Most of the information about Beltana was
obtained from the South Australian Department for the Environment
website:
If there was ever a town that should be
singing the blues – it’s Beltana. It’s about as
close to an “Old West” style ghost town as you can get.
Established in 1873, it was earmarked to be nothing short of a
thriving metropolis. A hub for the Great Overland Telegraph and the
Transcontinental Railway, a staging post for the Afghan traders, a
service town for the copper mines to the east and a base for the
outback services of the Australian Inland Mission. Famous
Australians such as Sir Thomas Elder and Reverend John Flynn have
all been part of this community.
By the early 1900’s the population had
steadied at about 150 and there were up to 65 trains per week
passing through the town. But unlike other ghost towns like
Ferns and Simmonston, Beltana was a thriving community.
At one stage, there were 52 children attending the one room school.
There was a pub, a brewery and an eating house. There were 3
policemen and 6 people manned the telegraph office.
Then, in 1941, coal was discovered about 40
km to the north in Leigh Creek. By 1956, the rail-line, the life
blood of the town, was re-aligned to the west. Services in the town
were gradually wound down. The nursing home closed in 1956, quickly
followed by the pub and the police station in 1958, and the general
store in 1959. In 1967 the school closed and the remaining children
were bussed to Leigh Creek daily. The final nail in the coffin was
in 1983 when the road was re-aligned to the west, so that it no
longer passed through Beltana.
Most of the town is a declared State Heritage
Area. Some of the buildings are privately owned and are being
restored. The Dunesk Mission (pictured above) is being restored by
volunteers through the Presbyterian Church in Port Augusta. But who
visits this forgotten town? Well, we did. On a day when the
temperature was over 40C and the humidity was below 10%. It’s
hard to imagine living here in the days before air conditioning or
even electricity! The visit was to commemorate our Great Northern
Adventure (50 Flinders Ranges caches in 5 days).
So take the road less travelled. It might be
dirt, but it is passable to all vehicles in all weathers.
There’s plenty to see in this forgotten town. Kindly
maintained by one of our friends who lives in Leigh
Creek.