[1] The term Broken Hill was first used by the early British Explorer Charles Sturt in his diaries during his search for an inland sea in 1844.

Western plains towns far away from the major rivers, such as Broken Hill, owe their existence to the mineral discoveries made in the decade after 1875, when spectacular deposits of gold, silver, copper and opal were found.

[2] In the early 1880s silver chloride was discovered in the Line of Lode in Broken Hill by Charles Rasp, a boundary rider from the Mount Gipps Station.

A two chain (40.3 metres) wide road knee deep in dust and crowded with men from all corners of the world selling shares at tremendous prices for alleged mines.

A strike occurred in 1918, and a ballad "Blue Whiskers" survives recording the use of scab labour in September 1918, a version of the Scabbers hymn.

James Hebbard's father migrated to South Australia in 1849, originally settling at Burra where copper had been discovered in 1845.

Miners from Cornwall, Scotland, Wales and other parts of Britain all settled in separate sections of the township of Burra.

Olivia Hebbard (née Pope) was the daughter of a Cornish miner who had tried his luck in both Ballarat and Bendigo in Victoria, presumably during the 1850s gold rush.

His account of the evolution of the minerals separation process on the Central Mine is held in the National Library of Australia.

Much of research into the technique was by a subsidiary of the Sulphide Corporation that owned the Central Mine, the London-based Mineral Separation Company.

The house was probably designed in Adelaide as it incorporates elements of the South Australian vernacular utilised in many of the masonry buildings in Broken Hill, particularly the use of red brick to the window surrounds forming quoins.

[3] The house is a fine example of the use of the Federation Queen Anne style in Broken Hill, a trend noted within the architectural press during the 1890s.

Sydney architectural critic de Libra referred to it as "London Queen Anne in the Salt Bush plains".

[3] Simon Molesworth further emphasises the significance of the modifications to the Federation Queen Anne style to suit outback conditions: "(a) very deep and high verandas, once on all sides as distinct from verandas around just part of the house, (b) particularly steep pitching of the roof utilising corrugated iron (typical of Broken Hill) with guttering and roof drainage designed to cope with the extreme downpours of rain occasionally experienced in the Outback; (c) very large reception rooms with windows orientated to capture the flow of natural cool breezes; (d) exceptionally high ceilings to facilitate internal dispersal of warm temperatures; and (e) significantly large storage/pantry areas including a large cellar under the middle of the house.".

The Hebbards had three daughters and their residence was a social centre for the town where prominent visitors were entertained, and family events such as weddings took place.

St Anne's had a number of roles, as an orphanage, looking after chronically ill people, but the history I am familiar with comes from the family of my husband, a Paakantyi man from Wilcannia.

The house was probably designed in Adelaide as it incorporates elements of the South Australian vernacular utilised in many of the masonry buildings in Broken Hill, particularly the use of red brick to the window surrounds forming quoins.

[3] The house is a fine example of the use of the Federation Queen Anne style in Broken Hill, a trend commented on in the architectural press during the 1890s.

Sydney architectural critic de Libra referred to it as "London Queen Anne in the Salt Bush plains".

Recent photographs show that the house retained its panelled front door, side lights and fanlights.

[1] Central Mine Manager's Residence was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 15 December 2006 having satisfied the following criteria.

Because of the stark contrast it provides against the humble miners' cottages that characterise the majority of the building stock of Broken Hill, the Central Mine Manager's Residence is evidence of the class and income differences within the town in the early twentieth century.

Hebbard's research into new techniques of mineral processing and ore separation was important to the mining industry in Broken Hill.

[1] Furthermore, the former Central Mine Manager's Residence is likely to be of State significance for its historical associations with the Aboriginal girls and Catholic nuns who lived there during its time as the "St Anne's Home of Compassion Convent" orphanage between c.1940 and c.1984.

[1] The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales.

The Residence is also potentially of aesthetic significance for the observation that it was probably designed in Adelaide since it incorporates elements of the South Australian such as the use of red brick to the window surrounds forming quoins.

[1] The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales.

It also offers research potential for expanding upon the observation that its detailing follows South Australian architectural trends in contrast to most public buildings in Broken Hill, which tended to be designed in Sydney.

[1] The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales.

The former Central Mine Manager's Residence is of local significance for its rarity as a largely intact nineteenth century town house that provides a stark contrast with the numerous small miners' cottages that characterise the majority of the building stock of Broken Hill.