Quorn quandong helps discover new path

The community will showcases foods grown in the southern Flinders Ranges such as quandongs and Iga Warta, or the native orange through a $480,000 trail project across the area.

The first step will be to build a new walking path to connect its southern and northern reaches with surrounding bush food gardens designed to be a tourism drawcard.

Flinders Ranges Council mayor Peter Slattery said the idea to brand the town as "the bush tucker capital of Australia" was touted some six months ago.

The town is already home to the popular Quandong Café and its Quorn Area School created its own bush garden a few years ago, called the Warndu Mai Garden with links to the indigenous Adnyamathanha people.

Mr Slattery said the walking and cycling trail would meander alongside the red gum-lined Pinkerton Creek, with the bush garden designed as a drawcard for locals and tourists.

"We are hoping this will help raise the profile, we do have a number of native fruits that grow around the Flinders and we recognise we need some diversification with the agriculture sector," he said.

"The idea of branding Quorn as the bush tucker capital, it's been brought into our discussions around various opportunities to create more of an identity for Quorn."

Council will provide half the funding for the project in the town of just over 1000 people that is central to farmers and pastoralists operating in the semi-arid climate, but also relies on outback tourism.

An indigenous supplier sells the fruit to the local Quandong Café so owner Patricia Gilbert can make quandong cheesecake, pie, chutney, jam and slice.

"I also sell quandong jam and syrup," Ms Gilbert said.

She said the fruit was more expensive as plants had smaller yields and likened its taste to rhubarb with a slight tartness - the fruit creating much interest among visitors to the town.

"All of my staff are well trained in how to answer simple and more complex questions about the quandong."

The bush food project funding was part of the state government's announcement of $65.5 million for local community projects across SA.

All funds are part of an overall $1 billion stimulus package to support businesses grappling with the effects of the global pandemic.

A total of 37 projects secured funding across 27 different council areas, with 24 in metropolitan Adelaide and 13 in regional SA.

Among other regional projects, the Mount Remarkable council area in the southern Flinders Ranges won funding to expand its existing biking and walking trail from Wilmington to Melrose.

The plan was to link the existing rail trail to Booleroo Centre in the popular mountain biking region, with work to start in December.

Minister for Planning Stephan Knoll said successful local projects would help build local jobs and support businesses to deliver better, greener open spaces in the community.

"These projects will build better communities that will help our state come back stronger and better than before, with park and playground upgrades, walking trails and public space upgrades," he said.

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