Travelling Around : Farina

Winter has arrived here and it is cold and wet, and I am not a happy winter camper. So, to keep me happy we decided to head north where it should be warmer.

On a cool and cloudy morning our first stop was at a rest area near Brinkworth, about 2 hours from Adelaide, where we stopped for a break.

The sky is looking better

After Brinkworth there were quite a few stoppages due to roadworks, some for as long as 10 minutes which made a difference to our travelling time as in between the stops we were limited to 40 km/hr in places and even down to 25 km/hr in some.

When we left home the weather was cool at 12C with some light rain and overcast. By the afternoon we had warmer weather and even stopped at the small town of Laura to buy the famous Golden North ice cream which is made locally and sold all over the country.

We stopped overnight at Melrose, another small town, at the Monument camping area.

Goyder's monument

Goyder's Line is a line that runs roughly east–west across South Australia and, in effect, joins places with an average annual rainfall of 10 inches (250 mm).

North of Goyder's Line, annual rainfall is usually too low to support cropping, with the land being suitable only for grazing.

We had a good night's sleep and when we woke up the sun was shining so that was a pleasant surprise. On the road we again encountered more roadworks but soon arrived at the small town of Quorn, where we have stayed a few times, so we just did a quick drive around, took some photos but after we had driven around twice we got a few odd looks from the locals so decided to head north before they ran us out of town!

More roadworks

It is apparent from all the ruins around this area that Goyder was correct in his surveys, and many families had to walk away from their homes and properties because of the many years of droughts.

Ruins near Mt Brown Creek

Ruins of hotel at Itali Itali ruins

Scenery along the way

Entrance to Quorn

Savings Bank of South Australia 1890's

Quorn Railway Station

Quorn is home to the famous Pichi Richi Railway, a restored steam loco, which is run by volunteers and chugs through the beautiful Flinders Ranges countryside taking tourists on a half day trip in the comfort of restored carriages.

Pichi Richi Railway: Authentic outback railway in the Flinders Ranges

Our next stop was for fuel at Hawker.

Jeff Morgan panorama gallery in Hawker

photo from Jeff Morgan website

We left Hawker after filling up our petrol tank and our water tank. Many of the towns have Dump Points for caravans and motorhomes to empty onboard toilets, so that is a bonus when travelling because when we first started our caravanning trips it was not always possible to find Dump points.

And then it rained

We spotted this Eagle on the road but could only get a photo after it flew off into a distant tree

Finally, we arrived at Farina where we camped for a few days in the almost desert but very beautiful country.

Farina

Finally, we arrived at our destination of Farina and after paying our entrance fee for camping we drove around and found a nice spot for our stay. There are toilets and a "donkey" shower, but we like to get away from the crowd so found a nice area with no big trees or branches so we felt a bit protected from any wind that might come up during the day or night.

We love a campfire

Next morning we drove around the ruins, some have been restored and others just left or renovated to stop them falling down completely.

A railway sheep wagon next to the old Ghan railyard

Thanks to a lot of volunteers and some very generous donations the ruins of Farina are being restored if, when and where possible.

The owners of Farina Station run a working sheep and cattle station. They have allowed a portion of the property for camping. There are toilets and a "donkey" shower for the campers. As many caravans these days have their own shower and toilet, and we are lucky that we have our own, it is for us an enjoyable camping trip without too many "inconveniences" in the middle of the night!

The ground is very rocky. It's amazing that they can farm it at all.

Patterson House is a new building built in a similar style to the original and is now the Information Centre and Cafe

The Bakery is open for a couple of months during the winter season and it is good to have fresh bread and other pastries each day.In the last few years, the volunteers have restored an underground bakery oven and campers can enjoy the great woodfired bread which is baked every day

The Royal Exchange Hotel

The camping area is open all year round, but the weather is really too hot during summer and people wouldn't be camping then, and also water is always a problem and most people bring their own drinking water.

The following description of farina provided by the Farina Restoration Society:

"Farina is located within the Lake Eyre Basin, on the old alignment of the Ghan railway, 600 km north of Adelaide. It is 26 km north of Lyndhurst and 55 km south of Marree.
No longer inhabited, it was originally surveyed and proclaimed a town on 21 March 1878. It was first known as ‘Government Gums’ because of the mature River Red Gums in the creek to the north of the town but later its name was changed to “Farina” (Latin for wheat or flour) by farmers who optimistically hoped to turn the vast flat lands here into fields of grain.

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I am joining Lovin' Life Linky.

Old Farina

I probably should say "When are we going?"

We are not going anytime soon, but we have been to Farina a few times and I will show some of my photos from the ghost town of Farina in South Australia. As you have probably noticed, I love anything old, even my husband although he is not much older than me, and I'm not saying how old I am, but I think I qualify as "old" and I actually quite like being old apart from the aches and pains and a few other unmentionables 😉😂

I have previously shown photos from our trips to other States in Australia, so thought I would showcase a very interesting place in my home State. We have been here a few times and always enjoy our stay in Farina, approximately 600 km from Adelaide. It was an old railway town and was settled in 1878, In the 1880's it was felt that it would be a good area for growing barley and wheat, but it was soon discovered that the rainfall was not sufficient to grow these crops. The name Farina means flour, because this area was originally thought would be the granary of the north. The narrow gauge railway was important to Farina and was the railhead for the towns of Birdsville and Oodnadatta.

Farina is a Ghost Town but in 2008 a Restoration Group was started up and volunteers work for about 8 weeks a year restoring the site and maintaining it.

When we first visited Farina there were no facilities and we had to be self contained but over the years the Restoration Group have installed toilets and showers and now there is an Underground Bakery which operates for a few weeks every year and sells fresh baked items for the campers which is very popular. The downside for us is that it might become too popular, and for me it will lose some of the very essence of why we loved it - the remoteness, the adventure getting there and exploring the area. To keep the town from being destroyed by the elements and some tourists, it is necessary to keep improving and controlling what is left of the town and the Restoration Group have definitely made some major improvements and it is good to see the old town come to life again.