Broken Hill - a great movie set: Keith Conlon visits the Outback NSW City on the South Australia border.

They call the stunning line of ancient, ore laden hills known as the Barrier Range and the vast expanses of open plain beyond the "Accessible Outback".

It's not hard to see why artists and sculptors have been drawn here. But back in the latter part of the nineteenth century the miners who made their way to the tiny settlement of Broken Hill would not have seen it as "Accessible". For them, the Hill was a place of back breaking and dangerous work, as they risked their lives in search of the silver, lead and zinc buried below.

Broken Hill has always had its fair share of characters and they're still part of street life today. That’s where retired miner, Fred Peter comes in. He’s now a bagpipe playing tour guide who provides a novel form of entertainment for visitors.

Fred’s also done his bit for Australia's push into Hollywood.

“I've been an extra in about fifteen films and about eight TV Ads.” He laughed.

You might remember Fred in the Max Gillies' film "As Time Goes By". It was filmed in Broken Hill and nearby Silverton.

“I was the bone collector out in the desert. You pick up the bones and you take them into the town and you get a couple of bob and you go and buy a beer with it,” said Fred. “And the producer said to me Fred, you're very lucky because a lot of film actors would give their left leg to get the part you've got. And I said how's that? He said you have the whole screen to yourself for the first ten minutes. And I did.”

As you wander around Broken Hill there are signs of its movie past everywhere. The legendary Palace Hotel with it's intricate murals in the dining room, the ornate stairwell and even the upstairs bedrooms captured the eye of the team making the classic Australian hit, Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

And the makers of the Made Max movies settled on the Broken Hill outback, which played as important a role as any big name actor.

Old hands like Fred have seen the power of the arid landscape on many cameramen - particularly Australians.

“You can always tell an Australian cameraman because he loves what he sees,” said Fred. “And the camera sort of lingers over the scene - where as for an American cameraman it's just another shot.”

Broken Hill is full of surprises.

Broken Hill Visitor Information Centre
Phone: +61 (0)8 8088 9700 or 1300 557 036
Fax: +61 (0)8 8088 5209
Email: tourist@brokenhill.nsw.gov.au
Web: www.visitbrokenhill.com.au