Five Days In Broken Hill
01/06/26
Broken Hill is not a location I ever really had on my radar, nor did I know much about it. I’d always wanted to visit Australia’s deserts, but that was about as far as my interest had gone. Then, earlier this year, one of my clients, Uniplan, reached out about travelling to the desert to work as a camera operator on a case study for a project they had underway in the area. Suddenly, the prospect of visiting Broken Hill became incredibly exciting—this was my chance to explore the far west of the state, a place I’d always been curious about.
At midday on June 1st, the first day of winter, the plane touched down at Broken Hill Airport, and I was greeted by an icy wind and a light drizzle—not exactly the first impression of a desert town I had been expecting. Given the sheer volume of gear we needed for the five-day shoot, I decided to travel light for personal photography, bringing only my Canon 200D and Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM pancake lens.
The afternoon was largely spent location scouting for the following day's shoot and getting absolutely battered by gale-force winds, especially at the top of the Line of Lode Miners Memorial. Once Sarah (the project's director) and I were finished there, we decided to drive out to Mundi Mundi Lookout and the tiny village of Silverton for sunset.
Somehow, despite having lived in Australia for almost my entire life, I felt like I was seeing the country for the first time as the sun slowly dipped below the vast, flat, and seemingly endless horizon.
02/06/26
The following day was largely broken into two parts. We had an interview with the Mayor that went well that morning, and in the afternoon the director and I parted ways so she could head to the next shooting location and help prepare it for the following day's interview. Meanwhile, it was time for me to head into town and capture some B-roll of all the hustle and bustle—or at least that was the plan.
As it turns out, like most regional towns, the streets were largely empty after 2pm. I managed to get some great shots with the projects camera gear, largely thanks to the flexibility of the 24–70mm lens I was shooting with. However, when it came to my own photography around town, I don't know that the 24mm ended up being the right choice, and the cloudy weather certainly didn't help either. Great for the landscapes surrounding the town, but a little limiting for the street photography I was attempting.
Still, it was a nice way to spend the afternoon and a great opportunity to absorb some of the town's history.
03/06/26
Hump day was plagued by both technical and logistical issues that I’m not going to go into here, but it did free us up to wrap up a little earlier and do some extra exploring.
We’d been told about Junction Mine, an old mine right in the middle of town that we had somehow consistently missed while driving around. It did not disappoint. What an incredible piece of infrastructure to be able to explore in the heart of everything, and dead quiet to boot. I’m really happy with how many of these photos turned out, and I can still feel the ground beneath my feet as I climbed into a few maybe-not-so-safe locations to get my shots just right. It’s hard to imagine finding another location this dramatic in the middle of a town anywhere else.
There was also an abandoned house—or perhaps workers' quarters—next to the mine. I was nearly out of light by the time I made my way over there, so I didn’t have much time to explore, but I have to say, the complete lack of graffiti genuinely shocked me as someone who’s no stranger to abandoned buildings.
To wrap up the afternoon—one that really helped me forget the day's dramas—we grabbed a few shots of the Junction Motel and a service station, simply because the combination of the neon signs and the setting sun looked perfect. As sad as it is to admit, the photo of the Mobil service station might actually be the best image I captured during the entire trip.
So it goes, I suppose.
05/06/26
Skipping forward a day—because day four was absolutely mental, incredibly long, and left me with no opportunity to even think about touching my camera—the morning of the final day (or half day, given our plane left at midday), we decided to head back out to Mundi Mundi Lookout to capture the sunrise, and I’m so glad we did.
The wind was gone, the clouds were gone, and it was just us, the desert, and the sun. What an absolutely beautiful place, and what a beautiful morning to spend there. On the drive back, we pulled into Silverton again. I wish we’d been there while the Mad Max Museum was open, but we had to settle for wandering the dirt streets and appreciating the glorious morning light on the historic buildings—and on a few cows.
What an amazing place. I hope I can get back there someday for pleasure and art, rather than work. It’s definitely lit a fire under me to get out and explore more of western New South Wales, at the very least.
