Bruce, South Australia - A Forgotten Aussie Town with Spectacular Landscape Views and Potential

The Bruce Railway Station. Now a private residence.

Visiting the almost forgotten town of Bruce reminds me of visiting Silverton back in 2007, except Silverton has been revived into a kind of arts town with a very famous pub.

Bruce, on the other hand seems a little too spread out, and a bit too out of the way to make a similar 'arts' kind of revival.

Bruce's Pub appears to be an art studio
with signs of restoration work in progress.

The main part of town appears to be the Bruce railway station (now a private residence) and a pub, also privately owned and possibly was, or still is, and artist studio.

Other buildings and homesteads are set fairly wide apart, and are mostly privately owned homes. You don't get much sense of being in a town as such. I'm told there are approximately 14 local residents/families?

Once earmarked to be a commercial centre, Bruce fell by the wayside after successive floods and drought in its early years.

Obviously the railway line is no longer operational and would require considerable repair to even entertain the idea of running a private train service, let alone a public one.

However, there is plenty of potential to create something of a tourist attraction should anyone be so inclined. The wide open landscape offers stunning views, particularly during the golden hours of sunrise and sunset.

Bruce features spectacular wide open space views of the landscape and night sky.

It could be an ideal location to set up a glamping getaway, similar to Bukirk in the Clare Valley - which actually has a very similar vibe, with stunning views but not as wide open, see for miles, space as Bruce.

It also may feel like it's a little off the beaten track given, at the time of writing there are no sealed roads into Bruce, though nothing a standard car couldn't handle.

The Scruffy Fella is a great spot in Quorn
to stop for all kinds of speciality coffees
and other drinks.

The nearest active, town is Quorn, a relatively short drive, but certainly far enough away to feel like you're roughing it remotely (if you can call glamping 'roughing it').

Currently mobile phone coverage is a little hit and miss, on the Optus network at least, but that is something that could easily be improved (or not if you wanted to offer a more device free experience).

Presently, there's no reason to even pass through Bruce unless you know the locals (it's relatives of ours that own the railway station). The most you can really do is stop on the side of the road to check out the view.

However, if you're looking for a place to create a glamping experience, or you just want somewhere to live away from the rat race, maybe keep an eye out for properties for sale out this way.

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