TO QUORN SA and the FLINDERS RANGES

  The Flinders Ranges are almost due north of Port Pirie. Rather than back track to Port Augusta again over roads that I had already travelled, I decided instead to take another route. A little further south from Port Pirie the secondary roads B79 and B82  lead from the coast then turn sharply north east towards the ranges. Its a delightful drive of about 160 kms initially through lush farmland with advanced verdant crops interspersed with picturesque, yellow, flowering Canola and the occasional sheep grazing property. One striking feature was the number of abandoned old homesteads that populated almost every property. There are scores of these beautiful structures made of coloured sandstones and rich red and ochre coloured locally produced mud bricks, they remain in various stages of dilapidation. The area was first settled in the mid to late 1800s and most look old enough to be of that era. It seemed that the current landholders also appreciated this heritage since many of the houses appeared to be maintained to some degree or other. I soon discovered that similar ruins  would be a very common sight all over the Flinders Ranges  districts.
 The excellent roadway, known as the Flinders Ranges Scenic Route, lazily wanders north through a number of delightful villages of varying size and sophistication. Laura, Stone Hut, Wirrabara, Murray Town, Melrose, Wilmington and finally the largest place,Quorn each with a different character were a pleasure to visit. I will attempt to give an idea of what some of these  hamlets were like.    
First up Laura, on the banks of the Rocky River, with its Kurrajong trees that line the main street that give a park like appearance. The wide main street is populated with old and historic buildings and shopfronts that house antique and craft shops, art galleries and cafes. Laura proudly announces to the visitor that it was the childhood home of Australian poet C.J.Dennis who wrote the famous classic poem, "The Sentimental Bloke". It claims also to be the home of "Golden North" ice cream which is locally produced and from what i gather is famous in South Australia.

 I missed the next village, Stone Hut, it was literally so small that I drove through without really noticing.In fact it is only a collection of stone cottages and the Old Stone Bakery, a tiny shopfront right on the roadway that I fleetingly glimpsed as I sped by.
  Only slightly bigger, Murray Town was where I stayed the night, in the local camping ground in the main street for $5. Settled in 1883 it became a bustling service town for for bullock and horse teams transporting livestock and wheat through to Port Germein. The township was named after Alexander Murray who introduced the "Murray Merino" sheep breed.

 Murray Town Post Office!

  Next stop was at Melrose, the oldest town in the Flinders Ranges, established in 1840s when copper was found nearby, with the place becoming official in 1853.Today Melrose is known for its Fat Tyre Festival for off road mountain bike cyclists.

    The leg to Wilmington was a highlight of the morning with the southern Flinders now coming into view. I was especially rewarded when I pulled into a roadside rest area and found a stand of beautiful old River Gums lining a dry creek bed complete with road bridge.It would have been in ideal spot to stay overnight if I had driven just a little further yesterday.Willmington itself had a few heritage buildings but other than that I found it a bit boring.

  Finally, I reached Quorn, the largest of all the towns on this route and the gateway to the Flinders Ranges. A boutique style town, I assume it to be a popular destination for weekend travellers since it is not far from Port Augusta and indeed Whyalla. With wide streetscapes and heritage buildings, there has been an attempt to retain an old world character. The iconic railway station recently renovated to co-locate the Pichi Richi railway also adds to the charm of the place. For me it was a supply point before my visit to Warren Gorge and my first experience of camping in the Flinders wilderness.