For a town with only two letters to hold to its name, there’s a lot to be said about Orroroo.

Located on the fringe of the Flinders Rangers, the town of just under 600 people knows hardship but knows how to conquer it too.

“We sit on the edge, both physically and metaphorically,” Mayor Kathie Bowman says.

“As far as rainfall is concerned, four of the last six years have been drought, this year included. But we are stoic and tough, and continue to ride it out.”

Orroroo predominantly supports cereal cropping and pastoral pursuits. It’s made up of a community built on resilience that Kathie says runs in their DNA.

“If someone has an idea, it might be different to what others have done but they have a go,” she says.

“I think it’s in the blood. People have been doing this for a long time here.”

Battling the uncertainty of rainfall, the people of Orroroo have grown to take matters into their own hands. They diversify their revenue, so when the town has a bad season, it doesn’t fall over.

Early this year, enterprising young farmer Jonathan Byerlee launched his own knitwear label Wyndhurst using fine micron wool from his family’s Merino sheep flock.

Offering premium fashion garments, the brand has already been approached by the iconic footwear and clothing brand RM Williams to work with the company for upcoming projects.

“We wanted to try drought-proof ourselves a bit,” Jonathan says.

“Anything you can do to take the power out of the weather’s hands and put it in your own is great I think.”

New not-for-profit enterprise 54 31 Collective on Main Street. Photo: Lara Pacillo

Maintaining this innovation through adversity is the backbone of the town. The concept stretches down Orroroo’s Main Street, bustling with an entrepreneurial spirit.

Main Street is home to the 54 31 Collective, a new not-for-profit enterprise offering a space for locals to develop, grow and showcase their locally made or sourced products in a community space.

“It’s a vibrant space that compliments what’s already happening in the town,” says Fiona Dignan, who is a part of the management committee.

Fiona, along with four other local women each leading busy professional and family lives outside of 54 31 Collective, transformed this idea into reality through passion.

Opening its doors in March this year, the store is an opportunity for locals to earn “off-farm” income by selling an assortment of products such as jewellery, candles, resin, paintings and leather goods.

Jonathan’s line of Wyndhurst garments can be bought in the store too, as well as fresh baked goods cooked in-house by Gaye Kuerschner from her Black Rock Kitchen pod, who is also part of the management committee.

“I’ve always baked and always wanted to own a bakery but thought it was too risky,” Gaye says, as the scents of her parmesan and pesto scrolls and Portuguese custard tarts waft through the collective.

“We’re already exposed to risk with our farm and off seasons, but this opportunity is very low risk with low pod rental, shared responsibility and great financial reward.”

Gaye moved to Orroroo when she was 20 after being offered a teaching position straight out of university. She settled down in the town and is still here 43 years later.

Gaye’s husband and sons are involved in the Upper North Farming Systems (UNFS) which, along with the Northern and Yorke Landscape Board and SA Drought Hub Orroroo Node, provide the broader agricultural community with access to projects, programs, information and data from across the country.

This data, along with financial and technical assistance, helps to aid the community in making improvements in farming to strengthen resilience throughout the town

Gaye says while it can be tough in Orroroo, there’s always a “what can we do better or smarter” attitude and this shows vividly throughout Main Street itself.

As the only SA recipient of Rural Aid’s ‘Our Towns Makeover’, an initiative supporting small drought-impacted towns, Orroroo has been implementing a master plan to renew, reinvigorate and support the sustainability of the town.

One of the most recent additions to Main Street, or “the CBD” as Kathie likes the call it, is The Black Rock Station Woolpress which has been carefully restored by a group of ambitious locals. It greets tourists and entices them to stop off in the town as they pass through.

The woolpress serves as a focal point of a much larger heritage trail that will soon trace the median strip, with more upgrades, such as shop frontage revamps, to come.

Gaye says the town has a strong focus on moving forward by improving on what they have done in the past.

“We say ‘okay it’s a bit hard, but what can we do about it’, and everyone looks after each other through it all,” she says.

Orroroo is one of five finalists in the Agriculture Town of the Year Award sponsored by PIRSA to recognise South Australian towns that are excelling in agricultural practices and the flow on effect they have on communities. The winner will be announced at Solstice Media’s Regional Showcase Awards at the UKARIA Cultural Centre on Friday 4 November.