Iron Knob was named for the mineral deposits that once loomed on the horizon.
It was the discovery of iron ore deposits nearby that kick-started South Australia's steel industry, more than 100 years ago.
A vibrant hamlet sprang up to support an emerging mining industry, and gave rise to the port town of Whyalla, 50 kilometres to the south.
Shirley Marshall moved to Iron Knob with her mining worker husband in the 1950s.
At that time it had a population of about 2,500.
“There was every nationality that you could have, because at that stage, they brought a lot of different migrants in,” she says.
“The town was at it’s best then, it was in full bloom.”
“It was wonderful, actually, we had wonderful times.”
In 1999, BHP closed its mine at Iron Knob.
As a single-industry town, the population plummeted.
The former swimming pool now lies behind a rusted link-chain gate, its depths filled with overgrown shrubs.
A petrol station, pub and restaurant also lie abandoned.
The town receives some guidance from South Australia's Outback Communities Authority, but there's no local government.
For everything from bin collection to local transport, Iron Knob relies on volunteers.
“What do we do? Go home and put a bag over our heads, and just wait for everything to disappear?”
Brian Lock, one of Iron Knob’s 160 remaining residents, drives the local tour bus. It’s one of the few remaining services to turn a profit.
He says the pitch-in mentality is the only way the town can stay alive.
“What do we do? Go home and put a bag over our heads, and just wait for everything to disappear?” he says.
“We decided we’d give it a run and see if we could run the town ourselves.”
“[It was a] pretty steep learning curve, because none of us had any particular skills in town administration.”
Some residents are trying to save Iron Knob in other ways.
Source: SBS
When Tanya Collins and her husband noticed the church they got married in was up for sale they bought it in order to preserve it.
Trying to use it for a small business has proved more difficult.
“We have been thinking of putting it into a library for the community,” she says.
“But there are stops here and there… we can’t get proper insurance on the building, because it’s so old, and out in the middle of nowhere.”
Arrium took over and reopened the mine two years ago.
But the troubled steelmaker started laying off workers just 12 months later, and hopes for a revival have slumped.
Tourism is now the brightest hope.
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There’s a steady trickle of visitors who come to stay at the well-kept camping ground.
Among them are Frans Hamer and his wife Bev.
The town has become their temporary home while waiting for a repair on their campervan.
They only wish they had more ways of helping the local economy.
“Generally Grey Nomads saying at a campground like that, they want to spend money in town in appreciation,” says Mr Hamer.
“This town, like others, there’s nowhere to spend the money.
“There’s no pub, no shop… it’s a shame, because we’d prefer to leave some money behind.”
Byron Gough, of the Outback Communities Authority, says Iron Knob does what it can with very little.
"For those communities that are facing adversity, and a lot of our towns are, Iron Knob is a very good role model."
But with an ageing population and few jobs, the town's future remains unclear.
Locals like Brian Lock hope politicians will follow through on promises to focus on job creation in the region, particularly in nearby Whyalla.
Without it, Iron Knob could be just a few decades off becoming a ghost town, its empty streets and empty houses fading into the red outback dust they were built on.
