Set your GPS to something strange with East Coast Car Rental and take a trip to two South Australian destinations that will pique your curiosity and ignite your sense of wonder. Have you ever experienced the eeriness of a long-abandoned ghost town, or wrapped your mind around the phenomena of the magnetic hill? Prepare to be amazed…
Magnetic Hill
Found on the outskirts of Orroroo, Magnetic Hill has fascinated drivers for over a century. By stopping your hire car and putting it into neutral on the seemingly uphill stretch of the road, hold your nerve as the vehicle slowly creeps up the ascent of its own accord. Initially confusing locals and visitors alike, who believed that the hill really was magnetic or that darker, more sinister forces were at work, the answer is actually more straightforward. An optical illusion is at play – the hill is actually on a downward slope, but the arrangement of the surrounding land tricks your eye into believing that you car really is moving unaided up the mysterious hill.
The abandoned town of Farina
Deserted towns can be fascinating – and Farina is no exception. Laid out in the late 19th century with the idea that the land was highly fertile and would become rich with crops, Farina enjoyed initial success, and the town thrived. Early in the 20th century, however, Farina suffered drought – rainfall was hugely insufficient, and the town wilted. The residents began to move away and soon enough, Farina was deserted. Today, the only proof of human settlement ever existing in Farina are derelict shells of houses and the disused railway line. The town cemetery also remains, its headstones etched with the names of those that tried in vain to keep the town in prosperity, adding to the persistent sense of melancholy that abounds at Farina.
Even your GPS may have a little trouble making sense of this pair of strange but true locations…