Travel Writing @Manna Hill

The more I travel outback routes, the more intrigued I become by towns like this and their hidden stories.

Manna Hill, a South Australian town three hours north of my almost-abandoned hometown of Moculta, is far from its heyday. Surveyed in the mid-1880s as a railway stop for gold rush enthusiasts and a hub for stock route supplies, today Google lists its population at just six, swelling to sixty or more each Anzac Day.

On a recent road trip, we stopped to marvel at the majestic railway station, perched proudly at the town’s entrance, conveniently opposite a much-welcomed loo pit-stop. Slightly higher than the flat, isolated township, a rusted sign reading “Blacksell Avenue” caught my attention. No reference plaque was in sight. Dodging a couple of freight trains to cross the Barrier Highway, I wandered further, hoping to uncover the story. Unsatisfied, finding nothing but the sign itself.

For now, I’ll add this to my growing collection of “must-know more” stories, each one a little mystery waiting to be explored. Perhaps its historical significance is simply a surname, or perhaps there’s a tale long forgotten. Either way, it’s a curiosity that niggles at me — and one I’m keen to uncover.

These are the moments that make exploring the outback so compelling: the quiet towns, the stories half-told, and the history that invites you to pause, wonder, and dig a little deeper.