From leading marches on horseback, to insulting police officers and starting their own hospitals, 'rebel women' in Broken Hill helped shape the mining town and the union movement in Australia.

Key points: Broken Hill's Albert Kersten Mining and Minerals Museum is hosting an exhibition about the 'rebel women' of the mining town from 1889-1917

Broken Hill's Albert Kersten Mining and Minerals Museum is hosting an exhibition about the 'rebel women' of the mining town from 1889-1917 Women were drawn to the town for its job opportunities but also because it was a place of social activism

Women were drawn to the town for its job opportunities but also because it was a place of social activism Women were often front and centre of the action at rallies and protests on the streets and in the mines

Between 1889 and 1917 the far-west New South Wales town was a hotspot for industrial action, where strikes and rallies led to crucial workers' rights, like the eight-hour day and penalty rates.

The role of women in that action has been explored in an exhibition at Broken Hill's Albert Kersten Mining and Minerals Museum.

Museum assistant and researcher Gritta Walker said women were drawn to the town in its early days for work opportunities, but also because it was a place of social activism.

Albert Kersten Mining and Minerals Museum assistant and researcher, Gritta Walker. ( ABC Broken Hill: Aimee Volkofsky )

"Women came as nurses, domestic workers, and to support movements at the time such as socialism, the anti-conscription movement, also just to support other women and their children," she said.

Once valuable minerals were discovered in the area, people flocked from all over the world to find their fortune.

Aside from the obvious dangers of mining, Ms Walker said the rate at which the city grew meant living conditions were meagre.

"In this town particularly, there was a problem with getting water, sanitation, all those basic things that make for a healthy life," she said.

"There was empathy between women, there were so few of them out here at the time, they had to help each other.

"Women were really, really strong and significant and seen a lot in the all these activities, especially the strikes."

The 1892 Barrier United Female's Strike Protest Committee. ( Supplied: Albert Kersten Mining and Minerals Museum, Broken Hill )

Women behind bars

Incarceration in the course of activism was seen as highly advantageous to the movement at the time and many women were celebrated as martyrs for the cause.

A woman holding a red flag depicted in the Broken Hill's Albert Kersten Mining and Minerals Museum. ( Supplied: Albert Kersten Mining and Minerals Museum, Broken Hill )

Lizzie Ahern moved from Victoria to Broken Hill in 1909, a young and passionate socialist, who had done some time for her activism.

She was so revered for her commitment to the cause, her arrival in the town was heralded by an official reception with Broken Hill's Mayor.

Caroline Gibson, the wife of the town librarian in 1909 did some brief time for 'insulting a police man' during a union march.

Ms Walker said during 1909 there were so many people in jail, it became part of weekly marches to go past the police cells.

"The march would go every Sunday, following a marching band and they'd stand outside the jail and sing socialist songs," she said.

A cartoon depiction in 'The Pictorial Australian' of Muriel Pool leading an 1892 march atop a horse. ( Supplied: Albert Kersten Mining and Minerals Museum, Broken Hill )

Revolution from the back of a horse

Women were often front and centre of the action at rallies and protests on the streets and in the mines.

Ms Walker said creating drama or pulling stunts was a good way to get attention for the cause.

"Just as these days it's significant if you've got a million followers on Twitter, then it was [significant] if you got a good crowd to come to a rally," she said.

The 25th of August 1892 was one of the most significant dates in the history of industrial action in Broken Hill.

Picketing, which included women armed with axe and broom handles, prevented mines re-opening with 'scabs'.

That same year Muriel Pool, who ran boarding houses in the town, drew attention for leading a strike march from the back of a horse.

"Thousands rallied in Central Park and she led the march — that says a lot," Ms Walker said.

"She was obviously very instrumental in the movement at the time."

Caroline Slee or 'Nurse Slee' on her buggy pulled by Kitty the horse. ( Supplied: Albert Kersten Mining and Minerals Museum, Broken Hill )

Practical activism

While men were the primary income earners, working in mines underground, women were often left to run things on the surface, establishing services that made the community viable.

One such woman was Caroline Slee or 'Nurse Slee', an untrained nurse who had a passion for nursing and midwifery, an essential service for the many women who came to the town with no family.

"She became quite well known for travelling around the place in her little buggy, towed around by a horse called kitty," Ms Walker said.

"You had to be pretty tough to drive around in the middle of the night to go to someone's house who was having a baby.

"Eventually she and her husband built a private residence and had part of it as a private hospital."