The historic town of Farina in South Australia’s outback is pumping with people, a busy coming and going of travellers, tourists, and volunteers.

There’s a daily parade of caravans, 4WDs, motorcyclists, and even the odd converted bus and Kombi van. This can mean only one thing, it’s open season for the famous Farina Bakery, Australia’s most remote bakery, with an open season of only 8 weeks a year.

You can stay at the Farina campgrounds all year round but if the bakery is your main motivation for visiting, you have until Sunday the 19^th of July to visit in 2026.

We’ve visited this ghost town of ruins a few times in the past and each visit is different, including this year when we arrived at the usually dirt and dusty campground covered in green grass. At $20 per vehicle per night to stay (as of 2026), it’s looking better than some caravan parks we’ve stayed in for a whole lot more. For the price you also have access to flushing toilets, hot showers, daily baked breads, pies and pastries to buy and a living history of ruins and stories to discover.

This year our catalyst for visiting was to attend the unveiling of a SA Police memorial for Mounted Constable Richard William Spicer, at the old police station ruins. Constable Spicer was accidentally shot by a colleague, when his horse reared during weapons training at Farina in 1884.

The memorial unveiling was a very moving ceremony with representatives from SA Police, including Assistant Commissioner Parrott, members of the SA Police Band and two mounted officers, a welcome to country by Ms Beverley Patterson, Farina Restoration Group members, Police Historical Society members (some in traditional mounted police uniforms), and a blessing and prayer by Father Mark Whybrow.

The ceremony was attended by approximately 100 people and the weather was perfect for the occasion, the police horses doing an exceptional job of ignoring the flies to the best of their abilities.

As part of the ceremony, a metal sculpture and plaque were unveiled and now stand in place at the ruins of the old police station for future visitors to see.

This was the first visit we’ve ever seen Farina looking so green, as a result of recent early rains which are both a blessing and a curse in these areas. The stations and animals on them no doubt appreciate the green feed but it plays havoc with dirt roads leading to the stations and even the major highways which have debris strewn across them after flash flooding of creeks and rivers in the region.

If you intend travelling to the outback and Flinders Ranges area, you have to pay attention to weather forecasts and keep yourself safe by not camping in creek beds, and being prepared to leave if heavy rains are predicted, or you’ll risk having to stay put until water subsides.

This trip however we were blessed with perfect sunny days at Farina, just a few overly friendly flies, and fine evenings made for campfires and camp oven cook ups.

The 40-60 volunteers per week that help out at Farina each year have been hard at work again this year in not only running the bakery, stabilising the ruins, meeting and greeting visitors, and maintaining the campground facilities, but this year you’ll also see a new goods shed housing a locomotive which is being painted and restored with the Commonwealth Railways logo on it.

Next to the shed a replica of the Farina ticket office is being built which will house a display of Farina Railway memorabilia, harking back to its time as the railhead for the Oodnadatta, Birdsville and Strzelecki tracks.

There’s still time to visit Farina during the 2026 bakery open season and if you’re in the area on Saturday 13^th of June, you’ll also be able to spectate at the annual Farina versus the world cricket match at the FCG.

And if you fall in love the area that much, you can also put in a bid at the upcoming auction sale of Farina Station which is being held on the 17^th of June at the Port Augusta Golf Club.

The current owners of the station that surrounds the township, Kevin and Anne Dawes are leaving the property after 35 years, so if you fancy running this 22,700 hectare sheep and cattle station and enjoying the historic Farina township year round, it could be all yours!

Enjoy

Glenys