Guide to Riverton South Australia Australia

Riverton is a town of about 800 people on the Gilbert River, 94 kilometres north of Adelaide. Just north of the town the road forks, the Horrocks Highway heading for Clare and the Barrier Highway for Burra and Broken Hill, which has made Riverton a stopping place since the bullock drays carried copper past in the 1850s.

The long main street has kept many of its stone shops, pubs and churches, and the town is the southern end of a walking and cycling trail that links up with the Riesling Trail.

Known For

• The Rattler Trail, a rail trail to Auburn
• Scholz Park Museum and the 1875 railway station
• A caravan park and services at the highway junction

Things To Do in Riverton

Rattler Trail

The Rattler Trail follows the old railway for 19 kilometres from Riverton through Rhynie to Auburn, where it joins the Riesling Trail, making a continuous path of more than 50 kilometres to Clare and beyond. The surface is compacted gravel with easy grades.

Scholz Park Museum

This National Trust property in Torrens Road preserves the cottage, blacksmith’s shop and wheelwright’s works of the Scholz family, who worked here for three generations. It opens on Sunday afternoons and public holidays, with a small entry fee.

Riverton Railway Station

The stone station complex of 1875 is on the State Heritage Register. It is privately owned and can be viewed from outside. In 1921 Percy Brookfield, a member of parliament from Broken Hill, was shot dead on the platform while trying to disarm a gunman.

Duck Ponds

A small lake on the Gilbert River off Oxford Terrace has a one kilometre loop path, barbecues and toilets, a pleasant spot for a break from driving.

Riverton Light Gallery

The portrait painter Robert Hannaford, who grew up in the district, shows work in a gallery in the main street, open on Sundays.

Where To Stay

The Riverton Hotel and the Central Hotel are the two pubs.

The Riverton Caravan Park, on the corner of Oxford Terrace and Torrens Road, has powered sites, camping, cabins, free barbecues and a dump point. Tarlee, 12 kilometres south, has a free overnight stop for self-contained vehicles at the oval.

Eat & Drink

The Emporium Bakehouse and the Riverton Deli cover breakfast and lunch, and both hotels serve meals.

History

Riverton is on Ngadjuri country. It was settled in 1856 as a stop on the bullock road to Burra. The railway from Adelaide opened in December 1869, and a branch line to Clare, now the Rattler and Riesling trails, was added in 1918.

Getting to Riverton

Riverton is about an hour and 20 minutes from Adelaide by Main North Road through Gawler and Tarlee. The highways are sealed and suit caravans.