Don't be too Quick to say Goodbye to Orroroo...
Orroroo, a small township nestled near the Flinders Ranges, steeped in history and other treasures that you may find. Instead of driving straight through this town, stop and stay a couple of days and have a good look around.
The caravan park is nestled near the edge of town. Where you are personally taken to your site and given assistance. The personal touch is always welcomed. There are good amenities, laundry, BBQ area behind the laundry which overlooks the Golf Club. If you are there at the right time, there will be an awesome sunset to watch.
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| Sunset from Caravan Park |
With just a short walk to the town centre where you can shop in the local IGA, have a coffee in one of the local cafes, try The Collective shop for that unique gift for someone special or yourself. The day we were there it was cold and the wood burning in the fireplace made the shop smell lovely and cosy. We even looked in the local OP shop because you never know what you might find. This was run by some lovely local ladies. A local butcher, fruit and vegetable store and a couple of hotels to choose from should you decide to spoil yourself and not cook. We walked the main street up one way and down the other, looking at the amazing buildings and what was on display, stopped for coffee and lunch, then back to rest and take in the lovely sunset later.
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| Unique Statues in the Main Street |
There are also some interesting sights to see while here apart from the shops and lovely architecture of the homes around the town. A self-drive around the district proved educational and a history lesson. Starting from the caravan park we drove up to the Tank Hill lookout and there you have a wide view of the district, there is even a telescope to see further. From here we ventured down to the Pekina Station ruins. The home was made of rock and not very big rooms, which would be easier to keep warm during the winter months. Further towards the creek was what we thought may have been a water shed where they drew water for the home.
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| Fireplace |
Life in those days was not very easy. When you stand in the ruins of the building and imagine how many people may have lived in the house, with no supermarkets or stores to buy furniture or clothing from. Drawing water from a well and walking it all the way back to the house instead of turning on the tap. Having to undertake tasks like sewing by candle or kerosene lamp at night, even reading a book. Life was not very easy. While looking around the ruins you may be lucky enough to see some broken pieces of crockery from back then. A part of a cup or plate, wire hook, metal button, old rasp or file and some nails and screws. One house ruin had a wine cellar or food store which would have acted like a fridge keeping the food cool on hot days.
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| Pieces of crockery and other items |
Our next exciting adventure was visiting "Magnetic Hill" hah I hear you say what a con trick. No there is actually 4 known gravity hills in Australia. There is a sign on the side of the road with instructions as to what you should do. I actually made a video, and we had a laugh later. I have since shown the video to friends and they were amazed. These sites are also known as gravity hills, mystery spots, magic roads or similar. Take your pick. It has even been described as an optical illusion, you decide after you give it a whirl. We don't drive a small car either, we have a 4WD Ute, so it is not a light car either.
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| Instructions - have fun. |
After this fun we visited Black Rock Railway Bridge. You cannot actually access this bridge as it is in the middle of a paddock among a flock of sheep. The length is 241m and only 3 metres in height, 66 spans of wrought iron girders with cast iron cylinders. It was probably a master building feat in its day.
Lunch was proposed at a local pub with some drinks at the bar and talk about the district. It is really nice to learn more about the places where we visit and get to know some of the locals. I mentioned that the ground looked green and was told that the rain was falling sparingly with the rain only seeping into the top layer of the ground instead of going deeper into the soil. Rain can be deceiving and will fall only in selected places and not as much as the local farmers need for good crops. This we understand is part of farming where you have to live with mother nature and take the good with the bad.
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| On the table in Cafe |
We loved our time and adventure in Orroroo. One day we shall return to visit more of the area. It can be a starting place for the Flinders Ranges or use as a base to travel from and visit the surrounding area. If you think that small country towns have not much to offer, stop and stay in them for a day or two. The people are nice and friendly, and you actually support Australian made while exploring the district.
🐸🐸 There are other places of interest to see, which we have not mentioned. Can you find them?
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