Dubbed the 'Arts End of Australia', Broken Hill has a long history of art and one of the most active arts communities in the country. The town is essentially the home of outback art, with talents such as Pro Hart, Jack Absalom, Roxanne Minchin and Albert Woodroffe establishing its artistic reputation around the world.
Why Broken Hill? When asked, most artists will tell you it is the "light, the unbelievable light", that draws them to this remote city. This clear light, as well as the arid landscape, blue skies, bright desert colours and vast spaces are the images most often captured by the artists here.
The town is now home to around 100 professional and semi-professional artists and boasts 35 private galleries as well as New South Wales' oldest regional public gallery, the Broken Hill City Art Gallery, established in 1904.
One of the first locals to make a living from his art was J C Goodhart, owner of the largest haberdashery and general store, who sold his etchings and watercolours of the mines over the shop counter to visitors.
Jacqui Hemsley, Director of the City Gallery, sums up the art history:
"When the mine first started here, and there was money everywhere, art was a focal point. Once the depression hit, there was no interest in the arts at all, up until the 60s and 70s, when it picked up again. Now, I would say it's at its height."
While art was once more of secondary attraction for tourists to Broken Hill, it is now one of the major drawcards.
"It's grown so much that 50% of the visitors' time is spent viewing art," Jacqui says. "For a town this size to support 35 private galleries is just amazing.
"When artists come here, they tend to stay for a really long time. The climate and ease of lifestyle is such an attraction for them. Out here you can do your art full time, support your family and have a reasonable lifestyle, whereas it's more difficult to do that in the cities."
Long term resident artist Roxanne Minchin, who has just opened a new, larger, gallery, says people and other artists see paintings from Broken Hill and wonder if the light and the scenery can be as good as it appears.
"We get comments from people that something can't be 'that blue or that red' and then when they see it for real, it's even bluer or redder than in the painting," Roxanne explains.
"Art is not so much the bonus here any more - it's on par with the scenery. You're very central to a whole range of fascinating things, like Menindee Lakes, Mungo National Park and White Cliffs, so you can see all these while you're here, as well as the art."
Jacqui Hemsley believes it is the accessibility of the art and artists that make Broken Hill's art scene so appealing.
"If you want to meet Pro Hart or Jack Absalom, and watch them work, you can, and that's a real thrill for people," she says.
Some arts groups, particularly watercolourists, visit Broken Hill on specific arts tours.
If you prefer to do some research before browsing the galleries, details and locations are available at the Broken Hill Visitors Centre.
Don't just stick to the most popular galleries - visit the lesser known ones as well and you'll get a wider perspective.
Geoff De Main, a diverse artist who paints, sculpts and sketches, turns his art gallery into a restaurant every second Friday night. He and his wife prepare an Indian or Lebanese feast and the place is usually packed out with locals, so book ahead.
Geoff also offers a two-day Outback Artists Camp with art equipment and tutoring supplied.
The newest artistic attraction is the Big Picture, the world's largest acrylic painting on canvas. Located at the Silver City Mint and Art Centre, the 100-metre by 12-metre-high work depicts landmarks in and around Broken Hill. Although it looks complete, it is still a work in progress by Peter Andrew Anderson (Ando), who plans to keep adding bits to it over the coming years.
If sculpture is your thing, make sure you visit the extraordinary Living Desert Sculpture Park just outside town.
The Thankakali Aboriginal Corporation has a major art display at Broken Hill. It's a must see for those interested in Aboriginal art.
Maree, Adelaide.
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