TRAVELS WITH KINGDEANO ADVENTURES
We had heard of the Victorian town of Rainbow a few times, and as our plans to travel to South Australia would take us in that town’ s direction, curiosity won, and we decided to see how the town earned such a colourful name.
As we rolled into the main street, the first thing we saw was a giant rainbow billboard stretching proudly across the road, an unmistakable welcome and the perfect photo stop. It instantly gave the town a playful and cheerful charm. Historically, Rainbow was home to three pubs: the Top Pub, the Middle Pub and the Bottom Pub. These days, the former Bottom Pub has been converted into an Airbnb renamed King Charles III.
Lunch came courtesy of the local bakery, where we grabbed hearty pies before wandering further along the street. There’ s a small art gallery open most days( or by appointment), a lolly shop known for its impressive milkshakes, a butcher where we picked up supplies for dinner, and a couple of general stores that seem to stock just about everything. Rainbow may be small, but it’ s wonderfully self-sufficient.
A hand-made sign advertising tours of the local Pella Church led us to call a local man named Mal. We followed his car a short drive out of town to St John’ s Lutheran Church, built in 1911 from local limestone and still operating today. Mal’ s knowledge was extraordinary. He shared stories of the early settlers and the building’ s careful preservation over the decades.
Inside sits a beautifully restored pipe organ, and as one of only two people in town who can play it, Mal treated us to a performance. The sound filled the church in a way that felt both powerful and intimate. Nearby, the old primary school now houses historical displays that paint a vivid picture of the district’ s past.
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