Tourists locked out of Line of Lode attraction

It is not clear when one of Broken Hill's major tourist attractions, the Line of Lode, will reopen after it was closed unexpectedly yesterday.

The Line of Lode memorial sits on a mullock hill in the middle of the city.

Yesterday, the road up the hill was closed, with a gate and five padlocks.

The land it sits on is owned by the Crown.

The former mine site is now a popular tourist attraction, and hosts a memorial to miners who died, and a restaurant.

The restaurant on the hill is run by John Groenendijk, who recently resigned as a councillor in the city because of a heart problem.

He also put his other local business, the Southern Cross Hotel, into administration.

Earlier this week, Mr Groenendijk told the ABC the Line of Lode would not be affected by his financial troubles.

Speaking from Melbourne this morning, Mr Groenendijk told the ABC he did not know the restaurant had closed.

The Mayor of Broken Hill, Wincen Cuy, says he does not know any more about why the Line of Lode is closed.

As the operator of Silver City Tours, Councillor Cuy says he would like to see it reopen soon.

"From a visitors' point of view I actually hope that it's resolved and it opens up as soon as possible," he said.

The NSW Crown Lands Department has been contacted for comment.

Source: ABC News, 27 February 2013