Your journey to Stone Hut begins in Adelaide where you take the Main North Road through Clare and head on up through Gladstone and Laura till you reach the tiny village of Stone Hut just eight kilometres north of Laura. The stunningly beautiful scenery of this special part of South Australia will amaze you.
Stone Hut is an old pioneering town that had its beginnings in the stagecoach days when the horses were changed at a little stone hut on the banks of the Rocky River, hence the name. In those days, during the 1870’s it became a thriving township with blacksmiths, timber-getters from the adjacent forest at Wirrabara and later with the railway and the huge traffic of wheat transhipped from Stone Hut to Port Adelaide.
The visitor today will discover Stone Hut a sleepy little collection of quaint stone cottages nestled in a picturesque valley. The population today is only 26 and the descendants of the original inhabitants own some of the cottages. The historic schoolhouse has been lovingly restored and is a private residence today. The Soldiers Memorial Hall was built in 1926 to honour the men of the district who served in World War One and is still used today for dances, markets, festivals and reunions. Dances at the Stone Hut draw people from far and wide who have connections with this wonderful old hall. It is the home of the Wild Boar Weekend, a festival of wine, food and music of the Southern Flinders, held each year on Mothers’ Day weekend.
Stone Hut is also the home of the Old Bakery. The visitor will be met with enticing aromas from the quaint little bakehouse at the front of the property and once inside can select from a wide range of home made goodies including chunky steak pies, pasties and a superb range of cakes and slices, all hand made from old fashioned recipes. Dine in the restaurant area and enjoy a glass of regional wine, or outdoors in the garden area. Perhaps takeaway and enjoy a picnic at the lookout just east of the town where you take in the stunning panorama of Mount Remarkable to the north and the ranges to the west and south.
Slow down, take a break in Stone Hut and continue your journey feeling relaxed and refreshed knowing that you have experienced something quite unique in country hospitality.
