Home to the Bush Bakery and Quandong Cafe.
It is claimed that people come from all over the world to visit the Bush Bakery and Quandong Cafe in Copley. Certainly that is the only drawcard the town actually has and, in fairness, the quandong is one of the great undiscovered bush tucker foods with a sharpness and originality which makes it unlike any other fruit. It makes an exceptional and interesting jam and the Quandong Cafe has a huge variety of products derived from quandongs.
Location
Copley is located 559 km north of Adelaide via Port Augusta between Leigh Creek and Lyndhurst. It lies to the east of Lake Torrrens.
^ TOPOrigin of Name
Copley was originally known as Leigh Creek after a nearby property. It was surveyed in 1891 and the name was changed to Copley to honour William Copley who, at the time, was the South Australian Commissioner of Crown Lands.
^ TOPThings to See and Do
Bush Bakery and Quandong Cafe
The one attraction in Copley is the famous Bush Bakery and Quandong Cafe where it is possible to eat really well from a variety of native animals - kangaroo, emu etc - and to marvel at the way the local people have turned the humble quandong (it tastes like rhubarb and has a gloriously tart aftertaste) into an excellent jam, superb quandong pies and a suitable sauce for sausages and steaks. Over the years the cafe has acquired a legendary reputation as a place where the visitor can find unique Australian quandongs in a variety of forms.
History
* Prior to the arrival of Europeans the area was occupied by the Kuyani Aboriginal people.
* In 1881 the Great Northern Railway reached the town and the railway station was named Leigh Creek, after a nearby property.
* In 1891 the town of Copley was officially proclaimed. It was located adjacent to Leigh Creek Railway Station.
* In 1916 the name Leigh Creek, as it applied to the railway station and post office, was officially abandoned. The entire settlement was then known as Copley.
* Today the tiny settlement south of Leigh Creek is little more than a pub, a general store, a caravan park and the fascinating Quandong Cafe. In 2006 it had a population of 104.
^ TOPVisitor Information
The town is so tiny you can ask for information at the Copley Bush Bakery and Quandong Cafe, 100 Railway Terrace, Copley, tel: (08) 8675 2288.
^ TOPAccommodation
Copley Caravan Park - check out http://www.copleycaravan.com.au/index.php?path=editpages&page=history.
^ TOPEating
Copley Bush Bakery and Quandong Cafe, 14 Railway Terrace, Copley, tel: (08) 8675 2683.
^ TOPUseful Websites
The official South Australian website - http://www.southaustralia.com/info.aspx?id=9002305 - has useful information about the town.
^ TOP
Great place to stay when travelling North
We have been through you town a couple of touring trips, the bakery was an important part of our stay. I just loved the quandong cheesecake and the sauce. She’s Apples here in Mt. Gambier used to have the sauce. I found out yesterday that it has been eliminated from their order forms. I guess what I’m hoping for is a way I can purchase the sauce specifically but ….maybe…..perhaps, the cheesecake.
Sadly the original and famed Quandong Cafe has closed. There is a poor and disappointing substitute now located at the Caravan Park. We were there on Good Friday, 2017. The hot cross bun was as hard as the nearby granite rocks and the Quandong tart did not appear to be “home-made.”
Very sad to hear!
Miss Copley I grew up there
COPLEY CLOTHESPEG,
Outback Souvenirs & Collectables,
34 Railway Tce East.