White Cliffs

About White Cliffs

White Cliffs is a remote outback town in Central Darling Shire, far western New South Wales, located approximately 255 kilometres north-east of Broken Hill and 93 kilometres north of Wilcannia. With a population of 156 residents spread across a vast 11,677 square kilometres of arid outback landscape, White Cliffs is one of Australia's most distinctive small towns — famous as an active opal mining settlement since the 1880s. The town was at the centre of one of the world's first commercial opal fields and continues to draw fossickers, tourists, and permanent residents who embrace life on the remote frontier.

White Cliffs is internationally renowned for its unique underground homes and accommodation, carved into the hillsides to escape the extreme summer heat that regularly exceeds 40°C. The White Cliffs Underground Motel is among the most unusual places to stay in Australia, and several residents live permanently in dugout homes. The town has a general store, a pub, opal showrooms, and a primary school. It also hosted Australia's first large-scale solar power station in 1981. For major supplies and medical services, residents rely on Broken Hill or Wilcannia, accessible via the Silver City Highway. White Cliffs suits adventurous souls and those drawn to the raw beauty and self-reliance of remote outback living.

White Cliffs falls under postcode 2836 and is governed by the local council Council (LGA). For state elections, residents vote in the Barwon electorate.

Nearby Suburbs

• Wilcannia, NSW 2836
• Bulla, NSW 2835
• Canbelego, NSW 2835
• Cobar, NSW 2835
• Cubba, NSW 2835
• Gilgunnia, NSW 2835