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Michael Portillo strikes west from the waterside metropolis of Sydney, New South Wales, into the Blue Mountains, travelling 570 miles into the interior of the vast Australian continent to reach the mining city of Broken Hill.

In the Blue Mountains, Michael hears from indigenous guide Yamandirra about his people’s relationship to the land and is ceremonially 'welcomed to the country'.

At Katoomba, Michael is in for the ride of his life on the steepest railway in the world. How to follow this 125 second thrill? With an overnight journey on one of the world’s longest trains, the luxurious Indian Pacific Railway.

Arriving deep in the parched outback at Broken Hill, Michael discovers the precious metal that put this isolated outpost on the international map, silver.