We travelled to Melrose in South Australia with our 9-year-old Kidsetter and dog in tow. Melrose is located 273 km north of Adelaide.
Melrose, was officially proclaimed in 1853 and is the oldest town in the Flinders Ranges. This quiet and attractive town, which is nestled below Mount Remarkable, has had a colourful history characterised by farming on very marginal land and mining poor deposits of copper.
This historic town in the Flinders Ranges is renowned for its exceptional mountain bike trails.
Today it has a number of interesting historic buildings and there are pleasant bush walking tracks in the surrounding countryside.
The most prominent building in town is the North Star Hotel which stands tall and proud at the top of the main street. Originally nothing more than a simple log cabin it was first licensed in 1854 making it the oldest licensed hotel in the Flinders Ranges. The present building dates from 1881.
We took a stroll through the town to the base of Melrose Caravan Park to commence a Kidsetter friendly hike.
During the 1890’s a number of swing bridges were constructed along the Willochra Creek in the vicinity of Melrose. The bridges provided access from the Workingmen’s Blocks for farm labourers, brewery workers and school children during periods when the creek was in flood. This replica swing bridge was erected in 1990 to replace an original bridge that was badly damaged in the 1946 flood.
While we were walking our Kidsetter kept a look out for the local inhabitants of the woodland such as dragons, skinks, geckoes and snakes which make their home among the shrubs and rocks.
After 40 minutes hiking we reached the Melrose War Memorial Monument which was constructed to commemorate the fallen of World War I. Unfortunately, as we were hiking with our dog, we were not able to go further on to the Melrose Nature Hike as dogs are not allowed.
The 422m high view from the Melrose War Memorial Monument, presiding over the Willochra Plains was simply breathtaking.
After our energetic hike we had worked up an appetite and sighted the most adorable park in town named Paradise Square Gardens. Enjoying our picnic, we relaxed in the shade, played on the well-maintained equipment and felt like time simply stood still.
A fascinating visit into the past, discovering the history of this unique area amongst one of the most picturesque areas of the State.
