Old Ghan Restaurant: In the Outback region of South Australia
When Bob Andersson visited the Flinders Ranges in 1988 he fell in love with what he saw so he decided to stay. He bought the old Hawker railway station and spent the next two years renovating it to create the Old Ghan Restaurant and Gallery. A visit today brings back images of the old Ghan railway, which used to pass through Hawker on its journey between Adelaide and Alice Springs.
The old platform, where passengers used to wait before catching the train is now a dining room - the ideal place to take a break have a snack.
“It's nice to find a place like this for a good meal and a nice drink,” one relaxed traveller told us. “I mean there's such a long distance between every place. The next place up the road is Parachilna, which is a long way. It's just nice to find a watering hole like this.”
There’s more than food too - the old ticketing office is now a gallery where local artists like Kevin Waters exhibit their works. The day Postcards visited one of Kevin’s paintings of Farina was on display. Farina is two hundred kilometres further up the old Ghan line and is now a ghost town - slowly giving in to the elements in a stark but beautiful environment.
The Original Ghan train to Maree and later Alice Springs passed through Hawker until 1956 when wash-aways forced the South Australian Railways to move the line further west. But throughout its history the Hawker station was also the terminus for a remarkable commuter train for locals travelling between here and Quorn. Originally known simply as Steam Motor Number One - it was later called "The Coffee Pot."
“The old Coffee Pot used to run back and forwards,’ said Bob. “That was one last trains that used to run through here.”
Everyone has a tale to tell about the trains. Some remember the troop movements through the Flinders in World War Two as diggers headed to Darwin and the war in the Pacific. They’d often stop at the Hawker pub for a beer and risk missing the train - not that that was really a problem.
“They'd go over to the pub. But the train was so slow to start off they could walk all the way up the road by the time the train got up the hill and catch the train again.”
The diggers would have been impressed with today’s menu which includes The Old Ghan Burger - a man made mountain of food.
“It's got a freshly made home made beef patty, fresh bacon, pineapple and eggs fresh from the old garden in the chooks shed,” explained Bob.
The Old Ghan Restaurant and Gallery is at Hawker, on the main road to Leigh Creek. It’s open Wednesday to Sunday.
The Old Ghan Restaurant and Gallery Hawker. Open Wednesday to Sunday If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au
