Oliver Brown
Broken Hill, NSW
Oliver Brown is a news reporter based out of Broken Hill covering stories across far west New South Wales for radio, digital and online. Oliver came to the ABC after a few years working in independent newspapers in South Australia and regional New South Wales. Follow Oliver on Twitter @opsbrown_
Latest by Oliver Brown
Cold weather prompts warning to service gas heaters as house fires, poisoning linked to appliances
As households with gas heaters fire them up for winter, tradies and firefighters fear many do not understand the safety risks they pose if not properly maintained.
AFL legend draws a crowd for outback football club as part of country tour
Professional AFL players are finding new ways to continue their journey with the sport after retirement, including new Hall of Fame inductee Dane Swan.
Astronomy tourism business ready to fight Australia's first compressed air energy storage project
A stargazing tourism operation says it has "legalled up" in response to a billion-dollar renewable energy project set to be located down the road from the business that relies on dark skies.
Man's death in Broken Hill housefire prompts smoke detector warning
Firefighters are reminding people to consider the consequences of not having working smoke alarms after the death of an elderly man in a Broken Hill home.
Fury in remote community as plans for long-awaited new weir change without consultation
Wilcannia residents say they have been blindsided by a decision to drastically alter the plans for a weir to be built along the Darling River.
Vision-impaired woman's self-driven journey from Sydney nurse to outback filmmaker
Eliza-Jayne South's vision loss diagnosis pushed her to live life to the fullest until she could no longer see. The latest achievement in her storied career has led to her biggest opportunity.
This outback family regularly travels more than 500km to get their kids to and from weekend sport
Travelling huge distances for sport is a common story for country kids throughout Australia, made more challenging by mounting cost-of-living pressures. But Finn and Archie's parents say "the pros outweigh the cons".
From the mines to the paintbrush, former bobcat operator's works at Biennale of Sydney
Jim Hinton picked up a paintbrush after retiring from work and, less than a year later, he and his brother's paintings that depict their Afghan cameleer heritage are being showcased in an international art exhibition.
Government promises consultation on Broken Hill school at risk of demolition due to mould
The mayor of a regional council says he is very concerned about the future of a mould-infested high school in the city after being unable to secure a meeting with the NSW education minister during her visit to the community.
Outback high school may need to be demolished because of severe mould outbreak
As its new school year is set to begin, plans are being drawn up to cater for students and staff who cannot enter grounds which may be beyond salvation.
Mould outbreak at high school forces indefinite closure days before start of new school year
Hundreds of students and staff from a regional public high school will be relocated for the beginning of Term 1 next week due to mould detection in multiple buildings.
Police arrest Broken Hill inmate almost three days after escape
Corrective Services NSW have launched a full investigation into how the 24-year-old was able to escape the local courthouse.
Crews working to restore power to remote communities and surrounding properties
People in far west New South Wales have been without power for more than two days after extreme weather. After several delays accessing the damaged site, crews are hopeful services will be restored later today.
Study suggests Australians willing to pay to provide clean drinking water for all
A new study finds the 98 per cent of Australians with access to reliable drinking water want to help the remaining 2 per cent going without.
Record-breaking rainfall in outback NSW creates 'sparkling' conditions for stargazing
Broken Hill's wettest January day on record leaves a clear view of the cosmos in its wake, exciting tourists and locals keen to catch a glimpse.
'True show of mateship' as family, friends rally for promising young footballer diagnosed with cancer
Broken Hill residents from as young as 16 and as old as 71 shave their heads in support of a friend and family member who was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of leukaemia.
Remote towns say axing of nightly news bulletin has 'added to isolation'
More than nine months on from the unexpected axing of a local TV news bulletin, an outback mayor says it's a major loss for regional news diversity and intends to continue advocating for its return.
Hundreds of jobs on horizon after green light for first-of-its-kind energy project
While the future of one of Broken Hill's major mines is still uncertain, a green energy storage project to be built in the coming years may provide employment opportunities for some of the displaced workers.
Multi-million-dollar boost to support regional aged care provider's struggling workforce
Like many aged care providers, Broken Hill's Southern Cross Care relies on agency nurses to plug crucial workforce gaps. It's an expensive process but the organisation hopes "crucial" government funds will help it take care of as many residents as possible.
Indigenous musician performs song in Barkindji language at Sydney Youth Orchestra birthday gala
Malyanapa and Barkindji man Leroy Johnson realised a dream recently when he was invited to perform with the Sydney Youth Orchestra for its 50th Birthday Gala at the Opera House.
A stupid mistake changed the course of Adrian's life, but now he's the voice of an outback city
One poor decision changed Adrian Eckert's life, but more than 30 years on he's a leading voice for inclusion and an iconic figure on his town's airwaves.
Communication failures, outdated river gauging highlighted in review of 2022 Menindee flood event
WaterNSW has released its internal review into the Menindee flood, 11 months on from the event, with five key findings and three recommendations the state-owned corporation will be looking to implement.
Outback highway finally sealed after 12 years in the making
New South Wales officially marks the completion of a 132-kilometre bitumen sealing of the Cobb Highway between Ivanhoe and Wilcannia, with residents expecting a tourism surge and producers a speedy path to market.
Speakers draw on trauma to show outback students how to be disability allies
A pair of advocates are teaching Australia's next generation about the importance of including people with disabilities, whether visible or invisible.
Broken Hill cobalt project has big plans for the global critical minerals stage
A company working to establish a cobalt mining and processing project using a deposit near Broken Hill aims to eventually become the largest producer of ethical cobalt in the world and hopes access to a federal government loan scheme will help it get there.