Elizabeth VINES
The Broken Hill area was known by early pastoralists as the "broken hill" due to its massive ore body, a jagged rocky ridge contrasting starkly against the undulating plain country on either side. At the end of 1884 rich silver deposits were discovered and by early 1886 more than 3,000 people resided in the township, focussing on the track running along the foot of the Broken Hill outcrop which developed into Broken Hill's main street, Argent Street. The settlement became a township proper with a Municipal Council elected in November 1888. The city has travelled through boom and bust periods, typical of mining towns, and a century after its founding, the heritage value of the place had become apparent, despite the neglected appearance of most buildings. In 1986 the position of Heritage Adviser was established jointly funded by the Heritage Council of New South Wales and by the Broken Hill City Council. The associated Heritage Program has subsequently developed into one of the most comprehensive in the country. As a consequence, Broken Hill has received very generous levels of heritage funding from State and Federal Government. Council has been able to undertake some assessment of the benefits of its heritage incentives schemes, and analysis of figures indicates that every dollar allocated by the State Government to support the incentive programs, has been multiplied approximately 14 times at the local community level.
This presentation will explain how Broken Hill has championed its industrial and cultural heritage into a success story. Future initiatives and challenges including the proposed National Heritage Listing of the city will be outlined. The paper would provide delegates with a good background of the conference host city.