When Federal Environment minister Greg Hunt announced that Broken Hill was Australia’s first nationally listed Heritage City on January 20th, 2015, it closed the book on 10 years of lobbying for the status and elevated the city to its place in Australia’s national psyche.

It is the people of Broken Hill that have arguably contributed most to the heritage listing. Over 130 years, the rights of tens of thousands of workers have given birth to many laws and provisions that we take for granted today. Broken Hill was not only the birthplace of Occupational Health & Safety and the 35-hour work week, but – thanks to the spread of nationwide worker support resulting from strikes in 1908 and 1909 - it has also been recognised as being the catalyst that put a fire under the trade union movement.

Broken Hill will be celebrating stories, places and people during the Heritage Festival at Easter.

Event highlights from the Festival include:

• Projections on the Town Hall Facade
• Secrets + Scandals Heritage Dinner
• Secrets + Scandals Cemetry Tour
• Claude Marquet: Ink Marks

More details here: https://www.brokenhill.nsw.gov.au/.../Heritage-Highlights

(Images 2019 Heritage Festival - Town Hall Facade Argent St Broken Hill)