Our delightful town is nestled in the eastern slopes of the southern Flinders Ranges. 218kms North from Adelaide and 40kms East of Port Pirie.
The township of Laura was surveyed in 1872, when a section of Booyoolee Run, a pastoral holding which was leased by the pastoralist Herbert Bristow Hughes, was surveyed and subdivided. In 1872 the new town was named Laura after Laura Hughes, Herbert’s wife. Prior to the establishment of the town the area had a number of large pastoral holdings most of which dated from the 1840s. Beetaloo Station had been established as a cattle run in 1844.
The town grew as it became an important supply post for the workmen building the Beetaloo Reservoir. Two Chinese market gardeners settled there and implemented South Australia’s first irrigation system to grow vegetables and fruit at Laura. Beer, ice and dairy products were later produced in the town for shipment to Broken Hill after its mining operations were established in the 1880s. Flax was also produced in the area.
The town hosts the annual Laura Fair, a two-day festival.
During the Laura Fair, Hughes Street becomes a large mall lined with art, craft, hobby and food stalls. There is non-stop entertainment suitable for the whole family.
Australian poet and writer CJ Dennis, of ‘The Sentimental Bloke’ fame, is a much respected early identity of Laura. His father was the licensee of the Beetaloo Reservoir Hotel from 1892 to 1910. Clarrie Dennis spent much of his youth in Laura.
Situated on the banks of the southerly flowing Rocky River, amid stately red gums, Laura is a perfect base from which to visit the many surrounding attractions and scenic drives.
The cache is not at the listed coordinates. To find it you'll need to solve to this puzzle to get the final coordinates. A Jigidi for ..... Laura