The Laucke Flour Mills tagline is “good grains, great flour” and it excellently summarises the philosophy the family business which has been operating in South Australia since 1899.
Its flour mills are located in Strathalbyn and in Victoria, employing about 100 people, with benefits also rolling for regional growers who supply grain to the long-standing and locally-based operation.
Mark Laucke, managing director of Laucke Flour Mills, is the third-generation to take the reins, and is passionate about ensuring Laucke customers get the best possible product.
For Mark, that process begins right back at the soil where the wheat crops are grown, and also through his 30-year association with the Adelaide-based wheat breeders’ group, Australian Grain Technologies.
Mark Laucke is managing director of Australia’s oldest family-owned flour miller.
“We were the first commercial flour mill in Australia to be certified organic,” he says.
“And now we are working with local farmers who value sustainability to ensure ongoing food safety. We help our farmers use less chemicals so we can build the microbes in the soil and create sustainability of the farming land.”
Elevating the humble wheat grain to its rightful place as a vital sustainer of life in regional SA, Laucke has partnered with Primary Industries and Regions SA, Skala Bakery, Drakes Supermarkets and local farmers to produce Single Origin Flour products from Kangaroo Island and the Mallee region.
Milled from selected varieties of wheat, Laucke’s Grains of Provenance flours are used to create specialised baked products, as well as being sold to consumers for their own baking needs. The flours each have defining characteristics around flavour and baking performance.
“Kangaroo Island is a unique environment, with its fresh sea winds and pure water,” Mark says.
“The area produces a very pure product, but the grain production area is relatively small. The Mallee is a much bigger, more diverse region, and unique in its own way.”
The Mallee Flour has recently been included in the new Laucke Bake at Home Sourdough Kit, allowing consumers to bake their own professional quality sourdough bread at home.
Laucke Flour Mills supports regional grain growers like Alex Hillerman who supply the premium product direct.
The Single Origin Mallee Flour creates strong doughs that are capable of trapping gas under pressure and also provide volume.
“When I was a young man, there were two sorts of bakers,” Mark says. “There were those who did a long ferment, what we now call a sourdough, and there were far more who did a shorter ferment – which was anywhere between eight and 12 hours.”
“These days, with the push for cheaper items in the supermarket, the ingredients are not dissimilar, but the methodology is much different.”
Mark explains that to reduce the costs of production of mass-produced sourdough, the fermentation period is often only around 40 minutes.
Laucke Flour Mills has been an important part of SA’s food industry since 1899.
While it is enough time to allow some gas into the bread, it creates distinct disadvantages such as lack of flavour and the loss of that crispy crust.
“There are also many health benefits in allowing sufficient time for the fermentative microorganisms to partly digest the constituents of the flour. This makes it easier for humans to digest and provides more available nutrition with less glycaemic response,” Mark says.
“There is also a wide range of beneficial outcomes as a result of the healthy complement of gut microbiota.
“If you ask me, the best bread you could eat is a wholemeal sourdough, and with a glass of wine to accompany it, I think we would all be pretty happy.”
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Industry in focus: Agribusiness
Throughout the month of October, the state’s agribusiness industry will be under the magnifying glass as part of I Choose SA.
South Australian farmers, producers, agricultural researchers and biosecurity workers are the lifeblood of our country communities and are big players in the state’s overall economic welfare. Read more stories here.
Visit I Choose SA to meet the people building business and industry in SA, and to find out how your choices make a difference to our state.
The diversification of Rawnsley Park Station in the Flinders Ranges from an outback sheep grazing property to a tourist hotspot is still paying off for its owners Julie and Tony Smith.
The pair are this year celebrating 50 years of tourism at the station and tipping their hats to half-a-century of showcasing the South Australian outback to thousands of visitors.
The award-winning eco-tourism site in the Far North town of Hawker overlooks the southern side of Wilpena Pound, a natural amphitheatre of mountain ranges.
Settled as part of Arkaba Station in 1851, the property was used for grazing until 1968 when the first shearer’s quarters come tourist accommodation cabin was built.
The eco villas are located in secluded spots overlooking stunning scenery.
Rawnsley’s current owner Tony Smith was 10 years old when his father and mother, Clem and Alison Smith, made the move to branch out into tourism as a sideline to their farm operations.
They also introduced sheep shearing demonstrations enjoyed by tourists staying at the nearby Wilpena Pound Resort.
Rawnsley Park Station today attracts about 25,000 visitors a year who stay in a range of accommodation offerings including luxury eco-villas, a 1950s homestead, holiday units and a caravan park.
Tony says tourism makes up about 90% of his business, and sheep grazing 10% as about 1200 Merino-Dohne sheep are still run on the station.
He says while autumn and spring are still peak periods, visitor numbers are starting to flatten out more evenly throughout the year.
“If you look back 30-40 years ago we had these really defined peaks of autumn and spring whereas now it’s starting to flatten out a bit and we are getting amore year-round visitation,” Tony says.
“It’s great for the business, it’s what we’ve been trying to do for the last 30 years.”
Over the past 15 years Tony and Julie have invested in Rawnsley Park Station by increasing accommodation offerings to cater for more kinds of tourists.
“If you go back to the ‘70s and ‘80s most of the visitors (to the Flinders Ranges) would have been campers and nature lovers who pretty much roughed it,” Tony says.
“It was probably the Prairie Hotel that changed it, they were the ones who started to provide really good quality dining experience that got people’s attention.”
Four eco villas were built in 2006, with another four added in 2009. The energy-neutral villas are located in secluded spots offering views of Wilpena Pound and surrounding ranges.
In 2010 the Smiths opened up the 1950s-built homestead to visitors, who enjoy stunning views of the Chace Range and Wilpena Pound.
The Rawnsley Park Station homestead.
At the foot of the Rawnsley Buff are self-contained units, of which the Smiths have recently added six more, built by Yorke Peninsula-based Country Living Homes.
A caravan park is also on site, featuring cabins, a bunkhouse, powered camping sites, camp facilities, and a souvenir and supplies shop.
Rawnsley visitors can dine in the authentic Woolshed Restaurant dishing up meals cooked from local produce, including the station’s own lamb.
Visitors can also embark on guided walks through the Flinders Ranges, 4WD tours, helicopter and scenic flights and mountain biking adventures.
Is there a better way to appreciate the South Australian outback than with a glass of bubbles at sunset?
While the 4WD tours and some of the bushwalking are led by Tony, separate tourism operators run the other experiences, ensuring a shared approach to success. Sheep shearing demonstrations are also run during the school holidays.
As Rawnsley Park Station continues its 50th year of tourism, a special anniversary book has been published.
Pastoralism to Tourism: A History of Rawnsley Park Station, authored by former senior journalist at The Advertiser, Kym Tilbrook, who is friend of the Smiths and runs the station’s multi-day walks.
Tony remembers the days of growing up on the station, his childhood playground one of SA’s greatest natural beauties.
“Growing up here was carefree, but like a lot of country kids we didn’t really get to the city too often,” he says.
“We had a party line for telephones with four subscribers on the one set of wires, we had a dirt road to Hawker where we went maybe once a week for sport on a Saturday.
“The rest of the time we spent on the farm and made the most of it.”
Veterinarian and third generation beef pastoralist Ellen Litchfield is heading to desert country in Africa to research leading ways to farm cattle with little rainfall.
She’s also traveling to South America and the United States to explore the ways the world’s leading red meat producers tackle climate change as South Australia faces further climate challenges in coming decades.
“Our farming is completely reliant on rain, it really dictates our production values,” Dr Litchfield, who lives on Wilpoorinna Station south of Marree, says.
“I’m 100% sure climate change is happening but drought has always been one of the biggest problems facing our state, we need to be leaders in adapting, using new technologies and techniques.”
Dr Litchfield is among a growing number of SA women undergoing world-leading research in the agriculture industry to ensure local farmers are at the forefront in sustainably feeding the world.
Dr Ellen Litchfield and her father, Gordon Litchfield.
Others include Dr Penny Roberts, site leader at the new $3.7 million Clare Research Centre with its focus on growing the best legume crops including lentils, chickpeas, faba beans and field peas.
And then there’s the women leading research at industry organisations, like Susie Green at the Apple and Pear Growers Association of SA and Caroline Rhodes at Grain Producers SA.
Dr Litchfield recently won a 2019 Nuffield scholarship supported by Westpac to research how red meat producers in arid and semi-arid regions around the world can better farm with less water and feed.
She is already well versed in farming in desert country, having grown up on Wilpoorina Station – returning 18 months ago after studying in Adelaide then Wagga Wagga to gain her veterinarian qualification.
She then travelled and worked around Australia and the world.
Dr Litchfield is now home with her fiancée Blake Ward to help her parents Gordon and Lyn Litchfield run the station.
It is part of the vast, family owned and run Litchfield Pastoral Company that takes in three stations with a combined 600,000ha.
Dr Ellen Litchfield runs Wilpoorina Station with her family south of Marree.
“I just love the lifestyle working here, I like the feeling you are working toward something bigger, we are trying to maintain this natural ecosystem as well as to be able to feed people well into the future,” Dr Litchfield says.
“Food security is a big issue facing our society.”
Her uncle Peter and aunt Janine Litchfield are at Mundowndna and Ellen’s brother Adam and his wife Kate Litchfield are at Mt Lyndhurst.
There can be up to 5000 cattle and 10,000 Dorper sheep organically farmed across the properties, but Dr Litchfield says this fluctuates dramatically depending on rainfall.
“We had high rainfall in 2010 with about 400mm, a few years after that numbers of stock will be up but then when it gets drier numbers fall,” she says.
At the moment, the stations are holding up under the nation’s drought conditions but “we’ve had about 36mm this year, most of the rain we had last year in January” with Dr Litchfield keen to pursue best practice.
There’s still some dry feed but stock is being sold and “if there’s no rain before summer it will be a bit tough”. It helps that the family has chosen resilient stock.
Dorper sheep originated in South Africa and were bred for heat tolerance and, while cattle are mainly Angus, there are also dark, red Senepols “that have slick hair with good heat tolerance”.
“They are using them more in the Caribbean with dairy dropping off because of rising temperatures, crossing Freesians with Senepols,” Dr Litchfield says.
Dr Penny Roberts from the Clare Research Centre. Photo by Gabrielle Hall.
At Clare Research Centre, site leader Dr Penny Roberts who has a PhD in pasture cropping, says analysis is underway on different legume varieties along with trial growing sites around the state.
“We’re looking at what legume crops to grow where, and also how best to grow them, from pre-sowing and all the way through to harvest,” she says, adding that research was supported by Grains Research and Development Corporation funding.
The PIRSA centre also studies best species and varieties for pulse farmers to grow in specific regions with Dr Roberts saying there’s been a quantum change in the way these crops are grown in SA.
SA farmers traditionally planted pulses in rotations to provide nutrients and weed breaks for the cereal phase, with wheat and barley being the dominant crops.
“Now in some areas pulses are becoming the largest proportion of the cropping system,” Dr Roberts, who recently returned from a 13-day research tour in Canada, says.
“The aim of our research is to improve the production and profitability.”
Industry in focus: Agribusiness
Throughout the month of October, the state’s agribusiness industry will be under the magnifying glass as part of I Choose SA.
South Australian farmers, producers, agricultural researchers and biosecurity workers are the lifeblood of our country communities and are big players in the state’s overall economic welfare. Read more stories here.
Visit I Choose SA to meet the people building business and industry in SA, and to find out how your choices make a difference to our state.
Growing curiosity about veganism in SA has lead to a broader acceptance of vegan food in mainstream Adelaide restaurants.
No longer isolated as a fringe interest, vegan dishes are being featured in eateries that cater exclusively for vegans – and also at restaurants that had initially staked their success on the popularity of meat dishes.
American-born chef Greggory Hill has made vegan dishes a star attraction at Hispanic Mechanic Mexican Restaurant at Frewville in Adelaide’s southern eastern suburbs.
Appreciating that vegans shun all animal products, and eat only plant-derived ingredients, he has introduced a separate vegan kitchen and degustation menu as part of what the restaurant provides.
Hispanic Mechanic’s 10-dish vegan feast includes pantacones (crisp slices of deep-fried green banana and guacamole); tostones made with smoked corn, black-bean soy protein and chilli; bola sin carne (non-meat balls made of soy protein, rice and quinoa in chipotle sauce), and his quirky and delicious KFC (Korean-Fried Cauliflower), which has now become the restaurant’s most popular taco filling, far exceeding meat and fish options.
The popular KFC taco by Hispanic Mechanic.
“I’m always looking for the delicious factor, and I find it in how creative and inventive the Mexicans are with plant-based materials,” says Greggory. “This is where the really exciting deep flavours are.”
The spread of established vegan restaurants throughout Adelaide is growing, with notable attractions including Raw Conscious Eatery in Chapel Street, Glenelg, Salem Vegan Café on Marion Road, Ascot Park, and V-Vego at Gawler Place, Adelaide, where proprietor Coco Chen has noticed a surge in attention for the eatery since she opened in June.
She says it’s not just about serious eating, with the Asian-influenced vegan dishes featuring grilled zucchini, banana blossom salad and Dengaku Nasu (miso grilled eggplant). It’s about enjoyment and fun, as Coco Chen notes that pomegranate gin and tonic is V-Vego’s signature cocktail.
More new vegan eateries are emerging, including the recently opened Bob Bowls Café in Port Adelaide.
Jessie Morris of Bob Bowls Café in Port Adelaide.
Vegan caterer Jessie Morris has created a café space within the large Cult & Harper art gallery and retail space, after deciding to take a serious step beyond providing regular pop-up food stalls at events and markets.
“I seized the opportunity to have a crack at presenting this food in a permanent space – and I call it delicious street food rather than vegan, so that I don’t limit the number of people who’ll eat it,” says Jessie.
“I’m pleasantly surprised by the reaction, especially from 30–40-year-old blokes from offices, who first try it tentatively, but keep coming back for more.”
To demonstrate Jessie’s point, his All In Bob Bowl (sumac roasted pumpkin and baby spinach stacked with red lentils, pickles and coleslaw, toasted hemp seeds, fresh dill and house sauces) has become a universal favourite.
He points to other eateries in the heart of Port Adelaide featuring vegan and vegetarian options, at Raw Earth, Red Lime Shack and Drummer Boy, as a sign that vegan eating options are shifting towards mainstream acceptance.
“There’s no sign of this slowing down,” says Jessie. “There’s no limit to what a vegan menu can offer. It’s a springboard for a chef’s imagination.”
These vegan pumpkin tarts are works of art!
To underline the broadening interest in veganism, the annual Vegan Festival Adelaide has recorded a sharp escalation in attendees, from 7500 in 2015 to about 18,000 last year, including a sharp increase in curious non-vegans.
Numbers are expected to be even higher at this year’s festival in Victoria Square/Tardannyanga on Saturday 27 October, from 10am to 9pm, and Sunday 28 October, from 10am to 4pm.
“Everyone’s jumping on board, but I can only look at this in a positive light,” says Vegan Festival Adelaide director and festival co-ordinator Lea McBride.
“The number of options that vegans now have is so very exciting. To get people tempted into trying vegan dishes, we have to make our food taste so much better.”
Diverse food choices – from pickles through to extravagant vegan chocolate desserts – are being presented within a festival program packed with live performances, speakers, cooking demonstrations and more than 80 stalls with merchandise, information and food.
The informative nature of the festival also shines a light on I Choose SA Day on October 27.
Chocolate almond torta by Francesco’s Ciccetti at last year’s festival. Photo by Linda Tobitt.
Stallholders at the Adelaide Vegan Festival will display I Choose SA Day merchandise, so that consumers know the products are sourced from SA.
Escalating esteem for vegan food is also evident in the popularity of the Veguastation Dinner – an elite five-course dining statement that will open the festival on October 24, hosted in Prohibition Gin’s Gilbert Street warehouse.
Tickets for the fine dining experience, prepared by Sydney caterers Alfie’s Kitchen, who are flying into Adelaide especially for the event, sold out four weeks ago.
“Chefs are experimenting, working outside the norm with plant-based menus, and the results are both fascinating and delicious,” says Lea. “Adelaide is proving to be a leader in this area. Yet again, South Australia rides at the forefront of a powerful social movement.”
Visit I Choose SA to meet the people building business and industry in SA, and to find out how your choices make a difference to our state.
All eyes will be on the sky above Jamestown’s Sir Hubert Wilkins Aerodrome on Sunday, October 21, as the local flying group presents its triennial Air Spectacular.
The Jamestown Flying Group’s 11th air show promises to live up to its spectacular name, and World War II and vintage aircraft buffs and adrenaline seekers alike will be in their element.
A rare World War II Hawker Hurricane XII fighter aircraft never before seen in South Australia will be drawcard for the 2018 event.
Used during the Battle of Britain, the Hurricane aircraft is largely ‘under-rated’, having shot down more enemy aircraft than the better-known Spitfire.
The restored Hurricane now based in Scone, New South Wales, is the only plane of its type in existence in the southern hemisphere.
The Hawker Hurricane XII fighter aircraft will visit SA for the first time this October.
Aircraft co-ordinator for the event, Jim Best, says it was a major coup to secure the Hurricane and the air spectacular event will give spectators the opportunity to see it in action for the first time in SA.
“The plane will fly in for the event, it will do aerobatic manoeuvres similar to what they would have done in a dog fight (aerial combat within close range),” he says.
Hurricane pilot Paul Bennet will be in control and says spectators can expect to see him perform loops, rolls and wing-overs in the $4 million aircraft.
“It’s massive really for the event to get this aircraft,” he says.
“There’s every chance it will probably be the first and last time it goes to SA, the furthest it’s travelled so far has been the Illawarra Airshow in NSW.”
Just 2.5 hours drive from Adelaide in the Mid North of SA, Jamestown will be abuzz all weekend, with spectators on Sunday treated to some skilful flying by some of Australia’s best pilots and a fleet of rare aircraft.
A past pyrotechnics display and re-enactment at the Jamestown Air Spectacular. Photo by N Daw.
Among the other features will be an Australian-built Wirraway, Jim Whalley with his rare, historic Boomerang aircraft and Gazelle helicopter, a Grumman Avenger and other antique aircraft.
A heart-stopping aerobatics display by legendary pilots Chris Sperou and Paul Bennet, a dog fight re-enactment, a locally-owned General Grant tank and pyrotechnics display will all feature.
Behind the spectacular event is a small but dedicated group of flying and aircraft enthusiasts and community volunteers.
The Jamestown Flying Group (JFG) has just 28 financial members in a small community, but president Danny Keller says local support, the Friends of the Jamestown Flying Group, and sponsorship made the event possible.
Started more than 30 years ago, the JFG has worked tirelessly over the years, with fundraising and pure hard work to get the Sir Hubert Wilkins Aerodrome established to now include an all-weather bitumen strip, lighting, clubrooms and hangars.
It is a vital local asset, providing a safe landing spot for the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) and other emergency services.
A bird’s eye view of the Sir Hubert Wilkins Aerodrome at Jamestown, which will host the 11th triennial Air Spectacular this October. Photo by N Daw.
The flying group was borne from an incident which saw a retrieval plane clip trees at the end of a short, dirt air strip as it flew out with a patient, local doctor John Shepherd and ambulance officer and founding club member Tony Leesong all on board.
The close-call led to a handful of locals starting the group to develop a more adequate facility. The airstrip was lengthened, lights installed, surfaced with rubble and then eventually bitumen to make it the all-weather landing site it is today.
Club members also made many night-time dashes to the airstrip to turn the landing lights on in preparation for the RFDS to land safely for retrievals in what signifies a true, community effort.
The Australian-built Wirraway will be among the vintage aircraft flying in to Jamestown on October 21. Photo by Darren Mottram.
Last financial year, the RFDS landed 71 times at the Sir Hubert Wilkins Aerodrome for emergency retrievals and medical transfers.
“It’s used by the RFDS, for fire water bombers and general aviation access to the community,” Danny Keller says.
“It’s a very important facility and asset to the community and over the years the JFG has supported the RFDS through our Air Spectacular event.
“This year however, any proceeds from the event have been committed to the Jamestown Hospital auxiliary to support its refurbishment project.”
The air show beings on Sunday, October 21, at 10.45am (gates open at 7am) through until 4pm.
Reckon you’re a fair dinkum South Aussie? Well, prove it!
Saturday, October 27 is I Choose SA Day, an annual celebration of all things South Australian, from Balfours frog cakes to the Mall’s Balls and bung fritz.
But there’s way more to it than that. I Choose SA Day is the day to back your state by choosing local products, goods, services, destinations and activities.
And it won’t be hard to do. SA is home to some of the world’s finest produce and best holiday destinations you’ll find. Our state’s playground comprises some of the oldest vineyards in Australia, funky cellar doors and laneway bars, pristine beaches and coastal hideaways, and stunning natural environments that will take your breath away.
If every SA household put a modest $2.30 a week towards buying local food and beverages, it could support up to 600 new local jobs. So let’s do it on October 27. Look for the State Brand to ensure the company you’re buying from or dealing with employs locals and contributes to the growth of our state.
So no matter what sort of South Aussie you are – a foodie, a sports nut, a dog lover, a beer drinker, wine aficionado or traveller – we have you covered.
HOW TO CHOOSE SA IF YOU’RE…
A foodie
Foodies need not be reminded how good SA has it when it comes to gastronomic delights. Our state’s capital is home to Orana, the best restaurant in Australia as crowned by the prestigious Good Food Guide Awards.
Then there’s the slick Japanese-inspired Shobosho on Leigh Street in the CBD, stunning South African cuisine at Africola, and the New York-inspired bar and grill Sean’s Kitchen in the Adelaide Casino, just to name a few.
But the big foodie event on October 27 and 28 is CheeseFest+FERMENT. Head along to Rymill Park/Murlawirrapurka in Adelaide to get a taste of all things fermented (e.g. cheese and wine!) You’ll find the I Choose SA toasties, including the delicious classic toasted sanga made with Skara Smallgoods ham, La Casa Del Formaggio mozzarella, and Spring Gully pickles.
In other foodie news, I Choose SA events are also happening at the Adelaide Central Market with cooking demonstrations by Sprout Cooking School.
We’ll also celebrate the launch of the SA strawberry season, with a live auction hosted at the central market by real estate industry’s Anthony Toop on October 27 from 11.45am.
Place your bid on a tray of the season’s first strawberries and show your support for local growers, with all proceeds going to charity.
At Plant 4 Bowden a chef from Jessie Spiby’s restaurant My Grandma Ben will also put on cooking demonstrations.
Pop into your local Foodland to find delicious SA produce and if you’re at the Happy Valley and McLaren Vale stores, spot foodie Bree May cooking up a storm. A number of farmer’s markets are up and running across the state weekends, offering fresh produce from the farm.
I Choose SA toasties (including The Classic, pictured) can be found at CheeseFest+FERMENT on October 27 and 28.
A shopaholic
There’s no better way to choose SA than at the checkout.
Hit Adelaide’s main shopping precinct, Rundle Mall, to drop by a number of local boutiques and gift shops stocking SA wares, clothing, jewellery and gifts. Adelaide Arcade and Regent Arcade towards the mall’s eastern end are excellent places to browse through small stores stocking local art, makeup, homewares, skincare and gifts.
Womens fashion hub BNKR in Rundle Mall is home to brands under Australian Fashion Labels, one of Adelaide’s greatest fashion success stories. Head to Ebenezer Place in the East End to find more small boutiques.
If you’re not in town for I Choose SA Day or shopping from home is more your style, then hit up Shop South Australia, Brand South Australia’s online marketplace listing only local brands.
A party animal
Head to the buzzing Peel Street in the city’s West End, enter into a battle of the whisky and rums bars on Vardon Avenue or check out Adelaide from a few storeys high at one of the city’s rooftop bars, such as the Mayfair Hotel’s Hennessy or 2KW Bar and Restaurant. Think you’ve seen it all? Here’s 11 bars you might have missed.
Fancy some live music or a bit of a boogie? As a UNESCO City of Music, Adelaide knows how to play a good beat. Head to one of our many longstanding live music venues such as The Gov, The Grace Emily, Jive, Fat Controller, Crown & Anchor, The Exeter, Adelaide Uni Bar or The Jade Monkey.
Pink Moon Saloon on Leigh Street is one of Adelaide’s funkiest laneway gems. Photo: SATC.
A wine aficionado
With Adelaide, South Australia, a member of the global Great Wine Capital Network and home to some of the country’s oldest vines, our state produces some of the best drops on the planet.
Our wineries are often headed by multi-generational family businesses producing the highest quality wines.
Twist the top off a Coopers, crack the can of a West End or knock the froth off one of our characteristic craft brews.
SA is home to a large gang of brewers – both large and small scale producers – who are pushing the boundaries with brewing and experimenting with new flavours.
If you’re a traditionalist, we recommend the classic Original Pale Ale by the biggest Australian owned brewery, Coopers. If you’re thirsty for something a little funky, here’s 10 SA beers you really need to try.
The Wilkadene Woolshed Brewery on the banks of the Murray River at Murtho is another must-visit. Photo: SATC/Adam Bruzzone.
A sports nut
You’re scoffing down a Balfours pie at Adelaide Oval every fortnight during footy season and sipping on a West End Draught in the peak of summer at the Big Bash League.
You dust off the deadly treadly at Tour Down Under time, you’ve watched the Adelaide Bite baseball team swing a few and you’ve been decked out in pink at Priceline Stadium in true Adelaide Thunderbirds style.
But aside from professional levels, SA also is home to a family of grassroots sporting clubs that often make up the fabric of our suburbs and regional towns.
So head to the local cricket and cheer on your team, have a swing at your local golf club, hit your local swimming centre or go for something a bit niché. Archery anyone?
A café crawler
Treat yourself on October 27 to a latte, cappuccino, flat white, espresso, long black – however you have it – at one of the dozens, probably even hundreds of cozy cafés throughout SA.
Many of our cafés use local milk from brands like Fleurieu Milk and Tweedvale, and coffee beans roasted locally too. Ask where the muffins, biscuits and slices are made and chances are they’re baked on site or locally. We did all the hard work for you when we hunted down the best coffee spots across the state. Check out our story here.
Avoiding the delicious pastries at La Moka on Peel Street is impossible, just do it. Photo: SATC.
An adventurer
Pack the swag, check the tyre pressure and stock the Esky. SA’s landscapes are a camping, fishing, 4WDing, mountain biking and bushwalking playground.
If going off road is your thing, check out these Top 6 4WD and camping spots in SA, including spots in the Flinders Ranges, Eyre Peninsula, and Limestone Coast.
SA is also renowned for its mountain bike trails, some of them more suited to skilled downhill riders, others appropriate for young families. We also have the Murray River, an ideal spot for water sports, while the state’s coastlines provide some of the top surfing spots.
Want to really lift your heart rate? Go shark cage diving in Port Lincoln and swim with great whites.
Lincoln National Park on the Eyre Peninsula offers a 4WD experience. Photo: SATC.
A dog lover
Take your furry pal to one of these dog-friendly venues we’ve scouted out or treat your pooch to a little something from your local pet supplies store.
Check out SA business Doggy Grub, who make ready-to-eat dog meals made with 100% natural and human-grade ingredients and deliver straight to your door.
Is your four-legged friend easy to please? Hit your local butcher shop and pick up some raw meat bones for them to chew.
A traveller
Keep the tourism dollars in SA by choosing a local holiday destination for a weekend away.
Explore your own backyard by visiting quintessential country towns, camping under the stars, or even booking a night in a luxurious city hotel.
Jump aboard the SeaLink ferry and fall in love with Kangaroo Island, home to a gin distillery, honey farms, Australian sea lions, cellar doors and conservation parks.
Shuck fresh oysters while paddling your feet in the sea off the Eyre Peninsula’s Coffin Bay, throw a line off the jetty along the Yorke Peninsula, sleep under the stars in the Flinders Ranges, or head underground at opal town Coober Pedy.
You can experience the best of SA and book your next local getaway with RAA Travel.
A Pure Coffin Bay Oysters boat among the pristine waters of the Eyre Peninsula. Photo by Mark Fitzpatrick.
A local business owner
The best thing you can do to show your support for the state, and let consumers know you’re local, is to grab some of I Choose SA merchandise and run your own activities in store.
Get in touch with the I Choose SA team at ichoosesa@brandsouthaustralia.com.au and let them know what you have planned for the day.
Westfield Marion’s Food Hall will also celebrate I Choose SA Day with kids cooking classes, live music and face painting.
Monarto Zoo is the largest open air zoo in the world and will provide a full day of wonder. Photo: Zoos SA.
However you spend I Choose SA Day in 2018, we wanna hear about it!
Snap your local purchase, destination or activity and use the #ichoosesa hashtag, and follow us on Instagram @brandsouthaust, Facebook @brandsouthaustralia and Twitter @brandsouthaust.
Visit I Choose SA to meet the people building business and industry in SA, and to find out how your choices make a difference to our state.
It’s a time over which the state’s only wholesale market has achieved a self-sufficient energy supply and a continued reputation for supporting local growers who attribute much of their livelihoods to the fruit and veg hub.
SAPM trades 250,000 tonnes of fresh produce between 45 wholesalers, 60 growers and hundreds of retail operators each year, worth an estimated wholesale value of $550 million.
Although the SAPM is celebrating its 30th anniversary in northern Adelaide this month, its extended history dates back to the days of the East End Market on East Terrace in Adelaide’s CBD.
The East End Market operated for more than a century until its closure in 1988.
SAPM CEO Angelo Demasi says three decades of innovation, growth and business philosophies have led to the special milestone for the market’s Pooraka home.
The SA Produce Market is celebrating 30 years of supporting the state’s food and agricultural industry.
“We recognise how important the grower, wholesaler and retailer supply chain are to the public and the efforts that they go to, to provide fresh fruit and vegetables to the public,” he says.
“We are undertaking many projects to ensure the sustainability of the market, and the businesses that rely on it for many more years to come.”
Many of the market’s growers and wholesalers are long standing or multi-generational fruit and vegetable growers including Mercurio Bros, Parker and Sons, and Ceravolo Orchards.
The market is renowned for its early morning activity, with growers rising in the wee hours to transport their goods from farm to pallet. Buyers include IGA, Foodland, independent retailers and greengrocers.
The SAPM has continued to transition over the past 12 months, with an expansion project set to open the market to the general public for the first time.
“The development will include a retail component which will include a factory or more like a farm-gate outlet for consumers to purchase fresh food and affordable produce direct from market,” Angelo says.
The food precinct expansion will also allow food processors an opportunity to take their business “to the next level” with shared infrastructure including loading docks, and education and cooking areas.
The market is also home to the state’s first onsite energy microgrid, comprising a 4.2MWh lithium-ion battery, a 2.5MW solar PV system comprising 8500 solar panels, and a 2.5MW onsite generator.
It will supply the site’s entire energy demand and also export power to the National Electricity Market.
A forklift whizzing by with pallets of fresh fruit or veggies is not an uncommon sight at the market. Photo by SA Mushrooms.
“This will enable all of our growers and wholesalers to enjoy cheap reliable power to ensure they continue to be cost competitive both on a local, national and international level,” Angelo says.
The market holds the interests of the horticultural industry at heart, often playing an advocacy role in tough times such as major flood events that affect growers.
In more recent times, SAPM has backed the strawberry industry by installing a metal detector to help boost consumer confidence following the national strawberry needle crisis.
In September 2018 a number of needles were found deliberately planted inside strawberries sold across the country.
SA is on the cusp of its strawberry season which typically runs between October and May.
The metal detector – supported by $50,000 from the State Government – will be communal, so it can be used by all local strawberry growers as well as other horticulture-related commodities.
The state produced about 6000 tonnes of strawberries with a farmgate value of $42 million in 2016/17.
Angelo admits the running of the market isn’t without its challenges, but SA’s food industry is ramping up.
“The optimism is good and we have started to see a surge in exports,” he adds.
Header photo is SA Produce Market’s Greg Pattinson, left, and Angelo Demasi.
Industry in focus: Agribusiness
Throughout the month of October, the state’s agribusiness industry will be under the magnifying glass as part of I Choose SA.
South Australian farmers, producers, agricultural researchers and biosecurity workers are the lifeblood of our country communities and are big players in the state’s overall economic welfare. Read more stories here.
Visit I Choose SA to meet the people building business and industry in SA, and to find out how your choices make a difference to our state.
In a world of fast fashion, one South Australian label is standing out from the crowd by designing and producing socially sustainable clothing.
“One of the core elements of our mission statement is not to mass produce,” explains Harvey The Label founder and designer Mim Harvey.
“I only order enough of each style to fulfil our wholesalers’ orders and stock our Rundle Street flagship store.”
The garments themselves are naturally sustainable due to their multiway styling – some having the ability to be worn up to 17 ways.
Adelaide’s Mim Harvey, of Harvey The Label on Rundle Street.
With the designs not being tied to seasonal trends and made with trans-seasonal fabrics, they can work back with every wardrobe for years to come.
“The Harvey ethos is to make designer clothing accessible, wearable and versatile,” Mim says.
“All clothing and prints are designed in-house from our Rundle Street office, above the store, which gives us daily feedback direct from our customers to our design room.”
This year has seen Harvey The Label take flight from Adelaide to the runways of New York, for the 2018 Fashion Palette show, held during New York Fashion Week (NYFW).
“The organisers of Fashion Palette had seen us via our Instagram and the influencers we work with and extended the invitation,” Mim says.
“We were amazed with the outcome. After the runway show, we had five meetings a day with agencies and stores reaching out to us. To say we were overwhelmed when we got back is an understatement.”
Harvey The Label at NYFW’s Fashion Palette.
Mim has since been in contact with major US-based PR and sales agencies and has signed with POSH Showrooms in LA to begin the wholesale expansion of Harvey The Label into the west coast.
“Our US expansion strategy is a slow and curated one which we are not rushing as we need much more re-con and to see the fruits of the seeds we planted while over there.”
“It’s an amazing opportunity for our local fashion community to shine and showcase their work on a well-publicised and celebrated platform.”
Harvey The Label will feature in the SA Designer Showcase on Thursday 18 October alongside a number of other talents who have pursed their fashion careers in the state.
Harvey The Label at NYFW’s Fashion Palette.
“We will be showing our SS19 collection from the NYFW runway and also debuting some pieces that will be shown on the AFF runway for the very first time,” Mim says.
“It’s a romantic collection with a clash of prints, colour, signature multiway pieces juxtaposed with florals and bold linear prints.”
Joining Harvey The Label on the runway in the SA Designer Showcase is a mix of emerging and familiar favourites, including: Binny, Cinquante, Georgy Collection, Holiday Trading, Katya Komarova, Naomi Murrell, Ryderwear, Stephanie Chehade, Sylvy Earl, The Daily Edited, Tiff Manuell, and The Wolf Gang.
The runway show will be styled by Vogue Australia fashion editor Philippa Moroney, who has featured local designers and models regularly in the pages of the famous title.
A new musical theatre course recently announced by the University of Adelaide is attracting great interest not just locally, but from interstate and international students.
The new Bachelor of Music Theatre kicks off in 2019 at the University’s Elder Conservatorium and will be run by renowned music theatre expert and educator George Torbay.
He says the benefits of such a course are not just that aspiring musical theatre stars no longer need to study interstate, but there will also be flow on effects for the South Australian arts scene more broadly.
“The whole point of a course like this here is to add to the cultural scene in this state,” George says. “However, more than just keeping young artists here, the course is already attracting applicants from all over Australia and even international applicants.
“SA has been crying out for a degree like this. Music theatre is a rapidly growing art form and incredibly popular across Australia.”
The course will include singing lessons and song coaching, classes in acting, voice and speech, song repertoire and audition technique, ballet, pas de deux, tap and jazz. Students will also have the opportunity to connect with current writers and explore new works as well as gain professional-level experience working within Adelaide’s thriving festival scene.
Zoe Komazec is now living in SA and will teach dance as part of the University of Adelaide’s new musical theatre course.
Musical theatre star Zoe Komazec, who grew up in Adelaide and is currently starring in the hit production Mamma Mia! The Musical which begun this week, is particularly excited about the announcement as she and fiancé Matt Geronimi will be teaching dance as part of the new course.
“When I was contacted about the course I thought it was one of the most exciting things to happen,” says Zoe, who has been based in Sydney for the past five years but is now living in SA.
“Adelaide has produced so many incredibly talented people in various industries, particularly musical theatre. You’d be surprised how many times I mention I am from Adelaide and at least five people are also born and bred Radelaidians.
“Not having to leave this wonderful state straight away is such a bonus, I think it will allow more aspiring young South Aussies an avenue that they thought wasn’t an option.”
Zoe began dancing at age two at her mum’s studio Barbara Jayne Dance Centre in Norwood, seeing her first musical at age eight – The Sound of Music.
Annie Chiswell.
Annie Chiswell is another local musical theatre performer who trained here, at the Adelaide College of the Arts. She too is starring in Mamma Mia! The Musical, which will be her first major production appearance in front of a hometown crowd.
She agrees Adelaide is a breeding ground for great musical theatre talent, although she says time spent interstate can be of benefit.
“For me personally, I believe in any career it is important to take risks and break out of your comfort zone,” says Annie, who saw her first musical The Lion King, in Melbourne at age 10.
“I felt for my career that Melbourne was calling my name, but this doesn’t necessarily have to be the case. I know Adelaide is up and coming in musical theatre training and so hopefully there will be more opportunities to study here.
“I’m also a huge believer in it’s not where you study, but how. I will always be thankful for the artist foundation that SA gave me, and cannot wait to come home and perform.”
Phillip Lowe is yet another Mamma Mia! The Musical star who grew up in SA.
Phillip, who plays Harry Bright in the hit Abba musical, grew up in Jamestown and had no idea as a kid that people were paid to perform as a job.
Jamestown-raised actor Phillip Lowe is back in Adelaide for Mamma Mia! The Musical.
His mother was the piano player for the local production of Pirates of Penzance when Phillip was four years old and he remembers turning the pages for her and singing along as she practiced.
It wasn’t until his brother went to study at WA Academy of Performing Arts (WAPPA) that Phillip realised musical theatre was an actual career path.
However, he didn’t follow his dreams into musical theatrical when he finished school – first, he got a job at a bank and dabbled in amateur theatre.
“I thought I had to have a ‘real’ job. However, one day we got held up by two guys with shotguns so I decided that I was done with real jobs and I auditioned for drama school. I never looked back after that,” says Phillip, who also went on to study at WAPPA and has maintained a stellar career over the past 25 years, appearing in Crazy for You, The Producers, Dusty, Mary Poppins and many more.
Phillip has been based in Sydney for the past 23 years and Mamma Mia! The Musical will be his first time on the Adelaide Festival Theatre stage.
“I cannot wait. It’s a lifelong dream come true,” he adds.
Mama Mia! The Musical is on at the Adelaide Festival Centre until November 18. Click here for tickets.
Visit I Choose SA to meet the people building business and industry in SA, and to find out how your choices make a difference to our state.
A cuppa and a chat, a lunch with friends or a day trip exploring South Australia’s Clare Valley.
These are just some of the simple pleasures not-for-profit organisation SA Country Carers in the state’s Lower Mid North is helping unpaid carers take the time to enjoy.
Supporting unpaid carers of family and friends with disabilities or of frail age is at the heart of the Clare-based community organisation that mainly services the Mid North, but is also visited by clients across the state.
It is estimated that 245,000 people in SA provide unpaid care to family and friends who have a disability, mental illness, chronic condition, terminal illness, drug or alcohol abuse, or are frail.
Carers often provide physical and personal care and assistance including dressing, lifting out of bed and up from chairs, showering, feeding, providing transport to attend appointments, and managing medications.
On World Elder Abuse Awareness Day in June, SA Country Carers held free hand massages for carers. The services were provided local business Unique Beauty.
Almost half of carers provide up to 20 hours of care every week, while more than 30% provide over 40 hours a week – more than the equivalent of a full-time job.
SA Country Carers provides information, counselling and advocacy to carers who are often faced with physical and emotional fatigue from their caring role.
In 1996 the organisation was established by a group of locals who saw a need for greater carer support.
Now the community organisation supports more than 500 unpaid carers and has offices at Clare and Balaklava, as well as a short-term respite facility, Grevillea House, in Clare.
CEO Eve Rogers says support systems are crucial for regional areas.
“It’s important for carers to have a break and for them to know that there are others out there, that they’re not alone in the world,” she says.
“It’s important to have trusted services in regional communities.”
SA Country Carers volunteers are thanked at an annual luncheon in appreciation of their services.
The short-term residential respite facility, Grevillea House, allows unpaid carers to take a break, while knowing their loved ones are safe and being looked after.
Carer recipients stay at Grevillea House for a short period of time, while the carer takes time out for themselves, or attends day trips, retreats and activities put on by the organisation.
Sometimes the activities are attended by both the carer and care recipient to allow for bonding time.
This month Grevillea House will officially celebrate an overhaul of the facility, which Eve says needed a little TLC.
“In 2016 we renovated the kitchen using donations from loyal supporters and the local community, including the Rotary Club which was very generous with their funding,” she says.
“But once we did the kitchen we looked around and realised that everything else looked really old.”
The finished hallway at Grevillea House.
A refurbishment of the house began in August this year with a paint job, new floor coverings and window furnishings.
Grevillea House’s landlord, Helping Hand, also chipped in to the facility’s rejuvenation by replacing all light treatments and heaters at its own cost.
Eve says many care recipients, who can be as young as five or of frail age, end up calling Grevillea House their second home, with activities, facilities and support on hand to meet their needs.
SA Country Carers relies on the community for support, conducting a number of fundraising activities throughout the year.
Its group of volunteers are key to these fundraising efforts and boosting the organisation’s profile in the community.
SA Country Carers is one of five carer support organisations in the state.
Access to SA Country Carers services can be provided through the Commonwealth Home Support Program, NDIS, and My Aged Care.
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