White Cliffs, New South Wales

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White Cliffs
New South Wales

Population:

221 (2001 census)

Postcode:

2836

Elevation:

151.0 m

Location:

1,051 km from Sydney
286 km from Broken Hill
92 km from Wilcannia

LGA:

Central Darling Shire

State District:

Murray-Darling

Federal Division:

Parkes

Mean Max Temp	Mean Min Temp	Rainfall
26.9 °C ^{80 °F}	12.6 °C ^{55 °F}	246.2 mm ^{9.7 in}

White Cliffs is a small town in outback New South Wales in Australia, in Central Darling Shire. It has a population of around 200. White Cliffs is around 255 km northeast of Broken Hill, 93 km north of Wilcannia. The town was established in the late 19th century when opal was discovered. Opal has been mined ever since.

Many of the residents live underground, using mining equipment to dig extensive homes in the hillside to avoid the intense heat outside. There are also two underground motels called The White Cliffs Underground and PJ's Bed And Breakfast, as the town is becoming more dependent on tourism.

The primary school opened in 1895, and has operated continuously since then.

White Cliffs is the site of Australia's first solar power station. The White Cliffs Solar Power Station was built in 1981 producing 25 KWe and upgraded in 1996 to produce 45KWe using the same collector dishes but better technology.

Cricketer Bill O'Reilly was born in White Cliffs, the son of the first school teacher.