Crystal Brook is situated on Goyder's Line near the border of two climate systems. While apparently cold semi-arid, the town benefits from a temperate mediterranean climate zone near to the east, making possible slightly more intense farming in the region. To the west and north-west lies some marginal, semi-arid farmland. The local farming community still supports many small businesses in the town.
Where is it?: 25 km south east of Port Pirie; 198 km north of Adelaide; 111 metres above sea level.
Crystal Brook is named after the spring-fed creek next to which it was founded.
Built features: The Big Goanna; Bowman Park, of the Crystal Brook run (1847); Beetaloo Reservoir; Laura (32 km north east - the boyhood home of C.J. Dennis, author of The Songs of A Sentimental Bloke); National Trust Museum (1875)
Natural features: Native Fauna Zoo; Beetaloo Valley; Bowman Park Native Fauna Section (5 km east).
The Sydney to Perth and the Adelaide to Darwin railways share the same approximately 530 kilometres (329 mi) of track between Crystal Brook and Tarcoola. There is a triangular junction at Crystal Brook which joins Tarcoola, Adelaide and Sydney. Another triangular junction at Tarcoola joins Crystal Brook, Darwin and Perth.
The town lies on the Heysen Trail, a 1,200 kilometres (746 mi)-long walking trail from Cape Jervis to Parachilna Gorge. Close to the north-south midpoint of the trail, Crystal Brook marks a change in climate. Hot, dry summers and mild winters lie to the north, and more temperate conditions to the south.
During World War 2, Crystal Brook was the location of RAAF No.31 Inland Aircraft Fuel Depot (IAFD), built in 1942 and closed on 14 June 1944. Usually consisting of 4 tanks, 31 fuel depots were built across Australia for the storage and supply of aircraft fuel for the RAAF and the US Army Air Forces at a total cost of $1,800,000.
