in Western Australia Extensive drilling across the project has intercepted thick laterally continuous zones of high-grade titanium dioxide mineralization highlighting the system’s enormous scale and consistency The titanium at Pitfield occurs predominantly in the minerals anatase and rutile within a weathered often exceeding 90 percent titanium dioxide They are free from harmful amounts of contaminants like uranium chromium and phosphorus — qualities that are likely to make the deposit uniquely suitable for premium high-purity titanium applications in aerospace Pitfield is strategically located near the town of Three Springs approximately 150 km southeast of the port city of Geraldton The project benefits from direct access to essential infrastructure This connectivity significantly enhances development potential by reducing logistics costs and simplifying future project build-out the Western Australian government actively supports critical mineral development mining-friendly jurisdiction known for streamlined permitting and investment security Empire has completed more than 22,000 meters of drilling confirming standout titanium dioxide (TiO2) results such as 154 meters at 6.76 percent TiO2 mineralization remains open at depth in all tested zones only around 5 percent of the interpreted system has been drilled This underscores the immense upside potential for resource expansion The Pitfield project presents a scalable processing pathway Photo shows a gravity flotation test in process (left) and a close-up of a flotation test (right) Pitfield is advancing toward a maiden JORC-compliant mineral resource estimate The project is already being recognized as a potential cornerstone asset in the global titanium supply chain Empire Metals maintains a portfolio of early-stage exploration assets offering optionality and exposure to other strategic and precious metals Empire holds interests in two Western Australian projects — the Walton and Eclipse gold projects — both situated in historically productive mineral belts While these assets are not the current focus they contribute exploration upside and optionality within the company’s broader strategy Neil O’Brien is the former SVP exploration and new business development at Lundin He has an extensive global mining career as a PhD economic geologist Shaun Bunn is a metallurgist based in Perth with expertise in international exploration He has a successful track record managing mining projects through all stages of development and corporate finance and financial management expert He has extensive experience working with resources-focused AIM listed companies With more than 20 years of corporate and finance experience focused in the natural resources sector, Peter Damouni holds executive and director roles in TSXV and LSE listed companies where he has played key roles in significantly enhancing shareholder value Phil Brumit is a veteran mining engineer and operations expert His previous roles include international leadership positions at Freeport-McMoRan Narelle Marriott is a former BHP senior process engineer she was the general manager for process development for Hastings Technology Metals Andrew Faragher is a former Rio Tinto exploration manager with more than 25 years of experience working across multiple commodities Arabella Burwell is a former Senior Director Corporate Development at NASDAQ-listed GoDaddy and a Partner Capital Raising and Strategic Partnerships at Hannam & Partners in London and South Africa Investing News Network websites or approved third-party tools use cookies. Please refer to the cookie policy for collected data, privacy and GDPR compliance. By continuing to browse the site, you agree to our use of cookies.  Broken Hill mayor Tom Kennedy wants Transgrid to cover the cost of the regional town’s sudden power blackout flagging the electricity network operator could be fined tens of millions of dollars if its emergency back-up systems are found to be flawed Residents in and around the NSW mining town are still trying to recover from a sudden storm on October 17 that brought down seven transmission towers managed by privately owned Transgrid which hold up the single 260-kilometre power line bringing electricity to the Broken Hill region Read MorePower outageLatest In InfrastructureFetching latest articles The far western NSW city of Broken Hill is known as a tourist attraction, each year bringing thousands of tourists to meet its population of 18,000 people. The town is constantly welcoming new faces as teachers, police, nurses, and lawyers come to do their stint. Yet the ‘Silver City’ is also experiencing a rise in domestic violence and remains without a local drug and alcohol rehabilitation clinic. Locals old and new are drawing upon trademark community-mindedness and resourcefulness to adapt. The senior solicitor of the Aboriginal Legal Service (ALS) in Broken Hill, Tom Russell, likens Broken Hill to the American city of Reno in Nevada, known as ‘The biggest little city in the world’. “Broken Hill’s in a similar vein to me. It’s like the biggest small town in New South Wales,” he says. Although it’s technically part of NSW, in many ways the city operates as an outlying South Australian town.   It’s only a six-hour drive away to Adelaide which is a lot closer than the 12 to 14 hours’ drive to Sydney. And it’s on Australian Central Standard Time, a peculiarity for many visitors. The young solicitor Russell — originally from Sydney—is hard-working and has embraced the life and workload of the outback. He is coming up to his two-year anniversary of working in Broken Hill, after he moved here from Dubbo. “You’re in court, you know, every day or most days.  We’ve got a two-solicitor office and we cover a large kind of geographic area and the court is full time so there’s no off-court week,” he says. “The court always runs whether in Broken Hill, Wilcannia or Wentworth. It’s a heavy workload.” “It’s not uncommon that you have four or five hearings a day. The most hearings I’ve had is 11 hearings on a single day. You could have a dozen hearings in a week. “But at the ALS, you just have a big armful of matters every day and you’re just chopping through as best you can because you want to keep the court happy and client happy and you’re trying to do the best kind of job that you can.” Tom is from ‘away’ which is how everyone describes themselves if they’re not born and bred in Broken Hill. Home for Tom is in Balmain, in inner-Sydney. He decided to go west to do his practical legal training at Legal Aid in Dubbo before parlaying it into his first practitioner role at the ALS.  After time in Dubbo, Broken Hill didn’t seem so remote, so he moved further west.  Since arriving he’s travelled the region to explore its events such as the Tibooburra Rodeo and the Pooncarie Races. The local circuit registrar Riley Bomford is President of the “mighty” North Broken Hill Cricket Club and convinced Tom to join the team. He says the standard of the cricket competition is quite good with five teams – North, South, Central, West and Warriors. “We won the A grade, B grade and the women’s competition last season. So, swept … all three competitions. I’m a bit of a bowling all-rounder,” he says. Working in a small town brings its own set of unique challenges like conflict of interest, which Tom and his colleague try to manage as best they can or send to Legal Aid. “You’re always juggling complainants and clients. And your complainant one day will be your client another day,” he observes. “You’ll often hear things just on the grapevine that’ll inform your sense of the overall picture – conflicts between different families or different people. “But because the community is so close-knit, the longer you’re here, the more pieces of the puzzle you can put together and you get an idea about the overall picture over time. And you’ll start to make connections and fill in the story.” He’s pragmatic about conflict, which he points out even the locally based Magistrate Jacqueline Trad has to manage. “You’ve got to be flexible in a country court. The magistrate knows everyone as well. One day in the witness box will be a person they’re dealing with as a defendant the next day,” he says. “If we enforced the strictest interpretation of what amounts to a conflict or in what circumstances a magistrate should recuse themselves, the court would just grind to a halt and it couldn’t function. And we couldn’t function. But you’ve just got to be smart about it and really think about when it’s just not appropriate for you to act in a particular case.” The circuit court sits two days a month in Wilcannia, a remote indigenous community 200km away with a population of about 700 people. Wilcannia is part of the Central Darling Shire, which is the size of Tasmania and has been under administration for a decade. According to the 2021 Census, only 34 per cent of the community in Wilcannia say they work. “When I first came out here people would say don’t even stop in Wilcannia. You kind of get this impression of some godforsaken place. But then you actually get there and you hit the ground and you start talking to people and they’re actually quite friendly. I’ve never felt unsafe in Wilcannia. Everyone’s really nice to you,” says Russell. Once a month the circuit court travels 260km to Wentworth for a week. Wentworth is on the New South Wales side of the border it shares with Victoria. “DV is obviously a very big part of your caseload, you know in places like Wentworth, where you’ve got populations that live on missions in inadequate housing. That’s always a big risk factor,” he says. The mission Tom is referring to is the Coomealla mission, which is just down the road at Dareton. “You got generations of clients that have lived and died on the ‘mish’ and it’s the same thing in Wilcannia. There’s kind of areas on the edge of town, kind of like ramshackle housing, it’s dirt roads, it’s not gazetted properly. And you try and find it on Google Maps, and it leads you to the wrong place and you’ve got to know where so-and-so lives on the mission,” he says. Five years ago, Steven Wright was working for Legal Aid in Dubbo when a proposal was put forward to have a criminal solicitor based in the Broken Hill office. It was his partner who suggested to him to go for the position and Steven says he hasn’t looked back. He says when he first moved here, he was running an office out of a granny flat behind Lifeline. They’ve since managed to relocate the office space with a view of the Line of Lode, a major tourist attraction, and increase the size of the office to 13 staff. “If we enforced the strictest interpretation of what amounts to a conflict or in what circumstances a magistrate should recuse themselves, the court would just grind to a halt and it couldn’t function. And we couldn’t function.” “There are four criminal solicitors, two family solicitors and a civil solicitor, as well as our administration staff and an Aboriginal field officer,” he says. “I think there’s a recognition of the need for bigger service provision in the Far West by Legal Aid but also by private solicitors who assist in doing Legal Aid work. So the more time that we were established here, the more people were coming and seeking services. And as we grew in Broken Hill, we then had people from further afield reaching out to us for those services,” he says. Wright decided to create a “travelling road show” to provide more legal services to clients. “It used to be that the crime solicitors would travel out to those locations for court because that’s where the circuit court goes. And what we were seeing was people with associated issues in family law or civil law and we were trying to refer them and get them done, remotely. “But as I said, people fall off, it’s really hard— the communication— people change phone numbers, the phones don’t work. So, what we do now is travel as a group and it’s pretty much a one stop shop for people to come and try and solve all of their legal issues,” he says. Steven says it is difficult for clients to travel to Broken Hill from Wilcannia and it was deterring them from seeking legal help. “I think one of the other things that’s happened is an increase in legal education since we’ve been here. So, a lot of people were dealing with issues that they might not have realised that a solicitor could assist with, like fines and debt and mortgage stress and things that traditionally I don’t think they would have necessarily seen a solicitor for,” he says. The Magistrates Early Referral Into Treatment (MERIT) Program has also expanded in the time he has been in Broken Hill. “Prior to Legal Aid coming to Broken Hill, that service’s numbers were dwindling and it’s really reliant on referrals from solicitors who are seeing clients who might benefit from it. There’s been a huge uptake and that team has expanded considerably in the time that I’ve been in town. It is an excellent service,” he explains. Steven says the Broken Hill service is unique in that it offers both drug and alcohol substance abuse treatment. “It provides an opportunity for people to go and seek treatment and counselling for their drug and alcohol issues, which are often intertwined with their legal issues and complete a 12-week program. At the end of that program, those at MERIT write a report for the magistrate and the magistrate can take that into consideration in relation to their sentence,” he says. “Obviously if they’ve done well and they’ve reduced the amount of drugs and alcohol that they’re using, that reduces their future criminogenic factors and reduces the need for a harsher penalty, to make sure that they don’t come back and reoffend because they’ve already been engaged in treatment. “One thing that I really love about MERIT in Broken Hill is they’re very proactive in not just finishing the 12-week program but what happens to our clients after that. And we’ve had some excellent referrals to long term residential rehabilitation services. Obviously, we don’t have them in Broken Hill, so it’s very difficult to find a spot for people to go to rehab in Broken Hill, but they work really hard to find places even across the border in South Australia.” In April, the town was shocked by the sudden closure of The Barrier Truth newspaper. Wright says it’s necessary for the local media to keep Broken Hill informed about what’s happening in the courts. “I think that the media certainly has a place to play and the principle of having an open court is certainly one which is very much entrenched in what we do,” he says. In particular, Wright cites the case of a local Aboriginal woman who successfully challenged her arrest for breaching bail, in the NSW Court of Appeal. “Those options in relation to what police can do for a breach of bail have always been in the legislation but it was never settled whether they had to consider those or whether that was a discretion that they could use…. And the court of appeal said where police don’t consider their alternatives to arrest, then they’re not acting within their powers and the arrest was deemed to be unlawful,” he says.   Domestic violence incidents have increased remarkably in the Far West. Statistics from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) show that for the Local Government Areas of Broken Hill, the ratio of domestic violence is more than four times the state average on a per capita basis. The number of domestic violence assaults in 2023 was 357 and 105 of those were noted by police as being alcohol related. The two-year trend shows a 40 per cent increase. BOCSAR figures do not give a ratio compared to the state average for the Central Darling Shire, as its population is under 3000. But at 162 incidents in the past year alone, it is easy to see the high prevalence of domestic violence in the region. According to BOCSAR, 111 of those incidents were alcohol related. Tom Russell is cautious about reading too much into statistics year-to-year but believes DV is commonly related to alcohol and substance abuse. “It’s like almost everyone that you’re dealing with will have some sort of either deprived background, mental health issues, substance abuse issues, or some combination of the three,” he says. “I’ve never had a problem with any client. For the most part they’re really nice, friendly, cooperative and sometimes it is really hard to reconcile what you’re reading about what’s alleged with the person in front of you,” he says. Barrier Police District Commander, Superintendent David Cooper, says an increase in offending rates is often a reflection of the community having increased awareness of the crimes, and confidence in reporting offences to police. “There’s kind of areas on the edge of town, kind of like ramshackle housing. It’s dirt roads, it’s not gazetted properly. And you try to find it on Google Maps and it leads you to the wrong place” Rebecca Deer is the manager of NSW Health’s Violence, Abuse and Neglect Service (VANS) program and is based in Broken Hill. It’s an integrated service that responds to all forms of violence, abuse and neglect. The service is well resourced, with funding for 16 people, although they only have 11 clinicians at present due to vacancies. The situation hasn’t been helped by a state-wide shortage of qualified and suitably experienced clinicians.   Rebecca says the strength of the community lies in resourcefulness and innovation. She explains that VANS often helps other partners to provide court support to victims. “Being quite isolated in a rural setting, we often support our partners, whether it be the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions, or the witness intermediary program. We often support them if they’re unable to get out here, to support the victims, through their court case. They’ll often contact us with a little bit of notice to then provide support to their clients when they’re going through the court system.” Tom Russell agrees the MERIT program has helped some of his clients personally and improved their court outcome. However, he says it is still limited and an example of a patchwork of services linked to the justice system. “The core of the program is weekly counselling sessions, which are great but obviously not a substitute for full-time residential rehabilitation, although they can make referrals,” he says. The mother of eight children has first-hand experience of the impacts of alcohol abuse. She is a Family Counsellor and has been campaigning hard for a local drug detoxification and rehabilitation centre. She says her father was an alcoholic and she has helped her son detox from alcohol. The MERIT program is only available to people who have an ongoing court matter, which does little for families of people who have already been sentenced and call Sanderson in despair. “I’ve had people I’ve worked with that have had young children and their partner’s been in jail. And they said, ‘my partner shouldn’t be in jail. He’s had so much trauma, he should be in a facility where he’s getting help.’ And she said, ‘the only thing that keeps me going is the fact that I know that one day he’s going to get a detox and rehab here so he can actually deal with some of his trauma.’ And that’s been our focus now. It has to be trauma-informed care,” she says. In May, Sanderson and other advocates met with the NSW Health Minister Ryan Park to push for a local centre. They’ve suggested a 23-bed detox and rehabilitation facility but have said they’d be willing to accept 15 beds. They’re currently looking for land on the outskirts of Broken Hill because people don’t want a rehab centre in town. On 31 January, the Far West Community Legal Centre Limited gave notice it would be closing its doors on 31 July. The Centre runs four services – The Far West Community Legal Centre (CLC), the Warra Warra Legal Service, Staying Home Leaving Violence, and Far West Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service (WDVCAS). The Far West Community Legal Centre Ltd, which receives funding from three funding bodies: Legal Aid NSW, the National Indigenous Australians Agency and the NSW Department of Communities and Justice, has been plagued for years with problems relating to understaffing. Interim CEO Lisa Braid came on board in June last year with the goal of actively trying to recruit a permanent CEO for the organisation as a whole, and principal solicitors and solicitors for the Far West Community Legal Centre and Warra Warra Legal Service. The Far West CLC had in the three years prior, seen eight principal solicitors come and go–some of them from private practice who were running their own business, but assisting with running the Centre and supervising staff on the side, or locums providing services on a fly-in-fly-out basis. “Community legal centres obviously pay a lot less than the private sector, (which) is one reason for the difficulty recruiting solicitors, and then in Broken Hill in particular, there’s competition with Legal Aid NSW, which can pay $30,000 to $70,000 more per solicitor position. Many of the solicitors who worked for our community legal services moved across to Legal Aid Broken Hill as they have expanded. They make a lot more money, life’s better and they’ve got stable supervision,” says Braid. In the past 12 months, they’ve considered 40 to 50 candidates for various solicitor roles. Even when they were able to find better candidates, the remoteness of Broken Hill was a deterrent. “One solicitor had ailing parents and she thought she’d be able to catch the train back to Sydney every weekend. Obviously, that’s not possible,” she says. “Another solicitor was close to accepting a job, but then travelled to Broken Hill to see what it was like and determined the town too remote. The location of Broken Hill is certainly a factor. The cost of living in Australia is high and regular air travel can be expensive.” Management and supervision of the Far West CLC is currently outsourced under a sub-contracting arrangement to the Western Sydney CLC, which appointed Veselko Cuic internally as the principal solicitor for the Far West CLC. He is based in Sydney but has visited Broken Hill several times to oversee staff. He brings almost two decades of community legal experience to the role. “If you’ve been in private practice for 20 years, you can’t wrap your head around the way a community legal centre operates quickly. It’ll take some time. Whereas me or someone else from a community legal centre knows very well,” he says. Cuic feels the new model is working well and bringing security and stability to the locally based staff– two paralegals and one solicitor who provides a traffic duty service. They also have a solicitor who is based in one of the Western Sydney CLC offices working for the Far West CLC, providing civil work for the organisation. The Centre is not only back providing duty lawyer services, but it is delivering outreach across the Far West region. The range of matters being dealt with by the Far West CLC is broad ranging, from family law matters to boundary disputes, land occupation and ownership, social security, wills, traffic and tenancy matters. After two visits to Broken Hill, Cuic is pleasantly surprised by the town and feels it is more laid-back, friendlier and is less stressful than living in Sydney. If he was younger and didn’t have ailing parents, he would move here. He notes how there are different challenges in the far west. “Holding a driver’s licence here in Broken Hill for me appears to be a necessity. It’s not like Sydney where there’s bus stops everywhere. Trains are everywhere. Without a driver licence here you’re pretty much isolated, especially in the towns away from Broken Hill,” he says. “Yesterday was the furthest I’ve been driven… Very interesting trip, I must admit. I’ve never seen so much roadkill at the side of the road… One person I saw in Wilcannia needs to apply to quash a court-imposed driver licence disqualification.  He can’t come to Broken Hill to see us with no driver licence.  He needs someone to give him a lift. If no one can drive him here, he can’t see us,” he says. Anecdotally, criminal lawyer Caitlin Sankey has noticed the impact of Western Sydney CLC taking carriage of the Far West CLC. “And we’ve definitely noticed that in the last, probably couple of weeks, where particularly traffic matters, they’ve been able to sort of help out and triage those,” she says. However, Chair of the FWCLC Limited Martin Bass is concerned about the future of the Far West CLC, as it receives funding from Legal Aid NSW and it is unclear what arrangements have been made for the service to continue when the organisation winds up. “There’s a new four-year funding agreement that… comes into place from 1 July 2025, which will be put to public tender. This leaves the 12 months from 1 July 2024-30 June 2025 unaccounted for.” In a written response, Legal Aid NSW said it is working with the NSW Government to find a replacement service for the Far West CLC to minimise service interruption and ensure an on the ground presence for the community as a matter of urgency. “Continuity of community legal services is paramount and funding will prioritise a CLC provider in proximity to the Far West region, and with experience delivering services to regional communities,” the response said. As for the Warra Warra Legal Service, Lisa and Martin are working with the National Indigenous Australians Agency to ensure service continuity after 30 June 2024. Currently the service is being run by Kathleen Wincen, CEO of the Aboriginal Family Legal Service Southern Queensland, which is based in Toowoomba and shares a vast geographic area across the western state boundary with the Far West. A new solicitor, Shefali Atwal, has been recruited to Warra Warra along with a paralegal. Beyond the current sub-contracting arrangement with the Aboriginal Family Legal Service Southern Queensland which ends on 30 June 2024, the Australian Government is responsible for the future of the services. Caitlin Sankey is sitting in the boardroom at the Lifeline office in Broken Hill’s main street. The board of seven is discussing how they reach more people with local services. Everyone in town likes to visit the local Lifeline ‘tip shop’ for a bargain. Its profile is large, but they want to find a way to promote its Connect Centres and different initiatives to help people access help before things get too tough. Its local ambassador Brendan Cullen has lifted the profile of its services and fundraising support with his successful English Channel swim: an incredible feat considering the farmer lived more than 60km from the Broken Hill swimming pool, and 600km from a beach. Sankey is a solicitor and has served for about 18 months as a director of the charity, which services the Far West and regional South Australia. She was invited onto the board by local station owner and Chair of the board Sam Maiden from Mt Gipps Station, north of Broken Hill. She says the red desert, blue sky and heat have somehow captured the heart of a girl from Sydney’s Northern Beaches. “I think her commitment is next level and I still see that. I don’t quite know how she fits Lifeline into her challenging days, but she does,” Maiden tells the Journal. Sankey works for Silkman Austen Brown Lawyers, which has its head office in Dubbo. She moved here straight after university and enjoys the diversity of the work. She says it’s the only firm in town that does private work for crime.  Although most of her work is criminal, she is called on to do almost any type of law. “I really like the criminal (work), just for the personal nature of it, because people will have an issue they come to you for, but that’s really just a symptom often of what else is going on. So I’ll find that people have gotten to a certain point, something’s happened, but there’s factors that have led up to that, and… you try and help them through,” she says. Since moving to Broken Hill four years ago, Sankey’s life is a complete change from the hustle and bustle of Sydney. She loves it and sees herself here for the foreseeable future. “I actually met my partner while I was here going on a road trip to Western Australia for a couple of months. And I knew I wanted to do something different other than work in a city. So I thought, what better opportunity than to work in Broken Hill?” she says. However, Sankey does admit that she didn’t quite appreciate how far it was from Sydney. “Flights aren’t too bad time wise. They’re about two and a half hours to Sydney, but they’re so expensive, sometimes you might get a cheap flight for just under $300 one way but it’s a lot to go back and then you’ve got to get that time off. So that’s one thing that did surprise me,” she says. Sankey has since bought a house with her partner and is enjoying the three-minute commute to work, the laid-back lifestyle and the landscape and history of the town. She’ll often head away for the weekend with a swag and esky to attend a ‘gymkhana’. “So they’re sort of like your horse races and events. You’ve got your barrel racing and thread the needle … I obviously don’t ride, but from what I understand it’s about the skill of the rider and the horse,” she says. “Sometimes they’ll have bikehanas – so it’s on the motorbikes. So same sort of events that you’d have with the horses but on the bikes and they’re really good as well.” “Then at White Cliffs you’ve got the rodeo on the Sunday as well and they’ve got things like bike versus horse. So you race the bike or they’ll verse each other, but they’re just really fun events,” she says. Earlier this year the Law Society of NSW issued a press release highlighting the shortage of solicitors in the Far West of NSW. President Brett McGrath noted there were only 15 solicitors from six law practices servicing almost 160,000 square kilometres. “Access to proper legal advice can mean the difference between incarceration and an accused person keeping their job and supporting their family,” he said. “Solicitors working in these regions can make a life changing difference to people facing diverse legal challenges from criminal law, family law, tenancy and helping financially vulnerable clients deal with credit and debt issues before they become insurmountable.” Sankey says the diversity of the work, hands-on experience and being able to make a difference in people’s lives are among the reasons more solicitors should consider Broken Hill. The town follows AFL and has four clubs – Central, North, South and West. Each club has its yearly ball which forms a strong part of the town’s social calendar. “It’s really just dress up, have a meal, have a drink, have a dance,” Sankey says. “Often you don’t have to be from that club to go [but] it’s a really good sense of community there as well.” The NSW Nationals are calling on the Minns Labor Government to explain why there has been no progress in over a year at Broken Hill’s Willyama High School after hundreds of students were unable to return due to a mould outbreak There were plans to demolish and rebuild the facility after it was deemed too dangerous to inhabit but after 12 months the structure stands almost untouched More than 600 students were spread across three separate sites before being moved to a pop-up campus on the grounds of Broken Hill High School Education Minister Prue Car was questioned about the issue in a Budget Estimates hearing but failed to provide a timeline for the works Shadow Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said parents “The Broken Hill community has been through a lot in the last 12 months and they deserve to know when they will have a high school to return to,” Mrs Mitchell said “The Minister would not even reveal how much the rebuild will cost how much of that will be covered by the insurer and how much the government has allocated to the project which is a massive red flag when it comes to ensuring it happens “The situation students are currently dealing with should only have been a temporary solution yet they have been completely left in the lurch for over a year.” Mrs Mitchell said while health and safety is the number one priority the Minns Government needs to do more to provide stability because locals deserve better than what they are getting there’s no doubt in my mind the Premier would be doing something about it That story is no longer available or has been moved Editorial [email protected] Advertising [email protected] Admin [email protected] Classifieds [email protected] Want to make that epic journey to the outback town of Broken Hill the famed filming location of Mad Max 2 is perfect for a road trip And while you might not have a spruced-up Ford Falcon to tear up the tarmac with a caravan is most likely more comfortable for getting there here are Broken Hill’s best caravan sites to pull up for the night (Not sure what to do once you get there? We’ve also lined up a guide on the best things to do in Broken Hill.) Overlooking the rugged Barrier Ranges, this family and dog-friendly park and resort has spots for caravanning and camping with 80 powered and 20 unpowered sites to choose from The resort has 80 powered and 20 unpowered sites to choose from While facilities here include an undercover camp kitchen (as well as an amenities block you can also opt for dinner at the heritage-listed Mt Gipps Hotel on site Enjoy an outdoor barbecue with expansive red-dirt views today the hotel serves up delectable pizzas all day as well as pub grub favourites for lunches and dinners There are a number of cosy cabins with all the comforts of home Camping at the edge of a dusty dry Umberumberka Cree, you will probably need to pinch yourself at this true Australian experience. Penrose Park Silverton can be found at the edge of the Mundi Mundi Plain, close to where the Mundi Mundi Bash happens each year It is a quiet spot to enjoy the outback in peace while still being a short walk from the town of Silverton Facilities include a shaded kids’ playground Basic and affordable, the Broken Hill Racecourse Campground is particularly popular come festival time. But powered and unpowered sites (as well as stabling if you happen to have trotted here on four legs), are also available at other times of the year outside of the Mundi Mundi Bash Facilities include basic showers and bathrooms and a grassed area The campground is five minutes from town and is suitable for larger vehicles Another very affordable site, the Starview Campsite costs just $10 per adult (which doesn’t include the $6 entry fee to the park itself) and offers you the priceless chance to sleep in the Living Desert State Park Starview is just 12 kilometres out of town The cheap-as-chips campsite is 12 kilometres out of Broken Hill Enjoy a barbecue lunch outside at the campsite Facilities include a woodchipped area for tents settle back on the site’s ‘star-view seats’ The Outback View Holiday Park (previously known as the Lake View Caravan Park) is a town-based campground for those who don’t want to stray too far from the action this doggo-friendly accommodation is currently undergoing a bit of a face-lift they are still offering cabin accommodation as well as powered and unpowered sites for campers and caravanners alike Kate Bettes is a freelance travel writer. Whether having a picnic in Vietnamese jungle with new friends, or partying in the back of a limousine in Hollywood, Kate’s experiences have left her with the sneaking suspicion that the best travel memories happen when you least expect. It’s this feeling - and how to get it - that she loves to write about. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Broken Hill is the most diverse, inclusive, arty and vibrant outback settlement in Australia, states Steve Madgwick. It is for these reasons that Brok... Australian Traveller Media acknowledges the traditional custodians of the Country on which we live and work, and pays respect to Elders past, present and emerging. Get the latest travel news, reviews, offers and more, direct to your inbox. © Australian Traveller Media 2025. All rights reserved. Three more emergency towers have been safely erected and lifted into place and the large grid-scale battery continues charging, the first step in forming a microgrid, as Transgrid escalates its Far West Operations Response following the catastrophic weather event More than 120 specialists from around Australia have mobilised to reconstruct the 3.5km section of the storm-damaged transmission line and reinstate the region’s primary power supply “We acknowledge the support of the NSW Government the community and the many businesses that have mobilised to support this response,” Transgrid head of Far West operations response Sam Pickering said “I want to especially acknowledge and thank the community for continuing to be mindful of their power usage during peak periods and for continuing to support our efforts here on the ground.” Transgrid crews are concentrating tower construction efforts in the morning and afternoon periods when wind conditions allow for the safe standing of the 60m-tall steel structures “With weather and ground conditions permitting we will continue to safely put in place the remaining transmission towers so that conductor stringing testing and energisation can then commence,” Pickering said AGL’s Broken Hill Battery Energy Storage System is successfully being charged by power from the grid and will be used to increase stability of power supply for local communities while the storm-damaged transmission line is reconstructed The grid-scale battery will provide additional power to supplement supply and reduce reliance on the large-scale backup generator “This battery is now operating as the first step in forming our microgrid This means we are continuing to further build resilience into the grid,” Pickering said Global long duration energy storage (LDES) developer and operator Hydrostor has inked a lease deal with the New South Wales Government for the construction of the Silver City Energy Storage Centre designed to provide crucial minigrid backup power to Broken Hill The agreement will see Hydrostor lease the land for a period of 65 years with construction expected to begin next year following development approval Related article: AER investigating Broken Hill power system event The deal follows the collapse of seven transmission towers and backup power failures in Broken Hill following a storm on October 17, leaving the region without electricity for days. The Australian Energy Regulator and Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal are investigating the incident to review whether there have been any potential breaches of the National Electricity Rules The Silver City Energy Storage Centre is set to be housed near the Potosi mine site—a Crown Lands site located on the Northeast outskirts of Broken Hill The project will support Broken Hill’s energy grid by incorporating the increased generation of reliable renewable energy and provide a reliable backup power solution to the city when required The facility will have the capacity to generate 200MW of power which can provide 8 hours of storage when discharging at full capacity and much longer durations at a lower output Hydrostor’s mini-grid concept would enable Silver City to draw from existing renewable energy infrastructure in the region to form a ‘closed circuit’ independent energy solution capable of supplying the entire town without needing connection to the NEM The implementation of this solution is set to protect Broken Hill from future outages and help protect against intermittency challenges in the region Hydrostor vice president of origination and development Martin Becker says “This is a major milestone in our journey toward realising an extremely important project We look forward to delivering Silver City which is a critical missing piece in the state’s energy mix “We want to thank the NSW Government for recognising the value of Silver City long duration energy storage technology more broadly and most importantly the potential for this project to protect the region’s energy through the establishment of a minigrid closed system in the event of outages which we are confident will benefit every member of the community.” The site of the 65-year lease between Hydrostor and the New South Wales Government The New South Wales Government has signed a 65-year lease with Hydrostor to enable the construction of an advanced compressed air energy storage site in Broken Hill to support the development of a mini grid and bolster energy security in the region The agreement between Hydrostor and Crown Lands will pave the way for the development of the Silver City Energy Storage Centre which is expected to deliver increased renewable energy generation into the city’s power grid and provide a reliable power source during outages in the local transmission system The facility will be based on Hydrostor’s advanced compressed air energy storage (A-CAES) technology which uses compressed air to displace water from an underground storage cavity into an above ground water storage reservoir heat is transferred and stored in above ground thermal tanks and the stored air is used to power air turbines to generate electricity Construction is expected to begin in 2025 following development approval with completion anticipated in 2028 The Silver City Energy Storage Centre is set to be housed near the Potosi mine site a Crown Lands site located on the Northeast outskirts of Broken Hill It will have the capacity to generate 200MW of power which can provide eight hours of storage when discharging at full capacity Hydrostor said it welcomed the support of the New South Wales Government for its mini grid concept which would enable Silver City to draw from existing renewable energy infrastructure in the region to form a ‘closed circuit’ independent energy solution capable of supplying the entire town without needing connection to the National Electricity Market (NEM) The implementation of this solution aims to protect Broken Hill from future outages and help protect against intermittency challenges in the region the new energy storage facility is expected to replace certain ageing diesel fuelled turbines The Silver City project also looks to increase the deployment of long-duration energy storage solutions to enable the transition toward a stable NEM It is estimated that the project will support up to 780 direct and indirect jobs throughout the construction phase New South Wales Minister for Climate Change and Energy said recent events in the Far West region of New South Wales have demonstrated the need for long duration storage to secure energy supply for Broken Hill and the Far West “This Silver City Energy Storage Facility is a solution that will make Broken Hill a renewable energy leader storing and distributing cleaner and more affordable energy to the Far West region and the rest of the state “This project will replace the older large-scale back-up diesel generator preventing a repeat of the recent energy emergency in the Far West region of New South Wales.”   Hydrostor VP of Origination and Development “We look forward to delivering Silver City which is a critical missing piece in the state’s energy mix and a much-needed solution for the region,” Mr Becker said “We want to thank the New South Wales Government for recognising the value of Silver City and most importantly the potential for this project to protect the region’s energy through the establishment of a mini grid closed system in the event of outages which we are confident will benefit every member of the community.”  As the energy industry transforms under the influence of technological innovation professionals are challenged to keep up by adopting smarter.. Transgrid will deliver new transmission infrastructure for New South Wales’ first renewable energy zone (REZ) All content published on this site is the property of Prime Creative Media The New South Wales government has announced it is trialling a new weekly bus service between Broken Hill and Mildura to increase transport options for isolated communities CDC Broken Hill will run the trial service from November 18 onwards the service will offer improved access to health shopping and entertainment options not available in smaller towns The service will depart Broken Hill Visitor Centre at 6.30am and stock for pick-ups and drop-offs at Menindee and Pooncarie before arriving at Mildura Central Shopping Centre at 10.42am and then Mildura Railway Station at 10.54am The return service then leaves the station at 3.15pm and Mildura Central at 3.30pm before stopping at Pooncarie and Menindee on the way to Broken Hill at 7.39pm with passengers able to simply turn up and travel as the cost of the service will vary depending on the passenger’s point of origin and destination “This new weekly trial service will give residents living in the remote communities of Broken Hill Pooncarie and Wentworth a reliable bus service to access medical educational and social activities in Mildura and beyond,” NSW regional transport and roads minister Jenny Aitchison says “Isolation can be a real and serious problem for small communities living in the state’s Far West and we’re confident this new weekly bus service will do a lot to help connect the people here with health and education opportunities “This new service is in addition to our other new trial services in Collarenebri and Brewarrina.” Member for Barwon Roy Butler has welcomed the service and the accessibility offered to locals in the region “It’s good to see the government offering improved access to transport options to our local communities Being able to get on a regular service for things like medical appointments is absolutely essential in remote areas,” Butler says “We need to ensure that this service is exactly what the community needs so I encourage the people to (literally) get on board for this trial and take advantage of the service Australasian Bus & Coach (ABC) is the leading bus and coach publication in the region providing news directly to the local industry ABC has released monthly magazines all about buses and coaches while our website and eNewsletter continue to keep the industry updated each and every day.