Quorn, South Australia
Encyclopedia
Quorn is a township and railhead in the Flinders Ranges
in the north of South Australia
, 39 km northeast of Port Augusta
. At the 2006 census
, Quorn had a population of 1068.
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 1878 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 1879 and was subsequently extended north to Government Gums (Farina)
in 1882, Marree in 1884, Oodnadatta in 1890 and Alice Springs in 1929. This railway line later became known as the "Ghan line" or Central Australia Railway.
In 1917, Quorn became the crossroads of any north–south(on the Central Australian Railway to Oodnadatta) or east–west travel in Australia, when the Trans-Australia 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 1937, meaning east-west trains bypassed the route Quorn. However, during World War II
, Quorn was a vital service point for trains heading north to Alice Springs and carried over 1,000,000 troops heading to Darwin and on to Papua New Guinea. Trains services through Quorn peaked at over 50 per day during and immediately after the period of World War II. Services during this time also included coal mined at Leigh Creek being moved to the newly opened Playford A Power Station in Port Augusta.
During the 1950s 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. This bypass took away the last railway traffic through the Pichi Richi Pass, and the last major freight traffic through Quorn. The only services now operating through Quorn were freight from Peterborough
and Hawker
, and as a result Quorn's importance diminished and eventually in 1980s the railway was completely closed as the last freight was moved to road transport. One unusual aspect of the railway working from Peterborough to Quorn and then on to Hawker was the need for the engine to be turned and attached to the opposite end of the train when arriving at Quorn, as it was not a "through" station for the trip from Peterborough to Hawker.
In 1973, a group of railway enthusiasts assembled with the desire to preserve the unique bridges and stone work built in the previous century that formed the railway through the Pichi Richi Pass between Quorn and Stirling North. Thus the Pichi Richi Railway Preservation Society Inc
was formed. Although the intention was to just preserve the railway through the Pichi Richi Pass, they later acquired operable railway rollingstock and locomotives and today provide a tourist railway service through the Pichi Richi Pass to from Quorn to Port Augusta.
. There are also a self-guided walking tours in the town, included several based around the towns historic old buildings, the railway yards and other historic locations. The tourist centre on Fifth St provides all relevant literature.
There are a number of restaurants in town: at the four hotels on Railway Tce, the Old Mill Restaurant (now a motel), the Austral Inn, and at the Willows Brewery, 10 km out of Quorn on the road to Port Augusta.
Quorn is home to country music artist Jedd Hughes
, and was the birthplace of politician Brian Harradine
and champion SANFL
footballer Fos Williams
. Former Australian of the year and AC
, CBE
, Lowitja O'Donoghue
also spent a huge portion of her childhood at the Aboriginal mission in Quorn, Colebrook Children's Home.
Quorn is a delightful stop over for many travellers coming via Adelaide
to explore the Flinders Ranges
. The tourist office on the main street, manned by volunteers every week day, provides free information, maps and trails to safely see the best sites in the lower Flinders, including Warrens Gorge, Kanyaka Station
, Proby's Grave
and Itali Itali.
Quorn has also been used in several major films, including The Shiralee, Sunday Too Far Away
, Gallipoli
, Wolf Creek
, The Sundowners
, The Lighthorsemen
and most recently The Last Ride http://www.lastridemovie.com/ starring Hugo Weaving
.
, without commemorating the town.
Flinders Ranges
Flinders Ranges is the largest mountain range in South Australia, which starts approximately north west of Adelaide. The discontinuous ranges stretch for over from Port Pirie to Lake Callabonna...
in the north of South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, 39 km northeast of Port Augusta
Port Augusta, South Australia
-Electricity generation:Electricity is generated at the Playford B and Northern power stations from brown coal mined at Leigh Creek, 250 km to the north...
. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Quorn had a population of 1068.
Quorn is the home of the Flinders Ranges Council
Flinders Ranges Council
Flinders Ranges Council is a local government area in the Flinders Ranges of South Australia.The council area is approximately 100 km from north to south, and 45 km from east to west, with a total area of 4,198 square kilometres....
local government area. It is in the state Electoral district of Stuart
Electoral district of Stuart
Stuart is an electorate for the South Australian House of Assembly. It covers the northeast part of the state extending from just north of the Barossa Valley all the way to the Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales borders, and extending west to include Port Augusta...
and the federal Division of Grey
Division of Grey
The Division of Grey is an Australian Electoral Division in South Australia.The division was created in 1903 and is named for Sir George Grey, who was Governor of South Australia 1841-45 ....
.
History
Quorn, Leicestershire
Quorn is a village in Leicestershire, England, situated next to the university town of Loughborough. Quorn's name was shortened from Quorndon in 1889, to avoid postal difficulties owing to its similarity to the name of another village, Quarndon, a few miles away. Its original name is said to derive...
in Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, as part of the preparations for building the railway line from Port Augusta
Port Augusta, South Australia
-Electricity generation:Electricity is generated at the Playford B and Northern power stations from brown coal mined at Leigh Creek, 250 km to the north...
northwards.
The railway line from Port Augusta to Quorn opened in 1879 and was subsequently extended north to Government Gums (Farina)
Farina, South Australia
Farina is a town in the far north of South Australia. The mean annual rainfall is 163.6 mm, although it is highly variable. At the 2006 census, Farina had a population of 55....
in 1882, Marree in 1884, Oodnadatta in 1890 and Alice Springs in 1929. This railway line later became known as the "Ghan line" or Central Australia Railway.
In 1917, Quorn became the crossroads of any north–south(on the Central Australian Railway to Oodnadatta) or east–west travel in Australia, when the Trans-Australia 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
Port Augusta, South Australia
-Electricity generation:Electricity is generated at the Playford B and Northern power stations from brown coal mined at Leigh Creek, 250 km to the north...
in 1937, meaning east-west trains bypassed the route Quorn. However, during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Quorn was a vital service point for trains heading north to Alice Springs and carried over 1,000,000 troops heading to Darwin and on to Papua New Guinea. Trains services through Quorn peaked at over 50 per day during and immediately after the period of World War II. Services during this time also included coal mined at Leigh Creek being moved to the newly opened Playford A Power Station in Port Augusta.
During the 1950s 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. This bypass took away the last railway traffic through the Pichi Richi Pass, and the last major freight traffic through Quorn. The only services now operating through Quorn were freight from Peterborough
Peterborough, South Australia
Peterborough is a town in the mid north of South Australia, in wheat country, just off the Barrier Highway. At the 2006 census, Peterborough had a population of 1,689....
and Hawker
Hawker, South Australia
Hawker is a town in the Flinders Ranges area of South Australia, 365 km north of Adelaide. It is in the Flinders Ranges Council, the state Electoral district of Stuart and the federal Division of Grey. At the 2006 census, Hawker had a population of 229....
, and as a result Quorn's importance diminished and eventually in 1980s the railway was completely closed as the last freight was moved to road transport. One unusual aspect of the railway working from Peterborough to Quorn and then on to Hawker was the need for the engine to be turned and attached to the opposite end of the train when arriving at Quorn, as it was not a "through" station for the trip from Peterborough to Hawker.
In 1973, a group of railway enthusiasts assembled with the desire to preserve the unique bridges and stone work built in the previous century that formed the railway through the Pichi Richi Pass between Quorn and Stirling North. Thus the Pichi Richi Railway Preservation Society Inc
Pichi Richi Railway
The Pichi Richi Railway Preservation Society is a non-profit railway preservation society and operating museum formed in 1973. The society, managed and staffed by volunteers, operates heritage steam and diesel trains on the restored 39 km section of track between Quorn and Port Augusta in...
was formed. Although the intention was to just preserve the railway through the Pichi Richi Pass, they later acquired operable railway rollingstock and locomotives and today provide a tourist railway service through the Pichi Richi Pass to from Quorn to Port Augusta.
Tourism
The main attraction of Quorn is the Pichi Richi RailwayPichi Richi Railway
The Pichi Richi Railway Preservation Society is a non-profit railway preservation society and operating museum formed in 1973. The society, managed and staffed by volunteers, operates heritage steam and diesel trains on the restored 39 km section of track between Quorn and Port Augusta in...
. There are also a self-guided walking tours in the town, included several based around the towns historic old buildings, the railway yards and other historic locations. The tourist centre on Fifth St provides all relevant literature.
There are a number of restaurants in town: at the four hotels on Railway Tce, the Old Mill Restaurant (now a motel), the Austral Inn, and at the Willows Brewery, 10 km out of Quorn on the road to Port Augusta.
Quorn is home to country music artist Jedd Hughes
Jedd Hughes
Jedd Hughes is a country musician born in Australia. Hughes grew up in Quorn, where he grew up listening to his father's country records. He won a local country music contest at the age of eight and began playing guitar from age nine, taking lessons from his father...
, and was the birthplace of politician Brian Harradine
Brian Harradine
Richard William Brian Harradine , Australian politician, was an independent member of the Australian Senate from 1975 to 2005, representing the state of Tasmania. He was the longest-serving independent federal politician in Australian history, and a Father of the Senate.He was born in Quorn, South...
and champion SANFL
South Australian National Football League
The South Australian National Football League is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the governing body for the sport of Australian rules football in South Australia....
footballer Fos Williams
Fos Williams
Foster Neil "Fos" Williams AM was a leading Australian rules footballer who played for and coached the Port Adelaide and West Adelaide Football Clubs and coached South Adelaide in the South Australian National Football League in a career spanning 1946-1978...
. Former Australian of the year and AC
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
, CBE
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
, Lowitja O'Donoghue
Lowitja O'Donoghue
Ms Lowitja "Lois" O'Donoghue, AC, CBE, DSG is an Aboriginal Australian retired public administrator.She was named Australian of the Year in 1984 and 1990, and was inaugural chairperson of the now dissolved Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission .-Personal life:Lowitja O'Donoghue was the...
also spent a huge portion of her childhood at the Aboriginal mission in Quorn, Colebrook Children's Home.
Quorn is a delightful stop over for many travellers coming via Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
to explore the Flinders Ranges
Flinders Ranges
Flinders Ranges is the largest mountain range in South Australia, which starts approximately north west of Adelaide. The discontinuous ranges stretch for over from Port Pirie to Lake Callabonna...
. The tourist office on the main street, manned by volunteers every week day, provides free information, maps and trails to safely see the best sites in the lower Flinders, including Warrens Gorge, Kanyaka Station
Kanyaka Station
Kanyaka Station was a cattle and sheep station in the Flinders Ranges of South Australia approximately 40 km north of Quorn, South Australia.- History :Kanyaka Station was established as a cattle station in February 1852 by Hugh Proby...
, Proby's Grave
Kanyaka Station
Kanyaka Station was a cattle and sheep station in the Flinders Ranges of South Australia approximately 40 km north of Quorn, South Australia.- History :Kanyaka Station was established as a cattle station in February 1852 by Hugh Proby...
and Itali Itali.
Quorn has also been used in several major films, including The Shiralee, Sunday Too Far Away
Sunday Too Far Away
Sunday Too Far Away is an Australian feature film which was directed by Ken Hannam and released in 1975. It belongs to the Australian Film Renaissance which occurred during that decade....
, Gallipoli
Gallipoli (1981 film)
Gallipoli is a 1981 Australian film, directed by Peter Weir and starring Mel Gibson and Mark Lee, about several young men from rural Western Australia who enlist in the Australian Army during the First World War. They are sent to Turkey, where they take part in the Gallipoli Campaign. During the...
, Wolf Creek
Wolf Creek (film)
Wolf Creek is a 2005 independent Australian horror film written, co-produced and directed by Greg McLean. The story revolves around three backpackers who find themselves held captive by a serial killer in the Australian outback...
, The Sundowners
The Sundowners
The Sundowners is a 1960 film that tells the story of an Australian outback family torn between the father's desires to continue his nomadic sheep-herding ways and the wife's and son's desire to settle down in one place...
, The Lighthorsemen
The Lighthorsemen (film)
The Lighthorsemen is a 1987 Australian feature film about the men of a World War I light horse unit involved in the 1917 Battle of Beersheeba...
and most recently The Last Ride http://www.lastridemovie.com/ starring Hugo Weaving
Hugo Weaving
Hugo Wallace Weaving is a Nigerian born, English-Australian film actor and voice artist. He is best known for his roles as Agent Smith in the Matrix trilogy, Elrond in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, "V" in V for Vendetta, and performances in numerous Australian character dramas.-Early...
.
Naming
The name Quorn has been used as a name for a crater on the planet MarsMars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
, without commemorating the town.