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Eating, drinking and nightlife
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Broken Hill still has the proverbial
pub
on every corner - most of them serve inexpensive counter meals as well as ice-cold beer on tap. Broken Hill has always been a legendary drinking hole, once having over seventy hotels. Many have been converted to other uses, but at the time of writing there are still more than twenty licensed establishments and a pub crawl is highly recommended. Some places to include for an early drink are the kitsch-crammed
Mario's Palace
, 227 Argent St, which memorably featured in
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
; the
Rising Sun
, 2 Beryl St (tel 08/8087 4856), popular with younger locals on Friday nights when live bands play; the
Black Lion Inn
, 34 Bromide St, good any time (after midnight Tues-Sat but Fri & Sat till 4am) but especially during happy hour at the cocktail bar done out like an underground mine; and the
Mulga Hill Tavern
, on the corner of Oxide and Williams streets.
Another option is to sample the local culture at one of the numerous clubs . These make most of their money out of gambling - with snooker tables, darts and endless parades of one-armed bandits - and they're happy to draw their customers in and keep them playing by tempting them with large portions of cheap food, and quite often live entertainment. Best known is the Barrier Social Democratic Club ( Demo Club to the locals) at 214 Argent St (tel 08/8088 4477) with $7.10 daily meal specials including a well-assorted salad bar plus great, inexpensive breakfasts (7-9am). You could also try the Broken Hill Legion Club , 166-170 Crystal St (tel 08/8087 4064); or the Broken Hill Musicians Club , 276 Crystal St (tel 08/8088 1777), which has inherited Broken Hill's famous Two Up School , once an illegal back-lane gambling operation.
Apart from the pubs and clubs, there are several good
cafes and bakeries
on Argent Street where you can get something to eat and drink - restaurants aren't really Broken Hill's style.
Ruby's Coffee Lounge
, at no. 373, near the corner of Oxide Street (closed Sun), places the emphasis on healthy food, with a few vegetarian dishes always on offer and lots of baked goodies. At no. 198, the friendly
Jonathan's Cafe
serves almost exclusively veggie fare, while Cosy
Charlotte's
at no. 317, opposite the post office, is reckoned to serve the town's best cappuccino and has a well-assorted range of cakes, muffins and slices to accompany your foamy brew.
Cafe Alfresco
at no. 343 (closed Sun) is a city-style cafe with big open doors and wooden floors, but unfortunately the standard of its coffee doesn't match the interior. Their open toasted sandwiches, however, are huge, tasty and cheap; a separate, pricier night-time restaurant menu features grills, pasta and salads. For
grocery
supplies, visit the well-stocked, late-opening IGM behind the police station on Blende Street, or the out-of-town Westside Plaza, Galena Street (open daily) which proffers both an enormous Woolworths (with liquor) and a cheaper Big W supermarket. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Australia,
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