Marree & Farina Homestead.

And the Rains Came:

The Historical Town of Marree & Our Stay at the Farina Homestead.

 That night Leigh Creek had some light rain and it really made everything smell fresh and it washed away a lot of the dust. The next morning we thought we had been lucky and missed the worst of the heavy rain. We decided to do the drive with the caravan the 120 klms to Marree - about half would be on bitumen the rest was unmade and we really didn’t know what to expect. Little did we know, when we set off, that there was another major storm front coming in from the west.

Trucks at the end of the unmade road at Lyndhurst. They had been through quite a lot of mud over night.

As we went off the bitumen, just after Lyndhurst, a car stopped us and the driver said that he had lost control and had skidded in mud just out of Marree, they also said that there was a dead sheep on the road. We thought that they were over reacting a bit so we continued - knowing that if it got too difficult we would turn around. Just as we hit the last 12 klms of road before Marree - which as luck would have it, was bitumen, it started to rain again and there was a lot of lightning in the distance. We got to the very salubrious Oasis Caravan Park (that is another story for another time) - the manager said he would not put us in the normal part of the park because “the rains are coming” and he did not want to have to pull us out of the mud. He very kindly set us up in the most sheltered spot he had, between his 1930’s vintage motel cabins. Thank goodness he did because it started bucketing down, plenty of thunder and lightening and it didn’t stop till next morning. We were the only caravan in his park.


The Oasis Caravan Park - it did have palm trees and bougainvillea - but that was about all. Oh... We did have power & water.

We awoke next morning to find that the thunderstorms right across the State had caused major flooding and we had actually faired reasonably well. We were however stuck in Marree – the roads in and out of Marree were all closed.

Now Marree is not the greatest holiday resort area but it does have a very colourful and interesting history and seeing we were stuck here we had no excuse not to discover the history of the place.

In the great droving era of our pastoral history (1867 to 1960) drovers walked sheep and cattle down the Birdsville Track and the Strzelecki Track from Queensland to Marree to meet the railways, bound for markets in Adelaide and Melbourne. This was a major transport hub for supplies, stock, wool and mail which were transported by camel, donkey and bullock teams out along the tracks to the stations and towns of Outback Australia.

Marree is a town where three cultures have grown together bound by transport and travel. It had the most multi-cultural heritage of all outback towns. Aboriginal, Muslim Afghan Camel Herders and European settlers all lived in harmony to develop and open up the Outback. The remains still stand of the Marree Mosque and it is a reminder that 60 cameleers, their families and 1500 camels once called Marree home.


The Old Ghana Railway Line & Station.

The Old Locomotives & Station at Marree.



The Truck Used to Deliver The Mail.

 Marree, also played a big part in the development of the Overland Telegraph Line in 1872 and the Old Ghan Railway in 1884-1891. There are many reminders of what a major place this once was scattered around the town. There are several small museums and the pub has an interesting display on the legendary adventures of the Birdsville Mailman – Tom Kruse.



A Camel Train bring Supplies.

Today there is very little in Marree – a Hotel, a General Store and Petrol station. We explore the Old Ghan Station, the mail truck of Tom Kruse, we visit the Pub and chat to the Manager and by mid-morning we have seen the lot. No TV, no internet and very poor radio reception – we just have to wait till the tracks are declared open again.



The Grand Old Pub at Marree.

(Our adventures up the Birdsville Track and the Oodnadatta Track were posted earlier.)

Bush Camping - Farina Homestead.

After 5 nights in Marree (and with a certain amount of good luck) we have accomplished what we have come here for and we are ready to do our return journey back to Hawker - the Hub of the Flinders Ranges - and then to continue south to Port Augusta. We have had very hot weather (above 35 degrees) all the time we have been in the Flinders Ranges and the Outback.

We decide to have one more overnight stop on the way, at the ruins of the Old Homestead and Ghost Town of Farina which is about 53 klms south of Marree. Farina was a major stop on the old Ghana Railway and the remains of the old siding still remain. In its heyday it was a very large town with two pubs, churches, shops and school. Over 300 people called Farina home and it was a major base for shearers and the transportation of wool. It is being restored by a volunteer-run restoration group and there are several well preserved stone ruins and many interesting information boards.





 Information About The History of Farina.

The Main Street Of Farina.

The Remains of One of the Hotels in Farina.



The Post Office.

The Under Ground Bakery.

The Hospital.



Inside the  Hospital & Doctors Rooms.

The bush camping area is in a very pleasant well treed area with very large beautiful gum trees and is next to the Farina Creek. There is no power and you bring your own water. Dinner was out in the open under the tree with candle light. It must be the end of the tourist season as there is only us and one other family spending the night here.  Up on the hill overlooking the campsites is a very moving World War 1 & 2 monument to the residents from Farina who lost their lives during the wars.



Our Camp Site - under this Grand Old Gum Tree.



The Monument to the fallen soldiers in WW1 & 11 who came from Farina.

Sunset and sunrise here is quite special and the bird life is unbelievable. There are so many corellas and they are just so noisy especially as the sun sets and then rises again in the morning. Just as the sun hits the horizon in the morning all the birds in unison set to flight and the noise is deafening. It is just so special.

The Sun is about to set.

 Sunset at Farina Camping Ground.

Sunrise and all the Birds are there - what a noise.



 Ochre Pits - Lyndhurst.

Just out of Lyndhurst we stop and walk about 1klm to view the spectacular red, brown and white ochre cliffs. These were used for thousands of years by the Aboriginal people who traded this ochre with other groups. It is just a fantastic place and is especially beautiful after the recent rains as the colours are dark and strong in colour.





 

This Sign Explains How the Aboriginals used to Trade with the Ochre.

Views of the Vast Ochre Pits.



All the Different Colours are Amazing.

The Strong Red Colours.

Me Standing at the edge of the Ochre Pits.

The Walk back - Our caravan is parked on the main road.

We are now heading south to Port Augusta, the Yorke Peninsula and then Adelaide and home. This will be the last of my blogs for this wonderful holiday. We have had a great time and enjoyed everything that we have seen and every adventure we have been on. Australia has many beautiful places for us all to enjoy. I hope these blogs have given you a bit of a taste of what is out there and might entice you to go and explore yourself. 

As we approach Lyndhurst we have to stop this time for a Mother Emu & two of the smallest chicks we have seen all trip.