100 reasons to celebrate multi-million-dollar funding

A mobile gourmet kitchen for outdoor dining, luxury accommodation amongst the vines, an expanded cellar door by the river, and a family friendly brewery are included in a new multi-million-dollar boost for regional tourism operators.

The latest round of grants in the South Australian Tourism Commission's Tourism Industry Development Fund released today will support 20 projects across the state - including small to large scale projects of new builds, new visitor experiences and renovations. This round is awarded a total of $4 million in grant funding and has a combined project value of over $14.7 million.

Since launching the $20 million Fund in September 2020, a total of 100 projects have been supported across all 11 tourism regions, receiving nearly $17 million in grants.

The latest round of funding for regional tourism was announced at Oliver's Taranga Vineyard in the Fleurieu Peninsula, with the unveiling its new cellar door and education hub thanks to a grant it received earlier this year.

SATC chief executive Rodney Harrex said the fund had created over 1,400 jobs for South Australians in just over one year - 1,000 jobs in construction and over 400 ongoing jobs in tourism.

"Projects like this one have unlocked $71.6 million worth of new and improved tourism infrastructure - supporting operators across the state. It means SA will be ready to jump out of the blocks when interstate tourism returns stronger next year," Mr Harrex.

Oliver's Taranga Vineyard was awarded a $316,533 grant under the Fund to support its $1,055,112 cellar door expansion.

Winemaker Corrina Wright said the family was "thrilled" to have their redevelopment receive a grant and make it all possible.

"The support from the SATC's TIDF was huge in getting our project across the line, especially in the early days of the pandemic with substantial business uncertainty," she said.

"We decided as a family to ensure we had a good news story to come out of COVID, and we feel that we certainly delivered something to be really proud of. More importantly, we hope our guests will love what we have created."

Encouraging visitors to linger longer in SA's world-renowned wine regions, accommodation operators Barossa Weintel and Clare Country Club have both been awarded $500,000 in this latest round to refurbish guest rooms and facilities.

Marianne Ossovani of Elanor Investors said "We are delighted to have the opportunity to make further investments in the Clare and the Barossa regions - two of the world's best wine and tourism districts. The significant refurbishments we've undertaken will further enhance our ability to attract high yielding travellers to these regions. The support from the SATC to bring this to life was important to this occurring and is most appreciated."

Unique 'wilderness dining' experience, Gastronomo, which scouts out impressive private dining sites and venues across South Australia will use its $49,781 grant to purchase a $165,939 purpose-built mobile kitchen.

Gastronomo Creative Director, Nick Hannaford said the mobile kitchen will enable them to "operate the Enchanted Figtree event in a safe and sustainable manner for many years to come."

"The superior functionality and flexibility provided by this bespoke kitchen allows us to extend our operational days throughout the whole year, creating more permanent and part-time jobs in Kangaroo Island and the Fleurieu Peninsula," he said.

Limestone Coast's Little Rippa Brewing Company co-founders Taryn and Lachy Mutton said the funding would support a new $892,808 family-friendly Alehouse brewery and restaurant, offering a range of year-round experiences, including small-group brewery tours, tastings, and a restaurant with locally-sourced produce.

"The Limestone Coast is seeing an increase demand for craft brews, so having a destination venue is key to growing our business. The additional funding will help us purchase brewing equipment to increase productivity to supply the growing demand and also add extra visitor facilities to the venue," Mr Mutton said.

"We're passionate about creating a family-friendly environment, so it's great to be able to offer hands-on farming fun experiences for kids, like bottle-feeding lambs and patting alpacas. We've always worked with locals, so building our own venue will help us showcase the great produce and businesses the Limestone Coast has to offer."

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