History abounds in Broken Hill and the Broken Hill Family History Group enables you to enjoy and interpret their bygone eras.

The outback area around Broken Hill can be an unforgiving environment, which perhaps explains how a local woman came up with a number of inventions – including the collapsible hood for a pram – to counter the harsh living conditions.

Inspired by an interest in machinery, Myra Juliet Taylor first created a domestic device for transferring skirt patterns from a book on to material. The collapsible hood for a pram was her second patent, while a fruit packer, wheat sampler and weigher, along with an automatic air purifier soon followed.

Myra Juliet Taylor is just one of the many curious stories of Broken Hill which have been unearthed by the Broken Hill Family History Group (BHFG) – a team of dedicated volunteers who continue to catalogue the historic riches of the Silver City.

Founded in 1977, the BHFHG have indexes on births, deaths, marriages, electoral roles and mine employment – including 12,000 photos.

An extensive range of local records relating to Broken Hill and the district is also available, and the local cemetery and its headstones have also been indexed.

A popular point of call for many tourists, the BHFHG is based at the Railway Station in Crystal St. The office is open from 10 am to 3 pm weekdays (closed Wednesdays) and from 1-4 pm on Saturdays.