Would you travel over 600 kilometres for a loaf of bread? We did last year, and it was worth the trip. This isn’t your average bakery though, as you might expect. This daily baked goodness comes from an authentic scotch oven, housed in an underground bakery in a ghost town in the South Australian outback.

The Farina bakery is only open for a couple of months each year during the winter months and caters to travellers on their way to and from journeys in the far north of the state, including on the Birdsville and Strzelecki tracks. The money made from bakery sales, adds to the volunteer’s coffers which are used to maintain the ruins of this once thriving railway town, saving them from further decay.  

In its heyday, the bakery provided bread for the population more than 200, who lived and worked in this town which was once the railhead for the Oodnadatta, Birdsville and Strzelecki tracks, and the main base for Afghan cameleers, from which the Ghan train from Adelaide to Darwin gets its name.

According to records, the first listed baker arrived at Farina in 1888 and it’s thought that this is roughly when the bakery and its oven were built. Made of stone and brick with iron fittings, the oven has a separate but connected side box where a fire is lit and burns throughout the baking process, providing a constant efficient heat. A method that is still being used effectively more than 130 years later.

The bakery and stabilization of the town ruins is an annual event for a dedicated bunch of volunteers who look forward to the open season and the chance to serve and chat to travellers passing through or making a stay of it, in the station campground.

Travellers can stay in the campground for $15 per head, per night (prices as of 2024), and explore the property during their stay. As well as a host of ruins to explore, there is a war memorial, historic cemetery and a recently acquired railway engine which is under restoration.

The campground has plenty of space for caravans and motorhomes and with amenities of flushing toilets and hot showers, which work by a wood fired donkey heater, it makes for a comfortable stay.

The town of Farina sits within Farina Station, a merino sheep property and the Farina Restoration Group is the Licence holder to manage the Crown Land sites in the Farina township area. Amongst the brigade of volunteers are a couple of stonemasons who are employed during the time to help stablilise the ruins and keep their integrity intact.

By far the busiest hub of Farina is the bakery which is housed in the rebuilt Patterson house, on the site of the first station owner’s house. This building also houses a café seating area, information on the original town, and souvenirs to buy. Visitors are also encouraged to enter the underground bakery and learn about the history of the town and scotch oven from the bakers.

A staggering amount and range of bread loaves are baked daily, and they usually sell out by lunchtime. The opening day in 2024 saw the busiest sales day on record to date. It’s no surprise with a variety of loaves baked as well as tasty pies, pasties, cakes and buns baked indoors daily.

Using Farina Station as a base you can also explore the nearby towns of Copley and Leigh Creek, 65 kilometres to the south or Maree, 57 kilometres to the north.

The Farina township and campground is open all year round for visitors to stay and experience, and the usual time to enjoy the bakery is from the end of May to near the end of July each year. It’s open now for the 2025 season daily from 8am to 4pm but be quick each day!

To get to Farina 600 kilometres north of Adelaide, take The Outback Highway after you’ve travelled through the Flinders Ranges, and you’ll have bitumen all the way until the entrance road into Farina Station. The campground is only a short distance past the bakery.

Enjoy

Glenys