Mildura To Broken Hill: Road Trip Stops, Bus, Flights And More [2023]

Published Categorised as New South Wales, Victoria
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Thinking about making the journey from Mildura to Broken Hill (or Broken Hill to Mildura) and want to know how to travel between the two? I can help!

The good news is that the distance from Mildura to Broken Hill is not far – it’s an easy three hour drive. It’s also somewhat exciting if this is the first time you’ve seen the Outbank.

If you don’t want to drive then I also have good news – below I have details about the bus service between Broken Hill and Milldura as well as flights.

Broken Hill Line of Lode Miners Memorial
Line of Lode Miners Memorial in Broken Hill

Whether you want to bus, fly, are curious about the train or want to know the best way to drive from Mildura to Broken Hill, everything is described step-by-step below so you can easily make your journey. I also describe the reverse journey from Broken Hill to Mildura.

Note: Broken Hill is different to the rest of NSW and adopts Central Time – so is in the same timezone as Adelaide. This means that Broken Hill is half an hour behind Mildura. Wind your clocks back when crossing over and take this into account with timetables.

Contents

Mildura To Broken Hill Map

Mildura To Broken Hill Map
Click the Map to open in Google Maps. You can then access directions to each of the locations discussed in this article.

The distance Mildura to Broken Hill is around 296 kilometres and the driving time is around three hours.

The Mildura to Broken Hill distance is not so bad as the road (Silver City Highway – more below) is in good condition, mostly flat with good visibility. This is one of the easiest drives I have done in Australia.

BEST OPTION: How To Get From Mildura To Broken Hill

The best option to travel from Mildura to Broken Hill (or vice versa) is in your own car on the Silver City Highway. It’s an easy three-hour journey. You can also make the journey by bus or plane. It is all straightforward.

Option 1: Mildura To Broken Hill Road Trip

A Mildura to Broken Hill road trip is relatively quick and easy. There are two main routes – the Silver City Highway if you want to travel as quickly as possible or the route via Menindee if you would like more scenery. Either way will take you through the Outback.

Silver City Highway

Silver City Highway
Silver City Highway

The excitingly named Silver City Highway (or less exciting B79) is a quick and easy three hours from Mildura.

As stated above, the road is in good condition and is mostly flat with great visibility. It was rare I had to take the cruise control off 110km/h and there weren’t many other cars. Keep a lookout for kangaroos though, especially if you travel at night. We saw quite a few bodies on and by the road.

After leaving Mildura, Wentworth is the last town you’ll see where the Murray River meets the Darling River. It’s a pretty town with many facilities. This is the place to stock up on fuel if you need it – there is only one shop with petrol after this.

Coombah Truckhouse is this shop. It’s about 170 kilometres from Mildura, so somewhat halfway. To repeat, this is the only place you can get fuel between Wentworth and Broken Hill.

Rest stop on Silver City Highway, Broken Hill
Rest stop on Silver City Highway

There are regular rest stops along the way with toilets. Take your own toilet paper and don’t expect locks on the door.

The scenery is monotonous. It’s mostly scrub with trees. We had expected to be driving through the Outback but it only seems like the Outback for around the final 50 minutes.

Broken Hill To Mildura Via Menindee (Darling River Road)

This road follows the Darling River and is a scenic journey through the NSW Outback. It’s about 360 kilometres long and takes about 4 hours and 10 minutes so it is a longer alternative and not for people who want to get there as soon as possible.

Along the way you can visit  Mungo National Park, Australia’s first World Heritage-listed national park. The site of one of the oldest found skeletons of modern humans (and the oldest outside Africa), this area has a long history. There’s dramatic scenery, with a 22-kilometre wall of sand and clay.

Mungo National Park
Mungo National Park

Further along the road is the town of Menindee, the oldest European settlement on the Darling. The place where the Darling River flows into the Menindee lakes, Menindee is a relative oasis. In bad drought years, the lakes can be dry, but either way, it’s a beautiful area.

When the lakes are full, birds are seemingly everywhere and a sunset here is gorgeous.

A final drink at the Maidens Hotel is a must. This is the place where Burke and Wills set off from for their infamous trip in 1860.

This route is not all sealed so check conditions before departing.

Option 2: Bus From Mildura To Broken Hill

It’s possible to take a Mildura to Broken Hill bus or a Broken Hill to Mildura bus.

At the time of publishing, this ran on weekdays in the later afternoon from Mildura Station, Coach Stop to Broken Hill Town Coach Stop taking 3.75 hours.

It should be booked in advance with NSW Trainlink.

You can find more information here.

Option 3: Flights Mildura To Broken Hill

Rex Airlines has a few direct Mildura to Broken Hill flights a week taking about an hour.

By the time you check in and deal with other parts of flying, this is only for people who really don’t want to drive or don’t have a car.

Click here to see the latest prices.

Option 4: Mildura To Broken Hill Train

While both Mildura and Broken Hill have train services, there is no train service between these destinations and it’s not practical to take a train between them.

Broken Hill to Mildura

The journey from Broken Hill to Mildura is simply made by reversing the above.

The bus from Broken Hill to Mildura departs early morning on weekdays and takes 3.75 hours.

Mildura
Mildura

Final Words

It’s easy to travel from Mildura to Broken Hill and I hope you have a smooth and easy journey no matter which option you pick.

I hope you found this guide to how to travel from Mildura to Broken Hill useful. You can also read about our onward journey from Broken Hill to Coober Pedy here or find our full travel guides to Mildura here and Broken Hill here. All our Victorian guides are here and NSW guides here.

By Anne Sutherland-Smith

Anne Sutherland-Smith is the founder of the Pretraveller and Everywhere Australia blogs which focus on travel planning. Anne has extensively explored her home country of Australia. As a result, she writes from personal experience to help others plan their Australian trips.