Broken Hill and Menindee Lakes bustle, tourism expands

Like many visitors pouring into Lake Menindee and Broken Hill this week, Margaret Williams from near Lithgow had held off visiting for years until the red dust turned green and the lakes filled up. 

It's been a long wait because of several seasons of record high temperatures. But thanks to cooler weather and record rains – Menindee received a record 144 millimetres in September – Mrs Williams has finally got her wish. 

Millions of mosquitoes near the exploding waters flooding back into the Lake Menindee after record winter rains in western NSW.  Photo: Nick Moir

After being empty for more than three years, Lake Menindee has been filling up at 22 gigalitres a day since the water was released downstream more than a week ago. That's the equivalent of 11,000 Olympics swimming pools a day flowing through the regulator from Copi Hollow and the upper lakes. 

The lakes are now about 44 per cent full and more water is coming down the Darling River, bringing birds, masses of mosquitos and splashes of wildflowers, including Sturt's desert peas.  

While tourism has been growing at a rate of 5.7 per cent a year across NSW for the past 10 years, it has only grown at 2 per cent in Broken Hill, according to Destination NSW figures. 

As the lakes fill, the 130-year-old town of Broken Hill appears to have a spring in its step.   

"It has brought the town alive again," said Darriea Turley, the town's first female mayor, who took office a month ago. "We can see our main street come to life. The businesses are saying people want to stay an extra day." 

Ms Turley was elected on a promise to do more to promote the city's union history (it's where the eight-hour day began) and Aboriginal culture.

Water is flooding back into Lake Menindee. Photo: Nick Moir

This year, the city received about $12.5 million in funding, including $7.5 million from mining company BHP, to reopen the local conference centre and revitalise Argent Street.  

Locals were also taking advantage of the weather to revisit the lakes. 

"You can hear everyone asking, 'Who's going up the river this weekend?'," Ms Turley said.

"If we want to take our kids to the beach, we [had] to drive 550 kilometres and no one should have to do that when there is a water source like the Darling River going into the Menindee Lakes, which is affordable and accessible."

Julie Power and Nick Moir flew to Broken Hill as guests of Out of the Ordinary Outback