Quorn is an attractive town located 14 km from Mount Brown, one of the highest mountains in the State, while the menacing Devil's Peak is 11km to the west. Port Augusta, which is 40 km from the town of Quorn, which began as a railway town , after Godfrey Walsh surveyed the area in , as a rail junction of what would become the Great Northern Railway.
Although, farms had already existed in the Quorn area for some years. For example, Kanyaka Station, 40 km north-north-east of Quorn was established as a cattle station in February , by Hugh Proby.
The building dating from was originally as saddlery operated by Edward Manton Gunter's Restaurant, Quorn - advertising postcard. William and Annie Gunter are listed as operating a butcher shop at Quorn from and a boarding house at Quorn in Premises of H.
Matthews, general merchants, Quorn, SA. Circa The solidity and ornate charter of the buildings also demonstrate the optimism and growing economic importance of Quorn, at least for a period. The English Scottish and Australian bank closed in and the Bank of Adelaide rented the building.
Before, the bank had been operating in a weatherboard building on Railway Tcrrace. Married Annie Fergusson at Quorn.
First child me Marjorie, than David. Four years later went to Broken Hill for 7 years, then to the Esplanade Semaphore. After dusty old B. Heritage Hotels Quorn was incorporated and proclaimed a town on October 25, While the first land allotments were sold at auction on May 30, It was purchased by William Armstrong. The Austral Hotel. The Transcontinental Hotel, Quorn, SA, which was built around the same time as the Austral Hotel in the late s, was one of the first stone buildings of the town.
The first licence of the hotel was W. Greenslade util From , William Bruse was the hotel's licensee. A Developing Town. On February 7, , the foundation stone of the Quorn Town Hall was laid; this was just over twelve years since the first building in the town had been erected.
Since that time, there was a growth in farming, especially, of sheep around Quorn. The population of the town was also increasing and the Transcontinental Railway was being steadily built across Australia. Quorn is a township and railhead in the Flinders Ranges. The railway line was opened in and later four hotels were established on Railway Terrace. These porters conducted the passengers to the hotel of their choice, carrying the baggage on the carts.
Then during World War II, hundreds of people were employed by the railway, as Quorn was a stop-over point for troops and evacuees, especially, after the japan bombing of Darwin in Men standing in front of train.
The remaining narrow gauge line between Stirling North, Quorn and Hawker was abandoned in The name Pichi Richi is believed to be derived from pituri which was produced around the Quorn area; a mixture of leaves and ash chewed as a stimulant by Australian Aborigines. The McConville family had a acre farm on the edge of Quorn. Quorn is the home of the Flinders Ranges Council local government area. It is in the state Electoral district of Stuart and the federal Division of Grey.
The town was surveyed by Godfrey Walsh in and named after Quorndon in Leicestershire , United Kingdom , as part of the preparations for building the railway line from Port Augusta northwards.
The railway line from Port Augusta to Quorn opened in and was subsequently extended north to Government Gums Farina in , Marree in , Oodnadatta in and Alice Springs in In , Quorn became the crossroads of any north—south on the Central Australian Railway to Oodnadatta or east—west travel in Australia, when the Trans-Australian Railway was completed between Port Augusta and Kalgoorlie. This made Quorn an important town, given that any person travelling east—west or north—south in Australia would need to pass through Quorn.
As a result, many fine buildings were built as the town expanded. Quorn's role as a crossroads was lost when a standard gauge railway connection was opened between Port Pirie Junction and Port Augusta in , meaning east—west trains bypassed Quorn. Trains services through Quorn peaked at over 50 per day during and immediately after the period of World War II. During the s a new standard gauge line was built that passed on the western side of The Dutchmans Stern, Mount Arden and Mount Eyre , from Stirling North to Brachina and then roughly following the original narrow gauge route through Leigh Creek and to Marree, thus bypassing Quorn.
That means anyone travelling across the continent in either direction would pass through. In those days, Quorn was a pretty important crossroad! The heyday only latest twenty years before the east-west line was re-routed, and by the s, all trains stopped using the railway lines through Quorn. In the s, a group of train enthusiasts slowly started to rebuild the damaged tracks and restore locomotives and carriages, and the Pichi Richi Railway was born. Quorn today has a population of around people and this tourist railway is the main attraction in town.
As a gateway to the Flinders Ranges, this is a good base to explore further but still have the facilities a town affords. There are train trips from Quorn station from around March until November each year. Mostly they run on weekends and public holidays, but you may also find services during the week, particularly in school holidays.
Look out for some of the special services, including those on The Coffee Pot, the only remaining train of its kind in the world. Read more details and about my ride on the Pichi Richi Railway here. If you are a real train enthusiast or just genuinely curious, you can also do a tour of the Pichi Richi Railway workshop. You will get a sneak peek of the locomotives and carriages that are currently undergoing restoration before they too join those on the rails.
Booking details can be found here. Located just 20km north of Quorn, Warren Gorge is a fabulous location for bush camping and hiking. The camp grounds here are basic, but incredibly picturesque as it sits along a creek bed with towering gum trees.
Wildlife will be right on your doorstep, with plenty of kangaroos, emus and bird life all around. If you are really lucky you will spot an endangered Yellow-Footed Rock Wallaby too, as this is one of the areas they are being re-introduced.
For information on camping fees, see the council website here. The most popular walk in the area is the Warren Gorge Loop Walk which first takes you along the bottom of the gorge and returns along the ridge.
There are fabulous views over the area, particularly from Smoke Oh Rock. The walk is about 5km long and will take two hours to finish. Both trails pass through Warren Gorge, making Quorn an idea base for these legs. Established by local Brian Powell, these gardens are filled only with plants that grow within a 30km radius of Quorn. They are located right in town on First Street. While you are in Quorn, make sure you stick around into the evening to enjoy the Quorn Silo Light Show.
As the sun goes down the silos come to light. While the displays are intended to change over time, during my visit they consisted of photos of some of the local trains of the Pichi Richi Railway, photos of the Flinders Ranges and surrounding area, photos of native flora and fauna, local events, and artwork done by local artists. The show lasts for about three hours after sunset. Learn more about the buildings in town with the Quorn Heritage Walk.
Either follow the trail around the town or just look out for the signs as you move around. Some, like the sign above, have great photos of how things were in the past which make interesting comparisons with the streetscapes today. The park is dominated by a bluff that is Dutchmans Stern, and this is the destination of the most popular hike in the area.
Once at the top, there are great views over the Spencer Gulf and the Willochra Plain. The hike is 10km long and you should allow five hours. There are two other hikes in the area too, both of a similar length, which show off the flora, fauna and spectacular views available in the area. Dutchmans Stern Conservation Park also contains some accommodation options. Camping is free within the conservation park outside of fire danger season, but there are no facilities.
Between Quorn and Hawker are the decaying ruins of the Kanyaka Homestead one of many historic sites in the area.
This station was originally home to about 70 families so there are quite a few buildings around as well as a cemetery. Take a wander around to spot all the parts of this busy working cattle and sheep station, including cottages, workshops and the woolshed a little further up the creek bed.
The site is now heritage listed. The original founder was Hugh Proby, who died when he was thrown from his horse and drowned during a thunderstorm some distance from the settlement. Quite ironic since this area is usually incredibly dry.
About 15km south of Quorn on the road to Wilmington there is a turn off to the settlement of Bruce.
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