Small Town in the South Australian Outback ... Parachilna

A few weeks ago on our way to Flinders Ranges, we visited one of those little outback gems, tiny town Parachilna. Town got its name from Aboriginal word patajilnda (place of peppermint gum trees) but it was changed by first settlers because of misspelling, so the name stuck.

Funny thing is that we chose to travel to Parachilna while we were deciding which way to go to get to Flinders Ranges, even we didn’t know what we will find when we get there. The name was interesting so why not.... we drove for 490 km to unknown. I am gypsy at heart, even we didn’t find room to sleep in, the car is always a backup option 😉, but we were lucky I guess. Arrived there before sunset and rented an old wooden cottage for the night.

Even you don’t have too many things to see in Parachilna place itself has a long and rich history. Founded in 1863 because of the close proximity of government wells and copper mines. It was a social hub for surrounding towns until 1980 when old Ghan was rerouted and the place became just a small spot on tourist way to Flinders...anyway there are still some historical reminders and few iron sculptures to reminds us on that time.

Center of this small town and the favorite spot for passing travelers is hotel named “The Prairie”. What is hotel famous for? Feral meals!

Current owners of the hotel try their best to welcome you, when you enter the building, the place is decorated with Aboriginal art and you can even buy few souvenirs.

You can easily walk across whole Parachilna in just a few minutes, but the town is tranquil and inviting so you really don’t feel out of place.

There is one more thing that Parachilna is famous for, those are few iron sculptures. When we first arrived there, many tourists were taking photos of famous iron cowboy erected on the foundation of an old train station.

And of course the camera and train sculptures which I posted yesterday...

After spending some time outside under the clear sky and millions of stars, it was time for sleep...
In the morning we continued our trip to Flinders Ranges.

If the road ever gets us close to this little gem I would be more than happy to spend some time in it again!