Reviewed by: Matt Brace
Just off the Outback Highway, about 470kms north of Adelaide, is the tiny settlement of Parachilna, South Australia. It doesn’t look like much from the road but drive to the front of the main building and you arrive at one of Australia’s most iconic hotels. Welcome to the Prairie Hotel, a fabulous edge-of-Outback oasis.
Overview
The Prairie is a remote watering hole and rest stop that has been serving dusty guests since 1876. However, don’t expect another clichéd, beer-soaked, blokey Outback pub. Instead, it’s classy and smart, with delightful rooms, creative food and a fabulous family team running the place. It is set in a truly awesome and ancient landscape, close to some of the oldest fossils on the planet, which you can visit and touch.
Look and feel
Manager Ellie greeted us in the cool, high-ceilinged bar and explained the presence of the shiny steel vats at the far end. They are part of the Prairie’s own Parachilna Brew Project, South Australia’s most remote brewery. The result of this hoppy endeavour is a range of delicious beers, including a zesty Nilpena Ediacara hazy ale and (a personal fave) a full-bodied Sadie Jane stout.
Next to the bar is the Gallery Restaurant, where the walls are lined with an array of contemporary Outback artwork (for sale) and diners swap stories over delicious local food. From the restaurant a corridor leads to an internal courtyard with comfy seats and sofas where guests can have an after-dinner drink or spend a quiet afternoon reading about the flora and fauna (and fossils) of the Flinders Ranges.
The Prairie’s owners – local pastoralists Jane and Ross Fargher – bought their ‘local’ in 1991 and resisted the temptation to slavishly follow the macho style of so many country pubs. Instead, they created a far more subtle and welcoming establishment. Whether you have just flown in on a chartered jet from Sydney or Melbourne, or you’ve been bouncing down the red-dirt Birdsville Track for a week in a motorhome that has seen better days, the Prairie immediately feels like your edge-of-Outback home.
Best room for two
The Prairie has just 12 rooms, which means you’ll never be overwhelmed by hundreds of fellow guests. It also means it’s advisable to book well in advance.
We had an Outback Room, which had a recently renovated en-suite bathroom complete with walk-in shower and fragrant toiletries from Aboriginal-owned company Nood Australia. The room was on two levels, so we stepped down to the semi-submerged area to relax on the sofa and to sleep in the king-sized bed.
Flinders Rooms are a similar size and have views of the Flinders Ranges; they also include a bathtub, which, after days of driving on dusty Outback roads, is total luxury.
If you fancy something a bit more historic, choose one of the Heritage Rooms, which are located within the original, stone-built part of the hotel.
Food and drink
We first stayed at the Prairie on an Outback road trip more than 20 years ago to sample its famous ‘feral food’ – everything from emu carpaccio to camel sausages. Now, two decades on, I am a pescatarian so when driving north from Adelaide I contemplated stocking up on Twisties in case the menu was still carnivorous. I’m glad I didn’t.
We arrived on a beautiful spring evening and sat out on the verandah with glasses of Clare Valley Riesling and a plate of mouthwatering saltbush and curry vegetarian pakoras.
Once the sun had set we moved inside to the lovely restaurant where chef Angus delivered saltbush dukkah on freshly baked bread, grilled halloumi with a quandong emulsion, roasted cauliflower harissa and (for my carnivorous wife) a rich, wild boar ragu. The team uses as much local produce as possible; even the chips are seasoned with what the hotel calls ‘Prairie dust’, which includes local bush tomato, saltbush and pepperberry.
The classic feral food is still on the menu and the owners told us that repeat guests come from all over Australia specifically for it. Our neighbours at the shared table were perfect examples; they had been on the Oodnadatta Track for the past few days and were salivating at the thought of the Prairie’s meat-fest. These days it’s called the ‘FMG’ (or feral mixed grill) and includes charred roo fillet, camel boerwors sausage, emu rissole and more, all in a red wine jus.
Activities
A major draw for visitors to the Prairie is the nearby Nilpena Station, site of some of the oldest and rarest fossils on the planet. Jane and Ross own and run the station and it was Ross who discovered the fossils in 1985. Recently he and Jane enabled part of their property to become Nilpena Ediacara National Park, which opened to the public in April 2023. The Nilpena-Ediacara fossils are imprints of some of the oldest known animals ever found on Earth, dating from 550 to 560 million years ago. They are also extremely rare and are one of South Australia’s compelling arguments to have the Flinders Ranges inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Ross runs extended fossil tours from the Prairie, which you can book online. We loved ours and the opportunity to touch such ancient natural history was a huge thrill.
Sustainability
The Prairie uses soaps and shampoos from Aboriginal-owned company Nood Australia. Nood produces a natural, sustainable and environmentally friendly range of products made using environmentally sustainable formulae and native Australian botanicals. The Nood Foundation is committed to helping Aboriginal communities build a self-sufficient, sustainable commercial environment and economic growth.
Also, the hotel’s Deluxe and Executive rooms are partially set into the earth, which helps moderate temperatures and reduce energy use.
Couples will love
Being able to have a genuine edge-of-Outback experience from the safety and comfort of a super-friendly, family-run country pub. Sip wine or beer together on the verandah as you watch the sun set over the Red Centre, dine on delicious local dishes and take a hand-in-hand stroll under a breathtaking sky littered with stars.
Book via the Prairie website https://www.prairiehotel.com.au/, call 1800 331 473 (in Australia) or email reservations@prairiehotel.com.au.