Farina is a locality in the Australian state of South Australia. At the 2006 census,
Farina had a
population of 55.
On the edge of the desert, it sits within the Lake Eyre Basin and it is situated on the old alignment of the Ghan railway, 16
miles North of
Lyndhurst and 34
miles south of
Marree where the
Oodnadatta Track and the
Birdsville Track commence.
A camel train in front of the old general store in Farina
Originally called The Gums or Government Gums,
Farina was settled in 1878 by optimistic farmers hoping that rain follows the plough. The town was the railhead for a time until 1884 before the railway was extended to
Marree. During the wet years of the 1880s, plans were laid out for a town with 432 ¼-acre blocks. It was believed that it would be good for growing wheat and barley, however normal rainfall is nowhere near enough to grow these crops. Several silver and copper mines were dug in the surrounding area.
The rail line was
Farina's link to civilisation, however despite the advertised timetable it rarely ran to time. In 1918 for instance, because of the rotten state of the sleepers and the incipient rusting of the dogs which held the rails onto the sleepers, after a number of specials relating to wartime actions, a following heavy goods train was too much for the track, and the engine and 13 trucks left the line.
Locomotive derailed
Ghan sign at Farina
Close up of the sign
Farina grew to reach a peak
population of approximately 600 in the late 1800s. In its heyday, the town had two hotels (the Transcontinental and the Exchange) and an underground
bakery, a bank, two breweries, a general store, an Anglican church, five blacksmiths, a school and a brothel. In 1909, a 2,520 lb iron meteorite was discovered north-east of the town.
The Hospital
The first hospital was housed in this wooden and corrugated iron building, located between the
bakery and the Moffatt's house. In 1925,
Sydney Kidman bought the iron building (which was known as "The Bungalow"), and moved it to Wilpoorina to be used as shearer's quarters, and where it remains today.
Today nothing but stone
ruins and the elevated
railway water tank remain of the township. The
post office closed in the 1960s and the railway line closed in the 1980s.
Farina Post Office
The town is no longer inhabited, with the closest residents now living at
Farina station, visible to the west of the town. A bush
camping area is maintained by the owners of
Farina station.
In 2008
Farina Restoration Group was formed, and in May 2009, 30 people attended a 14-day restoration program at
Farina.
Volunteer efforts have been made to restore the town, including the repair of the
bakery and the addition of informational signs.
Farina war memorial
Farina, Aprox' 1968
Ruins at Farina
During World War I, 33 men who were born in
Farina enlisted for the duration of the war and for four months after its end. All of them were volunteers. The first man enlisted at Helena Vale in South Australia on 28 August 1914 and joined the 11th Battalion. The last man enlisted on the 23 March 1918.
Of the 33 men who went to war from
Farina, 5 were killed in action, 10 were wounded and one died at sea, en route to England.
The last survivors were discharged on 16 August 1920.
.