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Broken Hill Solar Plant

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87-717: The Broken Hill Solar Plant , which became operational in December 2015, is a 53 megawatt farm located near Broken Hill in western New South Wales , Australia. It is associated with the Nyngan Solar Plant (almost 600 km to the east), making the total capacity of the combined plants 155 megawatts. The Australian Energy Commission sets the regulations for the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO). The AEMO calculates and publishes MLFs every year by 1 April as required under clause 3.6 of

174-525: A 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) standard gauge rail link from Broken Hill to Menindee was opened, mainly to transport water from the Darling River to Broken Hill. Earlier sections of what became the Broken Hill railway line had been opened as early as 1885, reaching Trida in 1919, but a 257 kilometres (160 miles) gap remained between Trida and Menindee. It

261-593: A 1067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ) narrow-gauge railway line that ran north from Broken Hill for about 40 miles (64 km) to an area of limestone deposit which was transported to Broken Hill for use in the smelters at the mines. The tramway opened in 1891 but closed in 1898 as the smelters moved to Port Pirie . In 1889 the Public Works Committee of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly recommended that

348-635: A street tramway to provide public transport around town and to the mines. Eventually the NSW Government decided to build one, which was opened in 1902. It was operated by steam trams transferred from Sydney by sea and then by rail across South Australia. After World War I it sustained increasing losses until the New South Wales Government closed the system in 1926. A curiosity was the Tarrawingee Tramway ,

435-540: A Turkish Flag and fired upon a trainload of people who were headed to a New Years Day picnic. Since Australia was at war at the time with the Ottoman Empire , the men were first thought to be Turkish , but were later identified as being from the British colony of India (modern day Pakistan). They killed four and wounded six, before they were killed by a group of policemen and soldiers. The battle witnessed one of

522-469: A boat to explore north-western New South Wales and to advance into central Australia. They travelled along the Murray and Darling rivers before being guided past the future site of Broken Hill by a local Indigenous teenager named Topar . They were stranded for months by the extreme summer conditions near the present site of Milparinka . When the rains eventually came, Sturt moved north and established

609-742: A born loser. He remained throughout his life an English Tory gentleman with an unshakeable faith in God and Jesus the true kings. Sturt is buried in Cheltenham Cemetery, Gloucestershire. Sturt is commemorated by: The Charles Sturt Museum is based in Sturt's former home "The Grange", in the Adelaide suburb of Grange . The museum illustrates his story with "not only ... displays of relics, but interpretive and multimedia displays". The Australian-born American actor Rod Taylor , whose middle name

696-535: A depot at Fort Grey (today this site is within Sturt National Park ). With a small group of men, including explorer John McDouall Stuart as his draughtsman, Sturt pressed on across what is now known as Sturt's Stony Desert and into the Simpson Desert . Unable to go further, he turned back to the depot. Sturt made a second attempt to reach the centre of Australia, but he developed scurvy in

783-493: A great interest in the country. The Governor of New South Wales , Sir Ralph Darling , formed a high opinion of Sturt and appointed him major of brigade and military secretary. Sturt became friendly with John Oxley , Allan Cunningham , Hamilton Hume , and other explorers. Sturt was keen to explore the Australian interior, especially its rivers. Sturt received approval from Governor Darling on 4 November 1828 to explore

870-529: A massive search was conducted over eight days to find him. Days later both the Governor and his remainder of the party reached Adelaide on 28 December. Though Bryan was never found, his horse returned to Adelaide after several months. In September 1841, Sturt chaired a Bench of Magistrates that conducted an official inquiry into the circumstances of the Rufus River massacre . The inquiry concluded "that

957-641: A maximum transmission rate of 40 megawatts was built at Broken Hill in 1986, to draw from the National Grid. It consists of 2 static inverters working with a voltage of 8.33 kV. After this station was operational, the two other power stations closed and the equipment was gradually removed from the Central Power Station. The mothballed Southern Power Station, now owned by remnant miner Perilya, still houses five, 9 cylinder, Nordberg marine engines and two Mirrlees V16 marine engines. In 2010,

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1044-532: A public inquiry. Parts of the town received record rainfall totals since records began in 1884, with total exceeding 140 mm (5.5 in) fell in a 24-hour period on 16 March 2022. The main street resembled a river in the floods that followed resulting in the death of one man. Broken Hill has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: The town was listed in 2001 as a National Engineering Landmark by Engineers Australia as part of its Engineering Heritage Recognition Program . In 2015, Broken Hill became

1131-698: A relative oasis amid the harsh climate of the Australian outback. High evaporation rates have resulted in the policy of using the local storage for supply before using the pipeline. In 2004, due to severe drought across much of the Murray Darling Basin Catchment area, the Darling River ceased to flow and the Menindee Lakes dried out. Broken Hill essentially ran out of water, with a muddy sludge coming out of some taps around Christmas time in 2004. The high salt content of

1218-549: A rich trade union history. Some of the most bitter industrial disputes have been fought in Broken Hill in 1892, 1909 and 1919. The last of these led to the formation in 1923 of the Barrier Industrial Council , a group of 18 trade unions, which became one of the most influential organisations in the politics of the city. Like many "outback" towns, Broken Hill was built on precious metals, having once had

1305-524: A twice weekly coach service to Adelaide . NSW Trainlink also operates a coach service, Coach 588, to Mildura , on Wednesdays and Fridays. Regional Express operates air services from Broken Hill Airport to and from Adelaide , Dubbo , Griffith , Melbourne via Mildura and Sydney . Silver City Scenic Flights provide local scenic flights over the city, longer air safaris to various destinations in outback Australia and also private air charter services from Broken Hill Airport . Local public transport

1392-422: A way of restoring his reputation in the colony and London. Two days late while riding in very hot weather, with their water supply dwindling, both the men and horses were suffering. During the return journey to the river, Bryan's horse was slow, and was lagging behind the main group. When a dust storm occurred, Bryan got lost, was separated from his horse, and most likely died. His body was never recovered, although

1479-542: Is Adelaide , the capital of South Australia, which is more than 500 km (310 mi) to the southwest and linked via route A32, the Barrier Highway . The town is prominent in Australia's mining, industrial relations and economic history after the discovery of silver - lead - zinc ore led to the opening of various mines , thus establishing Broken Hill's recognition as a prosperous mining town well into

1566-541: Is Australia's longest-lived mining city. In 1844, the explorer Charles Sturt saw and named the Barrier Range , and at the time referred to a "Broken Hill" in his diary. Silver ore was later discovered on this broken hill in 1883 by boundary rider Charles Rasp . The broken hill that gave its name to Broken Hill actually consisted of a number of hills that appeared to have a break in them. This broken hill no longer exists, having been mined away. The area

1653-469: Is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Highway (B79), in the Barrier Range . It is 315 m (1,033 ft) above sea level, with a cold semi-arid climate , and an average rainfall of 265 mm (10.4 in). The closest major city is Mildura , 300 km (190 mi) to the south and the nearest State Capital City

1740-533: Is provided by CDC Broken Hill , operating four city bus routes from Monday to Saturday. The city is also serviced by two urban taxi companies. Broken Hill has a cold semi arid climate ( BSk ) under the Köppen climate classification . Winters in Broken Hill are relatively cool; while summers are mostly hot and dry, with the odd cold front that causes a sharp temperature drop from time to time, on account of its far western longitude exposing it to cold airmasses off

1827-492: Is summarised in the Australian Dictionary of Biography as follows: Although Sturt probably entered his career as an explorer through influence, his selection was justified by results. He was a careful and accurate observer and an intelligent interpreter of what he saw, and it was unfortunate that much of his work revealed nothing but desolation. He prided himself with some justice on his impeccable treatment of

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1914-458: The Barrier Range while searching for an inland sea; so naming it because it blocked his journey north. Pastoralists first began settling the area in the 1850s, and the main trade route to the area was along the Darling River . Broken Hill was founded in 1883 by boundary rider Charles Rasp , who patrolled the Mount Gipps fences. In 1883 he discovered what he thought was tin , but

2001-540: The Bight . The average maximum during the summer is about 33 °C (91 °F) with an average of 25% humidity, although storms and cooler weather do occur. Broken Hill averages 157.3 clear days per year. Dust storms are a common problem in the desert, but in the late 1930s the people of Broken Hill, led by Mr Keast of the Zinc Corporation mine, created green reserves to surround the town thus protecting it from

2088-594: The Mariner to New South Wales , arriving in Sydney on 23 May 1827. Sturt was a cousin of the wife of Henry Dumaresq , brother-in-law of Governor Ralph Darling, which was later to complicate his relationship with Sir Thomas Mitchell , who resented those whom he judged were treated favourably by Darling. Sturt found the conditions and climate in New South Wales much better than he expected, and he developed

2175-674: The 1990s. Despite experiencing a slowing economic situation into the late 1990s and 2000s, Broken Hill itself was listed on the National Heritage List in 2015 and remains Australia's longest running mining town. Broken Hill, historically considered one of Australia's boomtowns , has been referred to as "The Silver City", and less commonly as the "Oasis of the West", and the "Capital of the Outback ". Although over 1,100 km (680 mi) west of Sydney and surrounded by desert,

2262-495: The 19th and early 20th century Broken Hill was home to a community of Afghans. Afghans worked as camel drivers in parts of outback Australia, and they made a significant contribution to economic growth when transport options were limited. The camel drivers formed the first sizeable Muslim communities in Australia, and in Broken Hill they left their mark in the form of the first mosque in New South Wales (1880). Charles Sturt Charles Napier Sturt (28 April 1795 – 16 June 1869)

2349-490: The Aboriginals, and earned the respect and liking of his men by his courtesy and care for their well-being. Indeed his capacity for arousing and retaining affection was remarkable; it made him an ideal family man but a failure in public life. Without toughness and egocentricity to balance his poor judgment and business capacity he had little chance of success in colonial politics. In this sphere, he might well be described as

2436-524: The BHP mines at Broken Hill ceased 28 February 1939. BHP was not the only mining operation at Broken Hill though, and mining continued at the southern and northern ends of the Line of Lode. In the early 20th century, Broken Hill was a centre of mining innovation resulting in a viable froth flotation process. Currently the southern and northern operations are run by Perilya Limited, who plan to open further mines along

2523-422: The Central Power Station (CPS) buildings were handed back to Broken Hill City Council for a proposed re-development as a film studio, due to the perceived need for a facility in Broken Hill by some local people in preparation for the production of Mad Max: Fury Road . The historic machinery was all removed and presumably scrapped and the giant pits that the motors were housed in were filled with concrete to convert

2610-728: The Government take over the line and it subsequently became a narrow-gauge part of the New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR) run under contract by the Silverton Tramway Company . An excursion train on the Silverton Tramway was fired on by two immigrant supporters of the wartime Ottoman Empire in 1915. They shot dead four people and wounded seven more before being killed by police and military officers. In 1919,

2697-635: The Interior of Southern Australia during the years 1828, 1829, 1830 and 1831 , of which a second edition appeared in 1834. For the first time the public in England realised the importance of Sturt's work. Governor Darling's somewhat tardy but appreciative dispatch of 14 April 1831, and his request for Sturt's promotion, had had no result. Sir Richard Bourke , who had succeeded Darling, was also unsuccessful in persuading Viscount Goderich to give "this deserving officer your Lordship's protection and support". Though

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2784-621: The Line of Lode. In 1892 Broken Hill Gaol was built, designed by the Colonial Architect , James Barnet , who also designed the Sydney Museum , among others. Its construction cost £15,000, and was carried out by Dobbee and Son. It opened on 8 November 1892 as a 90-bed facility with five prison wardens and initially holding two female and 19 male prisoners. The Battle of Broken Hill took place on New Year's Day 1915 when two Afghan men, pushing an ice-cream cart, hoisted

2871-570: The Murray, until he reached the river's confluence with the Darling. Sturt had now proved that all the western-flowing rivers eventually flow into the Murray. In February 1830, the party reached a large lake, which Sturt called Lake Alexandrina . A few days later, they reached the sea, later named as the Southern Ocean . There they made the disappointing discovery that the mouth of the Murray

2958-628: The National Electricity Rules ahead of commencing on 1 July. These figures are forward-looking projections based on expectations of the demand and dispatch patterns of that upcoming year, as well as the network flows and losses that are expected to occur during that year. The Broken Hill solar plant, like other generation near the edge of the grid, has suffered from changes in marginal loss factor calculations. The 2017-18 financial year (FY) Marginal Loss Factor (MLF) of 1.2841 to 1.0603 (2018-19 FY MLF) affected revenue. The 2019/20 MLF

3045-571: The Silver City Energy Storage 200 MW / 1600 MWh (8-hour) compressed-air energy storage (CAES) facility in the Potosi mine is proposed for Broken Hill to balance local electricity. Broken Hill has never had a permanent local water supply that meets the town's needs. By 1888 when the town's population had reached 5,000, the state government built a series of small storage tanks. By the 1890s, mining development had increased to

3132-517: The area around Broken Hill are thought to have been the Wiljakali Indigenous Australians , once thought to have only intermittently lived in the area because of the lack of permanent water sources. The first British to enter the area was the 1844 expedition led by soldier and explorer Charles Sturt . He was guided there along Stephens Creek by an Indigenous teenager from Menindee called Topar . Sturt saw and named

3219-480: The area of the Macquarie River in western New South Wales. It was not, however, until 10 November that the party started out. It consisted of Sturt, his servant Joseph Harris, three soldiers and eight convicts; on 27 November Sturt was joined by Hamilton Hume as his first assistant. Hume's experience proved to be very useful. A week was spent at Wellington Valley breaking in oxen and horses, and on 7 December

3306-518: The army. The remainder of his family went to live at Dinan to economise after the expenses of education and fitting out. But they found the town to be unhealthy and in 1863 returned to Cheltenham. In 1864 Sturt suffered great grief in the death of one of his sons in India. In March 1869 Sturt attended the inaugural dinner of the Colonial Society, at which Lord Granville mentioned that it was

3393-461: The average age of the populace as the young leave seeking work. In 2021, Broken Hill had an unemployment rate of 5.5%, which was higher than the state average of 4.9%. Broken Hill has always had a small indigenous community. In recent decades, the proportion of the population identifying as Aboriginal has increased markedly; from 0.6% in 1971 to 10.0% in 2021, partly owing to the migration of non-indigenous Australians away from Broken Hill. In

3480-416: The buildings into a warehouse type layout. The Broken Hill City Council has received considerable funding and spent a large amount of money and resources on establishing a film studio in the buildings but as at late 2014 these buildings remain largely empty and unused as the production of Fury Road shifted to Namibia , Africa, following higher than expected rainfall. The high potential for solar power given

3567-399: The closure and consolidation of mining operations. The estimated urban population of Broken Hill in 2021 was 17,588. The impact on Broken Hill's economy of the shrinking mining industry and the more efficient mining rates resulted in a higher proportion of part-time employment, higher employment participation rate by females, a general reduction in overall household incomes, and an increase in

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3654-429: The colonial office did not seem to recognise the value of Sturt's work, publication of his book was important because it captured the attention of Edward Gibbon Wakefield , who read it. He chose South Australia for a new settlement then being contemplated by the government. In May 1834, based on his services, Sturt applied for a grant of land in Australia, intending to settle on it. In July instructions were given that he

3741-417: The conduct of Mr Moorhouse and his party was justifiable, and indeed unavoidable in their circumstances". Sturt believed that it was his destiny to discover a great saltwater lake, known as 'the inland sea', in the middle of Australia. At very least, he wanted to be the first explorer to plant his foot in 'the centre' of Australia. In August 1844, he set out with a party of 15 men, 200 sheep, six drays , and

3828-614: The direct link to Sydney was completed. In 1937 the NSWGR placed the Silver City Comet into service – the first air-conditioned train in Australia, which ran between Broken Hill and Parkes . During World War II, land transportation between South Australia and the eastern states became important because of the threat posed by submarines and mines to coastal shipping. Extensive transshipment yards were constructed at Broken Hill in 1942 to allow transshipment of munitions. With

3915-490: The extensive daily hours of sunshine in the town led to construction of the 53 MW Broken Hill Solar Plant by AGL Energy . It was funded and supported by the Australian Government and New South Wales Government in a bid to encourage the move away from coal generated power in favour of renewable energy . The plant was completed in 2016 and was one of the largest in Australia at the time. From 2020,

4002-655: The extreme conditions. His health broke down and he was forced to abandon the attempt. John Harris Browne , surgeon on the expedition , assisted Sturt, took over leadership of the party and, after travelling a total of 3,000 miles (4,800 km), brought it back to safety. Early in 1847 Sturt went to England on leave. He arrived in October and was presented with the Royal Geographical Society 's Founder's Medal . He prepared his Narrative of an Expedition into Central Australia for publication; however, it

4089-400: The first city in Australia to be included on the National Heritage List . By the 1920s most of the nine mines on the Line of Lode had their own steam-powered electrical generators to power the surface and underground workings. As Broken Hill is in a desert with little water and virtually no fuel, steam generation was an expensive option. In 1927 a plan for a central power-generating facility

4176-469: The first shots on Australian soil during World War I . In 1918, the Italian Ambassador to Australia, Emilio Eles, with the help of the Australian police and the army, organised the roundup of Italian deserters working there as miners, to be forcibly sent back to Italy to fight in the war. Broken Hill is also known for its input into the formation of the labour movement in Australia, and has

4263-556: The intention of the government to extend the Order of St Michael and St George to the colonies. Sturt allowed himself to be persuaded by his friends to apply for a knighthood (KCMG), but afterwards regretted he had done so, when he heard there were innumerable applications. Sturt's health had been very variable and on 16 June 1869, he died suddenly. He was survived by his widow, two sons, Colonel Napier George Sturt, R.E. and Major-General Charles Sheppey Sturt, and daughter Charlotte. Mrs Sturt

4350-518: The lower reaches of Ginninderra Creek , near present-day Canberra . (Sturt named the property 'Belconnen', a name now applied to the nearby population centre .) In 1838 he, with Giles Strangways, a Mr McLeod, and Captain John Finnis , herded cattle overland from Sydney to Adelaide , on the way proving that the Hume and the Murray were the same river. In September 1838, Sturt led an expedition to

4437-494: The meantime, in December 1839, Sturt and his wife accompanied George Gawler , Julia Gawler, Henry Bryan and Henry Inman on a Murray River expedition, visiting Mount Bryan . Julia Gawler, Charlotte Sturt and Charlotte's maidservant became the first white women to travel the Murray. Sturt served briefly as the Registrar-General, but he soon proposed a major expedition with Henry Bryan into the interior of Australia as

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4524-585: The mines and timber for the timber sets used underground in mining. The Silverton Tramway Company was the most profitable railway company on the Australia Stock Exchange. The main sidings and locomotive servicing facilities were in Railwaytown, a suburb of Broken Hill, with sidings running to the south and north to serve the mines. The main passenger station was at Sulphide Street . From the later 1890s, Broken Hill Council campaigned for

4611-650: The mouth of the Murray, which settled all dispute as to the suitability of Adelaide for the colony's capital. After returning to NSW to settle his affairs, Sturt settled at what is now Grange, South Australia in early 1839; he was appointed Surveyor General of South Australia and a member of the South Australian Legislative Council . When the London-appointed Surveyor-General Edward Frome unexpectedly arrived, Sturt had to step down. In

4698-469: The party from starvation. But Sturt went blind for some months and never fully recovered his health. By the time they reached Sydney again, they had rowed and sailed nearly 2,900 kilometres of the river system. Sturt briefly served as Commander on Norfolk Island , where mutiny was brewing among the convicts. Because of his ill health, he went to England in 1832 on sick leave, arriving there almost completely blind. In 1833 he published his Two Expeditions into

4785-551: The point that there was a severe water shortage and the mines and the people fought for water. Emergency water supplies were shipped by rail from the Darling River . In 1891, the Stephens Creek Reservoir was completed by a private company. The cost of water was high but not excessive and people were willing to pay because the environment was arid. Another reservoir was built at Umberumberka, however variable rainfall meant supplemental supplies by rail and rationing

4872-639: The purchase of the Sulphide Corporation by the Zinc Corporation in 1948, the modern Cockle Creek Smelter was constructed south of Newcastle . This started to take lead and zinc concentrates directly from Broken Hill via rail in the 1960s via the W44 concentrate train , marking the first major use of the rail link to the eastern seaboard. In 1970 the 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ) gauge railway from Broken Hill to Port Pirie

4959-494: The real start into comparatively little known country was made. 1828–29 was a period of drought and the party had difficulty in finding sufficient water. They had followed the courses of the Macquarie, Bogan and Castlereagh rivers and, though its importance was scarcely sufficiently realised, had visited the Darling River . The party returned to Wellington Valley on 21 April 1829. The expedition proved that northern New South Wales

5046-470: The same time zone used in nearby South Australia . This is because at the time the Australian dominions adopted standard time, Broken Hill's only direct rail link was with Adelaide, not Sydney . Similarly, Broken Hill is regarded as part of South Australia for the purposes of postal parcels rates and telephone charges. Broken Hill also used to be a break of gauge station where the state railway systems of South Australia and New South Wales met. Broken Hill

5133-553: The samples proved to be silver and lead . The orebody they came from proved to be the largest and richest of its kind in the world. Rasp and six associates founded the Broken Hill Proprietary Company (BHP), later BHP Billiton, and now BHP again, in 1885 as the Syndicate of Seven . By 1915 BHP had realised that its ore reserves were limited and began to diversify into steel production . Mining at

5220-600: The town has prominent park and garden displays and offers a number of attractions, such as the Living Desert Sculptures. The town has a high potential for solar power , given its extensive daylight hours of sunshine. In the Broken Hill region the major Aboriginal language groups are the Paakantji , Mayyankapa, and Nyiimpaa. Unlike the rest of New South Wales, Broken Hill (and the surrounding region) observes Australian Central Standard Time ( UTC+9:30 ),

5307-456: The water led to a lot of damage to evaporative air conditioners and rusted out hot water systems at an alarming rate. Due to the over-extraction of water from the tributaries to the Darling River in the early part of the 21st century, the Menindee pipeline became an insecure supply for the city, in its harsh semi-arid climate. In April 2019, a new New South Wales Government -funded pipeline

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5394-584: The world's richest deposits of lead, zinc and silver. Although now depleted somewhat, mining still yields around two million tonnes annually. Some mine tours are available. Sheep farming is now one of the principal industries in the area and there are considerably more sheep than people – almost 2 million Merino sheep. On 10 January 2007, the Broken Hill City Council was dismissed by the NSW Minister for Local Government following

5481-416: The worst of the storms. Dew points in the summer average between 4.6 and 7.8 °C (40.3 and 46.0 °F). In 1933, Broken Hill was the third largest urban incorporated area in New South Wales, having a population of 26,925. Broken Hill's population peaked at around 30,000 in the early 1960s and has shrunk by one third since the heyday of the 1970s zinc boom, with the decrease attributed to migration from

5568-514: Was 0.8349 and the 2020/21 MLF was 0.8644. On 12 September 2019, the output of the farm was reduced by 50%. Ownership of the Nyngan and Broken Hill solar plants was transferred from AGL Energy to Powering Australian Renewables Fund (PARF), an infrastructure fund closely associated with but independent to AGL. Broken Hill Broken Hill is a city in the far west region of outback New South Wales , Australia. An inland mining city, it

5655-634: Was a British officer and explorer of Australia, and part of the European exploration of Australia . He led several expeditions into the interior of the continent, starting from Sydney and later from Adelaide . His expeditions traced several of the westward-flowing rivers, establishing that they all merged into the Murray River , which flows into the Southern Ocean. He was searching to prove his own passionately held belief that an " inland sea "

5742-455: Was a maze of lagoons and sandbars, impassable to shipping. The party faced the ordeal of rowing back upriver on the Murray and Murrumbidgee, against the current, in the heat of an Australian summer. Their supplies ran out and, when they reached the site of Narrandera in April, they were unable to go any further. Sturt sent two men overland in search of supplies and they returned in time to save

5829-544: Was a problem until the Adelaide narrow gauge railway link was finished in 1888. Since the New South Wales Government would not allow the South Australian Government to continue its 1067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ) narrow-gauge railway across the border to the mines, the last 31 kilometres (19 miles) were built and operated by a private company, the Silverton Tramway Company . "Silverton"

5916-545: Was assigned to accompany a ship of convicts to Australia in 1827. Finding the place to his liking, he made his life there. Charles Sturt was born in the Bengal Presidency , the eldest son (of thirteen children) of Thomas Lenox Napier Sturt, a judge under the British East India Company , and his wife. At the age of five, Charles was sent to live with relatives in England to be educated, as

6003-485: Was carried with them; it was assembled, and on 7 January 1830 they began their eventful voyage down the Murrumbidgee. In January 1830 Sturt's party reached the confluence of the Murrumbidgee and a much larger river, which Sturt named the Murray River . It was in fact the same river which Hume and Hovell had crossed further upstream and named the Hume. Several times the party was in danger from Aborigines but Sturt always succeeded in propitiating them. Sturt proceeded down

6090-544: Was commissioned. The pipeline was constructed in a joint venture between John Holland Group , MPC Kinetic Group and TRILITY, running 270 km (170 mi) from Wentworth on the Murray River. There are four pumping stations along the route and a 720-megalitre (25-million-cubic-foot; 190-million-US-gallon) bulk water storage facility 25 kilometres (16 mi) south of Broken Hill. The pipeline can supply up to 37.4 megalitres (1.3 million cubic feet; 9.9 million US gallons) of raw water per day. The city's isolation

6177-418: Was customary for the children of the colonial upper class. After attending a preparatory school, he was sent to Harrow in 1810. In 1812, Charles went to read with a Mr. Preston near Cambridge, but his father was not wealthy, and had difficulty finding the money to send him to Cambridge University , or to establish him in a profession. An aunt appealed to the Prince Regent and, on 9 September 1813, Sturt

6264-697: Was enlarged in 1950 to cope with increased demand from the North Mine. At the same time, a new power station run by the Southern Power Corporation (owned by Consolidated Zinc ) was erected near the New Broken Hill Consolidated Mine to provide power to the southern end of the Line of Lode. Both stations were connected to a common grid that serviced the mines on the Line of Lode . A HVDC back-to-back station with

6351-566: Was finally closed in 1925, resulting in a continuous route from Sydney to Broken Hill. The terminus for the train was at Crystal Street station , 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) from the Silverton Tramway Company's Sulphide Street station . The rolling stock was transported by sea to South Australia and the railway was supervised by the superintendent of the Broken Hill Government Tramways. In 1927,

6438-838: Was gazetted as an ensign with the 39th (Dorsetshire) Regiment of Foot in the British Army . Sturt saw action with the Duke of Wellington in the Peninsular War and against the Americans in Canada during the War of 1812 . He returned to Europe a few days after the Battle of Waterloo . Sturt was gazetted lieutenant on 7 April 1823 and promoted captain on 15 December 1825. With a detachment from his regiment, Sturt escorted convicts aboard

6525-573: Was given a pension of £600 a year. He settled on 200 hectares (490 acres) of land close to Adelaide and the sea. But the gold discoveries had increased the cost of living there. On 19 March 1853 Sturt and his family sailed for England. Sturt lived at Cheltenham and devoted himself to the education of his children. In 1855 Sturt applied unsuccessfully for the positions of Governor of Victoria and in 1858 for Governor of Queensland . Sturt's age, uncertain health, and comparatively small income were against him. By 1860 Sturt's three sons were all serving in

6612-443: Was granted a civil list pension of £80 a year, and the queen granted her the title of Lady Sturt, as if her husband's nomination to a knighthood of the order of St Michael and St George had been gazetted. Reproductions of portraits of Sturt by Crossland and Koberwein were published in his biography, called Life, written by his daughter-in-law, Mrs N. G. Sturt . These suggest the charm and refinement of Sturt's character. Sturt's life

6699-492: Was incorporated into the name because the railway was originally intended to serve the mining town of Silverton . However, by the time the railway reached Silverton it was already being eclipsed by the newer and bigger mine at Broken Hill. The main purpose of the railway was to transport concentrates and ores from the mines to the smelters and port facilities on the coast at Port Pirie , South Australia. Backloading to Broken Hill transported supplies, principally coal for boilers at

6786-565: Was introduced in 1996; it arrives from Sydney on Mondays at 19:10, departing Broken Hill on Tuesdays at 07:45 for the return to Sydney. NSW TrainLink also operates a daily road coach service, departing the Broken Hill Tourist Information Centre at 03:45, connecting at Dubbo with the Central West XPT to Sydney. The return journey arrives daily at 22:45. On 24 June 2019, NSW TrainLink introduced

6873-418: Was known as the Broken Hill by early pastoralists. Miners called the ore body the Line of Lode. A unique mineral recently identified from Broken Hill has been named Nyholmite after Ron Nyholm (1917–1971). Lead with the isotope signature of the Broken Hill deposits has been found across the entire continent of Antarctica in ice cores dating back to the late nineteenth century. The earliest human settlers in

6960-537: Was located at the centre of the continent. He reached the rank of Captain , served in several appointed posts, and on the Legislative Council. Born to British parents in the Bengal Presidency , Sturt was educated in England for a time as a child and youth. He was placed in the British Army because his father was not wealthy enough to pay for Cambridge. After assignments in North America, Sturt

7047-579: Was not an inland sea, but deepened the mystery of where the western-flowing rivers of New South Wales went. In 1829 Governor Darling approved an expedition to solve this mystery. Sturt proposed to travel down the Murrumbidgee River , whose upper reaches had been seen by the Hume and Hovell expedition . In place of Hume, who was unable to join the party, George Macleay went "as a companion rather than as an assistant". A whaleboat built in sections

7134-590: Was not published until early in 1849. Throughout this time he was suffering again with poor eyesight. Sturt returned to Adelaide with his family, arriving in August 1849. He was immediately appointed Colonial Secretary with a seat in the legislative council. There was no lack of work in the ensuing years. Roads were constructed, and navigation on the Murray was encouraged. However Sturt had renewed trouble with his eyes, which limited his ability to perform these duties. On 30 December 1851, he resigned from both positions and

7221-438: Was originally known as Willyama. Broken Hill's massive orebody , which formed about 1,800 million years ago, has proved to be among the world's largest silver – lead – zinc mineral deposits. The orebody is shaped like a boomerang plunging into the earth at its ends and outcropping in the centre. The protruding tip of the orebody stood out as a jagged rocky ridge amongst undulating plain country on either side. This

7308-478: Was proposed by F. J. Mars, consulting electrical engineer with the Central Mine. The proposed powerhouse would provide electricity and compressed air. The mines agreed and formed Western New South Wales Electric Power Pty Ltd to construct and operate the plant. The Sulzer diesel-powered plant was completed in 1931. This was one of the earliest examples of the use of diesel power generation in Australia. The plant

7395-490: Was still needed. In 1952, Broken Hill's demands for a permanent water supply were met with the completion of a 61 cm (24 in) pipeline from Menindee . The pipeline could supply 1.6 megalitres (57,000 cu ft; 420,000 US gal) of water per hour. Water storage facilities that are part of the Menindee Lakes Scheme on the Darling River secured the water supply to Broken Hill, making it

7482-641: Was superseded by a more heavily built 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) gauge line, broadly following the narrow gauge route but with easier gradients and broader curves. This completed the long-awaited transcontinental rail corridor from Sydney to Perth. Broken Hill railway station is one of the stops of the Indian Pacific passenger service, operated by the Journey Beyond , from Sydney to Perth via Adelaide . The weekly NSW TrainLink Outback Xplorer service

7569-430: Was to receive a grant of 5,000 acres (2,000 ha); in exchange, Sturt agreed to give up his pension rights. On 20 September 1834, Sturt married Charlotte Christiana Greene, daughter of a longtime family friend. Soon afterward, the couple sailed for Australia. Sturt returned to Australia in mid-1835 to begin farming on his own 20 square kilometres (4,900 acres) of land, granted to him by the New South Wales government on

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