We arrived in Broken Hill around 5.30pm with no accommodation pre-booked and unfortunately had overlooked the fact that school holidays were in full force. The place was packed out with tourists and most motels were full. We finally found the last room available in Broken Hill in a boutique hotel called The Astra. It was a spa suite and at $220 per night we either coughed up or slept in the Pajero. The spa won hands down and we checked in.
The Astra is a fully restored elegant old building with wide verandahs. Inside it is period furniture, gilt, chandeliers, plaster roses and a very impressive staircase. We had a great night and dined in-house at their signature restaurant - 'Trinders' named after the owners David and Maryanne Trinder. First course was terrific, we shared a plate of warm oysters 6 kilpatrick and 6 mirin and soy, delicious. We're Sav Blanc lovers so we had a bottle of Nautilus from Marlborough NZ which was perfect for seafood. We decided to stick with the seafood line and ordered tempura seafood for our mains. The prawns and squid were nice and fresh but unfortunately the batter had escaped being light and crispy. Instead it was doughy, so we ended up peeling off the stodge and eating what was underneath. Overall though, we had a very pleasant and relaxing meal with good attentive service in attractive surroundings. The best part was not having to drive anywhere but simply glide up the Gone with the Wind staircase to our lovely big room and that spa!