Sundown Nature Trail

The last walk of my outback walking series is the Sundown Nature Trail. This walk is 20 minutes north of Broken Hill along the Silver City Highway. The walk is located within the Living Desert State Park.

I was in Broken Hill for a couple of days, and I was pretty keen to do the last walk for my trip. So one afternoon, I set off into the desert. The walk itself is pretty short, so I decided to take it slow and take it all in.

From the car park, I walk to the top of a small hill. The dirt is red and littered with minerals. Specks of galena reflect in the sun with white quartz and other minerals. There are large rocks that extrude from the earth. It’s understandable why this is a mining town. Lead, zinc and silver are mined in Broken hill.

I reach the top of the small hill, with 360º views of the surrounding desert. For such an arid area, there are many desert plants and flowers. I spot a Swainsona Formosa, Sturt's desert pea and take a few photos. To my surprise, I found a wattle tree in the middle of the desert, something I was not expecting.

The track dips down a small gully and up onto a ridge where you get a view towards Broken Hill. The rock formations on this ridge are pretty unique. They are like slithers of rock wedged into the ground.

The walk slowly follows the ridge, then heads down a spur to the car park. The whole walk is just under 3km. I would avoid doing this walk in summer or on hot days.