How to support the rehabilitation of the Adelaide Hills, post-Coronavirus and bushfires.
Just as the dust settled on one of Australia’s worst season of wildfires, COVID-19 struck. Both were unprecedented disasters, which will have residual effects for months (maybe years) to come.
Our lovely Adelaide Hills has been greatly affected by the fires and the flow-on effects of the nation-wide lockdown. As a food and wine region that relies on tourism, both instances hit us hard. A recent ABC article fears that one-third of Australia’s wineries could go under because of the pandemic – and the Adelaide Hills was already in a vulnerable position, post-fires.
The Adelaide Hills community is hurting
It’s a sobering reality for many of the small-scale Adelaide Hills wineries. But also, a time for reinvention and an opportunity to lean into the community spirit that’s alive in our region. The South Australian Tourism Commission’s #BookThemOut campaign was doing this on a wider scale already. The Lobethal Bierhaus Restaurant is on this list, as well as the famous Bird in Hand, Anderson Hill, and Golding Wines.
These spots are the perfect ‘let’s grab lunch at a winery, today’ experience. Head to an Adelaide Hills property that has been affected to show your support.
Certain towns in the Adelaide Hills were devastated more than others by the fires. Cuddlee Creek, Brukunga, Charleston, Gumeracha, Harrogate, Lenswood, Lobethal, Mount Torrens and Woodside were all hit hard.
Woodside’s Barrister’s Block, one of the top places to visit in the Adelaide Hills for fine wine, lost 20-year-old vines. Treat yourself to a night at Simon Tolley Lodge in Woodside. It’s a guilt-free weekend away amongst the vineyards, as you help a popular Adelaide Hills’ attraction get back on its feet. This is a wonderful chance to divert our spending into the communities’ businesses that really need it. Our real estate agents and property managers will be heading out, too.
The Adelaide Hills ‘Sunday drive’
The best way, we in the wider community, can help inject support back into these towns is to travel to them – and spend money. Take the weekend to explore these gorgeous towns and expanding your palette at Adelaide Hills restaurants you haven’t tried before. Plus, do the same with local farmers’ markets, filling your boot (and pantry) with fresh Hills produce. Look for the small Mum and Dad South Australian wine producers and growers.
Stay local and let’s all do our part to reawaken the spirit of the Adelaide Hills. We’re fighters, committed to the unique environment we live in. It provides produce to feed our families and tourists. It runs our local businesses, and it needs us more than ever.
There’s nowhere else like it. Together, we can rebuild these towns that make up the fabric of the Adelaide Hills that so many of us have fallen in love with, near and far.
If you know someone who needs advice about relocating, selling land or anything related to property, we’re happy to help. Contact Nitschke with your real estate questions, concerns or opportunities to support those in need. Losing an Adelaide Hills property is a tragedy no person should ever have to experience.
Our people, land, and famous wine needs to be protected.
