This was published 9 years ago
Orroroo, South Australia: Travel guide and things to do
Orroroo, SACredit: Adam Bruzzone
Located 262 km north of Adelaide on the edge of the Flinders Ranges, Orroroo is one of those towns which seems to have been designed so that people have to get fit to cross the main street. To see a photograph of the main street in 1878 is to be in awe of the way the main street was developed. There is a veritable football field between the buildings on one side of the road and the buildings on the other.
Prior to European settlement the area around Orroroo was inhabited by the Ngadjuri Aborigines whose domain was the area to the east of the Flinders Rangers.
Orroroo is on the edge of South Australia's marginal desert land. It is a comment on the district that the first Europeans to settle, John and James Chambers, took up the Pekina Run in 1844. It was a vast run at the limit of settlement and covered 320 square miles. They stayed for 17 months during which time they did not receive a millimetre of rain. They sold Pekina for £30.
The town's first true settler was Charlie Easther who arrived in 1864 an opened up an eating house and sheep pen on Pekina Creek near where the picnic area is today. This became a popular stopping point for the drovers and drifters who travelled through the area. It was consequently the first true building in the town.
The town was officially named by G. W. Goyder in September 1875 (at the suggestion of Charlie Easther) and the first land sales occurred in May, 1876. The surveyor's lack of imagination is summed up by the simple grid system used and the fact that he numbered the streets from First Street to Seventeenth Avenue with very few exceptions.
There is some confusion about the meaning and pronunciation of the town's name. It seems the local Aborigines called the area 'Oorooroo' - this may have meant 'rendezvous of the magpie' or some sort of rapid motion or the name of a local Aboriginal girl or 'place of departure'.
When asked to establish a Post Office in the town the premier, Sir Charles Todd, is supposed to have observed: 'Dear me! There are only two letters in Orroroo. What do you want a post office for?' The town's Council Offices dates from 1888.
Things to see
Yesteryear Costume Gallery
The Costume Gallery at 50 Main Street is really quite special. It is one of the most interesting and impressive rural museums in Australia. The range of costumes, some of which are still worn, is impressive. The organisation and presentation is first class. For details contact (08) 8658 1032.
Early Settlers Hut
Located on the corner of Fourth and South Streets, this is an early example of a clay pug-and-pine cottage. It is still in its original condition and is furnished with simple furniture of the period. The notes provided by the Orroroo Council note: ' This cottage has been home for a number of families up until the 1950s and is typical of the early settlers buildings. The curved ceiling partition wall acts an air circulator. The two back rooms were in an earlier day lined with white washed hessian.' No one knows exactly when the hut was built but it is thought to date from the late 1870s. It can be inspected. Contact (08) 8658 1219 for opening details.
Pekina Creek
The walk along Pekina Creek is well worth the effort. Walk towards the Swimming Pool from West Terrace and then proceed south down Pekina Creek. There are some Aboriginal rock drawings (which may be 7000 years old) on the far side of the creek, then there are the springs which provide the creek with regular water and behind them (past the Tank Lookout) is Macdonald's rock carving, a poem written by a local who was leaving for the United States. If you return and head in the other direction there is a huge red gum which is reputed to be one of the largest in Australia.
Ruins of Pekina Station
The ruins of Pekina Station, the first station in the district, can be seen by taking Fourth Street south of town (stop and check out the good view from Tank Lookout).
Goyder's Line
A few kms outside of Orroroo (on the road to Port Augusta between Orroroo and Wilmington) is Goyder's Line. The following is recorded on the plaque: 'In 1865 Surveyor General George Woodroffe Goyder marked on the map of South Australia a line delineating drought affected country. The line which passes through this area became an important factor in settlement in this state being regarded as an indication of the limits of lands considered safe for agricultural development.' The town receives 325 mm of rain each year. This is typically spread over 79 days. The rest is dry.
Tourist information
Flinders Ranges & Outback Information
Orroroo SA
Telephone: 1800 633 060
Facsimile: (08) 8223 3995
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