The ghosts of mining towns that died when the precious minerals ran out are scattered all over Australia. BROKEN HILL , on the other hand, celebrated its centenary in 1988, and its famous " Line of Lode ", one of the world's major lead-silver-zinc ore bodies and the city's raison d'être , still has a little life left in it after being mined continuously for over 110 years. Inevitably, Broken Hill revolves around the mines, but in the last decade it has also evolved into a thriving arts centre, thanks to the initiative of the Brushmen of the Bush , a painting school founded by local artists Pro Hart, Hugh Schulz, Jack Absalom, John Pickup and the late Eric Minchin. Diverse talents have been attracted to Broken Hill, and their works are displayed in galleries scattered all over town. Some may be a bit on the tacky side, but others are excellent, and it's well worth devoting some time to gallery-browsing. The city was also the memorable location for several scenes of the drag-queens-run-riot-in-the-Outback film Priscilla Queen of the Desert which was shot here in 1993.

Almost 1200km west of Sydney and about 500km east of Adelaide, this surprisingly gracious Outback mining town, with a feel and architecture reminiscent of the South Australian capital, and with a population of around 21,000, manages to create a welcome splash of green in the harsh desert landscape that surrounds it. Extensive revegetation schemes around Broken Hill have created grasslands that, apart from being visually pleasing, help contain the dust that used to make the residents' lives miserable. It's aided by a reliable water supply - secured for the first time only in 1953 - via a one-hundred-kilometre-long pipeline from the Darling River at Menindee. The city is also a convenient base for touring far northwest New South Wales and nearby areas in South Australia.

Remember to adjust your watch: Broken Hill operates on South Australian Central Standard Time , half an hour behind the rest of NSW. All local transport schedules are in CST, but you should always check.