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Barossa News On Line is getting bigger as we cover more stories you want to know about - so we've done some gardening! We've 're-potted' our earlier stories so that this page (our 'entry' page) remains fresh and vibrant with our latest offerings - and is quick to load to your computer or mobile phone or tablet. Our 're-potted favourites' can be accessed by rolling over and following the drop-downs under the 'Barossa news' tab in our menu bar above.
TEMPERATURES IN THE LOW 40 DEGREE CELSIUS DOESN'T DETER TOUR DOWN UNDER FANS
SANTOS Tour Down Under riders sweltered on the roads of the Southern Barossa to compete in the official First Stage of the TDU which attracts world-wide interest as the first major event in the Men’s world-wide pro-cycling calendar.
But the extreme weather didn’t stop Barossa locals and interstate and overseas visitors from turning out in their thousands along the length of the course to cheer on their heroes.
In the Southern Gateway to the Barossa, Williamstown, hundreds turned out despite the heat for a languid couple of hours taking in buskers and cheering on TDU heroes then a walk through misting tents to keep cool before the obligatory Lattè which Williamstown’s Bakery and coffee shops do so well....
Check out our video of the SANTOS Tour Down Under Hostworks Stage 1 below....it runs 4 mins 30 secs approx, and well worth a look!
But the extreme weather didn’t stop Barossa locals and interstate and overseas visitors from turning out in their thousands along the length of the course to cheer on their heroes.
In the Southern Gateway to the Barossa, Williamstown, hundreds turned out despite the heat for a languid couple of hours taking in buskers and cheering on TDU heroes then a walk through misting tents to keep cool before the obligatory Lattè which Williamstown’s Bakery and coffee shops do so well....
Check out our video of the SANTOS Tour Down Under Hostworks Stage 1 below....it runs 4 mins 30 secs approx, and well worth a look!
TDU WOMEN'S EVENT BLASTS THROUGH THE SOUTHERN BAROSSA ON A SCORCHER OF A DAY!
The Southern Barossa turned on a fantastic day for the 17 teams and 100 riders in the Santos Tour Down Under Women's event as the women's Peleton looped through Williamstown, Lyndoch, Sandy Creek and Cockatoo Valley on January 16.
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Line honours went to Chloe Hosking of Team Alle Cipollini, while Race Leader Amanda Splatt from Team Orica-Scott retained her Leader's Jersey after a gruelling event in mid-30's heat.
See all the action in our 3 min 30 secs video below! |
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LYCRA IN LYNDOCH AND WHEELS IN WILLIAMSTOWN - GET UP TO THE SOUTHERN BAROSSA AND JAZZ UP YOUR JANUARY WITH THE 2017 SANTOS TOUR DOWN UNDER!
For many of us, that new Christmas bike and that new Lycra jersey are bursting for their first serious outing - so plan now to put them to the test in the Southern Barossa on January 16 and 17, when the SANTOS Tour Down Under 2017 loops through Williamstown and Lyndoch!
While the men’s Tour - the SANTOS TDU Hostworks Stage 1 - will rip through the Southern Barossa on Tuesday January 17, the men’s Tour may just be pipped at the ‘popularity post’ this year by the SANTOS Women’s Tour, which zips through the Valley a day earlier.
While the SANTOS Women’s Tour has long been a feature of the TDU, the 2017 event will be the first year it has been sanctioned as an official International Women’s Cycling event - and as such, the excitement and buzz around the event increases 10-fold as official teams from around the world clash for ‘down under’ winners’ rights.
Ten international and five national teams will contest the race with leading professional women’s teams from Germany, the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands and New Zealand preparing to take to the start line. More than 115 women cyclists will take part!
While the men’s Tour - the SANTOS TDU Hostworks Stage 1 - will rip through the Southern Barossa on Tuesday January 17, the men’s Tour may just be pipped at the ‘popularity post’ this year by the SANTOS Women’s Tour, which zips through the Valley a day earlier.
While the SANTOS Women’s Tour has long been a feature of the TDU, the 2017 event will be the first year it has been sanctioned as an official International Women’s Cycling event - and as such, the excitement and buzz around the event increases 10-fold as official teams from around the world clash for ‘down under’ winners’ rights.
Ten international and five national teams will contest the race with leading professional women’s teams from Germany, the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands and New Zealand preparing to take to the start line. More than 115 women cyclists will take part!
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Riders start in Tanunda before tackling the undulating course through Seppeltsfield, Greenock and returning through Tanunda before setting off towards Lyndoch and taking on the infamous Whispering Wall Climb near Williamstown twice, with a finish in Lyndoch.
So come on up to Williamstown and Lyndoch for the 2 days of the TDU this year - Southern Barossa hospitality will welcome you after the Lyndoch finish when on Day 1 you can take a self-timed LYCRA STRAVA Run or a Family Treasure Hunt ride before visiting cafes, hotels, restaurants or wineries - and in the early evening, visit the Lyndoch Village Green to ‘soak up the Barossa’ as the Gourmet Village opens! Stay overnight in local B’n’B’s or motels before getting up for Day 2 on Tuesday to secure your spot for the Men’s Race Stage 1 which loops through Williamstown three times before finishing in Lyndoch. During and after the race, join the party on the Lyndoch Village Green near the Finish Line and enjoy the best of the LYNDOCH GOURMET VILLAGE for entertainment, food and wine! |
So what are you waiting for? Put the TDU in the Southern Barossa into your diary NOW! Want further information?
Go to: www.barossatdu2017.com - and we’ll see you in the Southern Barossa in January!
Go to: www.barossatdu2017.com - and we’ll see you in the Southern Barossa in January!
THE SOUTHERN BAROSSA KNOWS HOW TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS!
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Getting Santa to visit the Southern Barossa early this year required a lot of noise.....and lots of people to welcome him mid-December, first at the Lyndoch Oval then 2 days later at Williamstown where hundreds turned out to make sure the old fella and his reindeer were given a great Barossa welcome.....!
While Santa worked out who’s been naughty or nice this year, mums and dads were on hand to enjoy the Christmas cheer - and they rushed to join in the celebrations, arriving in their favorite cars.... before, in Lyndoch, the Lincolns Band bashed out tunes to get everyone into the swing of things... while at Williamstown, local singers welcomed Santa with rousing carols.... |
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The Southern Barossa knows how to turn on an event in the best country community style...so next year, forget the rest, and come to the best!
Our video shows how the Southern Barossa celebrates - if you were there, relive the party atmosphere - if not, get here next year to celebrate Christmas in the Barossa!
Our video shows how the Southern Barossa celebrates - if you were there, relive the party atmosphere - if not, get here next year to celebrate Christmas in the Barossa!
TROUT IN THE WARREN LAKE - A GLIMMER OF HOPE?
South Australian fresh-water anglers hoping that the State’s newest recreational reservoir (the Warren Lake, near Williamstown) will be stocked with their preferred ‘fighting fish’, Trout, have cause for hope following yet another query to the State Government by Barossa News On Line regarding the status of the ‘Application to Stock’ Trout in the Warren, made more than 400 days ago.
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The 'Application to stock Trout' in the Warren Lake was made in November 2015. Our 'count up' clock above shows how long it's taking the public servants to come to a decision on this matter.....
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Those who’ve been following our pursuit of this long drawn-out bureaucratic saga will recall that we have been met by debilitating silence or stone-walling as we have pressed the Government on exactly what the issue and delay has been over the matter and why a decision has not been made.
On the first anniversary of the ‘Application to Stock’ we again approached the Weatherill Government for an answer - ANY ANSWER - about introducing Trout in the Warren Lake. Our latest query to Fisheries Minister (and Tourism Minister) Leon Bignell (having been ‘flicked’ to him by Environment Minister Ian Hunter’s office), resulted in another flick-pass back to the public servants in Primary Industries and Regions SA. Nevertheless, we have seen some movement in the glacial creep toward an answer - when we received this statement below, attributed not to a Minister, but to a ‘PIRSA spokesperson’.
The most important part of the Release is that which we have placed in Bold Underline:
PIRSA continues to progress the application to stock trout in the Warren Reservoir.
In line with the Policy to Release Aquatic Resources, which guides applications to release fish, PIRSA sought input from a range of stakeholders with interest in the Warren Reservoir.
This feedback is being considered before a decision is made and the assessment of the application should be known in the coming weeks.
On the first anniversary of the ‘Application to Stock’ we again approached the Weatherill Government for an answer - ANY ANSWER - about introducing Trout in the Warren Lake. Our latest query to Fisheries Minister (and Tourism Minister) Leon Bignell (having been ‘flicked’ to him by Environment Minister Ian Hunter’s office), resulted in another flick-pass back to the public servants in Primary Industries and Regions SA. Nevertheless, we have seen some movement in the glacial creep toward an answer - when we received this statement below, attributed not to a Minister, but to a ‘PIRSA spokesperson’.
The most important part of the Release is that which we have placed in Bold Underline:
PIRSA continues to progress the application to stock trout in the Warren Reservoir.
In line with the Policy to Release Aquatic Resources, which guides applications to release fish, PIRSA sought input from a range of stakeholders with interest in the Warren Reservoir.
This feedback is being considered before a decision is made and the assessment of the application should be known in the coming weeks.
This is what anglers want to catch!
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As previously mentioned, PIRSA has already assessed and approved applications to stock native species such as Murray Cod, Golden Perch and Silver Perch in both the Warren and Bundaleer reservoirs.
PIRSA also recently approved an application to stock trout in the Bundaleer reservoir. RecFish SA is managing the stocking process and coordinating the release of the fish. In the meantime, the Barossa Council has announced that it is improving the infrastructure into the Warren Lake, on the basis, presumably, that fresh-water anglers will flock there to catch.... well, for the moment.... uninteresting fish like Bidyanus bidyanus (or Silver Perch)... introduced to the Warren earlier this year. |
Compared with catching Trout, catching Bidyanus bidyanus is a bit like lowering a hook into a toilet - you end up with something its name suggests - a shitty little fish (and little in the way of ‘fight’)!
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As part of infrastructure improvements, The Barossa Council is upgrading the car park on Warren Road along with a further access point for additional car parking and direct pedestrian access to the waterfront. Plans are also in hand to construct a fishing jetty, public amenities, picnic tables and rubbish bins.
According to fishing experts Barossa News On Line has spoken to, just how much these amenities will be used in the long run will be predicated to a large extent on whether Trout will be introduced to the Warren - and for the people of the Southern Barossa, the stocking of Trout will have a large part to play on whether the Warren will bring an economic boost to the region. Hopefully, as part of their 'input from a range of stakeholders with interest in the Warren Reservoir', PIRSA has examined just what is going on across the border where the Victorian Government is in a headlong rush to stock every waterway it can with Trout to sustain and boost their regional economies. |
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(See our story VICTORIA MAKING MILLIONS WHILE SOUTH AUSTRALIA DITHERS by spooling further down this page).
In the meantime, we will continue to to pursue PIRSA, Fisheries and Tourism for an answer over the ‘coming weeks’ as the News Release above has promised.... but in the meantime, keep watching our ‘count up clock’ above to see just how long it takes the bureaucrats to come to a decision...
In the meantime, we will continue to to pursue PIRSA, Fisheries and Tourism for an answer over the ‘coming weeks’ as the News Release above has promised.... but in the meantime, keep watching our ‘count up clock’ above to see just how long it takes the bureaucrats to come to a decision...
IS DONALD TRUMP SOUTH AUSTRALIA'S NEW BEST FRIEND?
President Donald Trump might become South Australia’s new best friend, now that the prospect of a nuclear dump-led revival of the State’s fortunes has melted down.
With Donny’s twitchy finger on the Big Nuke Button, the Barossa’s red-wine makers are looking forward to an explosion (!) in red wine sales around the world! Why?
Well, the scientists tell us that for those of us left after the Trump Big Bang, the only thing standing between us and death by radiation is....RED WINE!
With Donny’s twitchy finger on the Big Nuke Button, the Barossa’s red-wine makers are looking forward to an explosion (!) in red wine sales around the world! Why?
Well, the scientists tell us that for those of us left after the Trump Big Bang, the only thing standing between us and death by radiation is....RED WINE!
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One of the isotopes floating in the air after the Holocaust will be Strontium 90, which is absorbed by our bones because it´s chemically similar to calcium. Basically the scientists tell us that Strontium 90 will nuke our bones, cooking us from the inside out!
But RED WINE (and to a lesser extent, white wine) contains Strontium 85 which is non-radioactive, so chucking down gallons of red wine after the bombs go off saturates the amount of strontium we can absorb!
Essentially with a belly-full of the ‘good’ Strontium 85, the ‘bad’ Strontium 90 can’t stick to our bones, as it passes straight through us and ends up in our urine. Gives a new meaning to taking a 'red-hot snake’s hiss’, eh?!
So forget your Bushfire Emergency Plan - start making your NUCLEAR SURVIVAL PLAN by stocking up on BAROSSA RED WINE now! In fact, why wait for Donny to push the Big Red Button! Here at Barossa News On Line, we're taking our medicine right now! (Hmm...just where is that crate of Saint Hugo?)
But RED WINE (and to a lesser extent, white wine) contains Strontium 85 which is non-radioactive, so chucking down gallons of red wine after the bombs go off saturates the amount of strontium we can absorb!
Essentially with a belly-full of the ‘good’ Strontium 85, the ‘bad’ Strontium 90 can’t stick to our bones, as it passes straight through us and ends up in our urine. Gives a new meaning to taking a 'red-hot snake’s hiss’, eh?!
So forget your Bushfire Emergency Plan - start making your NUCLEAR SURVIVAL PLAN by stocking up on BAROSSA RED WINE now! In fact, why wait for Donny to push the Big Red Button! Here at Barossa News On Line, we're taking our medicine right now! (Hmm...just where is that crate of Saint Hugo?)
DAISY MEETS PETER AND OUTSHINES THE MINISTER WITH AN IMPORTANT BUSHFIRE SAFETY MESSAGE...
The 1989 Hollywood blockbuster “When Harry Met Sally” had its sequel in the Adelaide Hills on Sunday 30 October, “When Peter Met Daisy” as Peter Malinauskas - Emergency Services Minister and one of the State Government’s rising stars - launched Bushfire Awareness Week 2016 with a cast of CFS and SES volunteers with their MFS counterparts - only to be upstaged by CFS Chief Dog DAISY!
Daisy, with her human handler, CFS Chief Officer Greg Nettleton, stole the show as she became the star reminder of the need for everyone in bushfire prone areas - particularly those where rural living joins outer suburban areas - to plan (or revisit) their Bushfire 'Plan to Survive' as a matter of urgency as Summer rushes up on us.
The widespread drenching the State has had over recent months DOES NOT mean that the risk of bushfire has diminished - even in the Barossa, the lush vineyards and natural bushland currently exploding with growth can dry off in an instant with high temperatures and strong hot winds.
Check out how Daisy outshone the Minister and her handler in our 5-minute video of the launch of Bushfire Awareness Week 2016.....
The 1989 Hollywood blockbuster “When Harry Met Sally” had its sequel in the Adelaide Hills on Sunday 30 October, “When Peter Met Daisy” as Peter Malinauskas - Emergency Services Minister and one of the State Government’s rising stars - launched Bushfire Awareness Week 2016 with a cast of CFS and SES volunteers with their MFS counterparts - only to be upstaged by CFS Chief Dog DAISY!
Daisy, with her human handler, CFS Chief Officer Greg Nettleton, stole the show as she became the star reminder of the need for everyone in bushfire prone areas - particularly those where rural living joins outer suburban areas - to plan (or revisit) their Bushfire 'Plan to Survive' as a matter of urgency as Summer rushes up on us.
The widespread drenching the State has had over recent months DOES NOT mean that the risk of bushfire has diminished - even in the Barossa, the lush vineyards and natural bushland currently exploding with growth can dry off in an instant with high temperatures and strong hot winds.
Check out how Daisy outshone the Minister and her handler in our 5-minute video of the launch of Bushfire Awareness Week 2016.....
THE BAROSSA SHRUGS OFF THE WET
Days after the State’s 2016 Big Wet, the Barossa is getting back to normal in the best Silesian tradition, stoically cleaning up and looking forward to the next vintage as budburst hits the Valley and the sun re-emerges to tease the best out of the vines and their 2017 fruits.
Barossans were reminded, perhaps confronted, by the tribulations their forebears must have endured, as they struggled to find lanterns, light the fires to boil the water and make Schlesische Kartoffelklöße to fill hungry tummies - and found the delights of having to talk and entertain each other as the power stayed stubbornly off.
And then came the rains, which filled the creeks, topped the dams and gave their vines the best drink they’ve had in years.
For a while, they celebrated. Es ist alles gut.
In the end though, there was too much water. Mein Gott, zu viel! Creeks became uncontrollable rivers, rising in places to inundate low-lying areas in Nuriootpa, Tanunda and Lyndoch before the North and South Para Rivers crashed together to boil through Gawler and flood the lowlands toward the coast.
As the Lutherans will celebrate in their iconic Barossa churches this weekend, the Valley, for the very great part, escaped the serious consequences of the flooding which inundated their neighbours in Virginia and that of their spiritual nachbarschaft in Hahndorf.
Days after the State’s 2016 Big Wet, the Barossa is getting back to normal in the best Silesian tradition, stoically cleaning up and looking forward to the next vintage as budburst hits the Valley and the sun re-emerges to tease the best out of the vines and their 2017 fruits.
Barossans were reminded, perhaps confronted, by the tribulations their forebears must have endured, as they struggled to find lanterns, light the fires to boil the water and make Schlesische Kartoffelklöße to fill hungry tummies - and found the delights of having to talk and entertain each other as the power stayed stubbornly off.
And then came the rains, which filled the creeks, topped the dams and gave their vines the best drink they’ve had in years.
For a while, they celebrated. Es ist alles gut.
In the end though, there was too much water. Mein Gott, zu viel! Creeks became uncontrollable rivers, rising in places to inundate low-lying areas in Nuriootpa, Tanunda and Lyndoch before the North and South Para Rivers crashed together to boil through Gawler and flood the lowlands toward the coast.
As the Lutherans will celebrate in their iconic Barossa churches this weekend, the Valley, for the very great part, escaped the serious consequences of the flooding which inundated their neighbours in Virginia and that of their spiritual nachbarschaft in Hahndorf.
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But one of the Barossa’s most historic wineries - Langmeil, within a stone’s throw of the North Para River where it crosses Stelzer Road - took the full fury of local flooding as the water rose to inundate, to the height of a man, one of their low-lying vineyards. Fortunately that vineyard was NOT the ‘Freedom’ block, where stands the world’s oldest Shiraz vines - safe as they were, planted by one of the very first settlers to the Valley, Christian Auricht, further up the Tanunda rise. Christian no doubt appreciated, with a farmer’s ‘weather’ eye, that the low-lying areas of his holding, being subject to flood, were not suitable for his most precious of vines.
As fast as the water rose however, it receded just as quickly, as the peak moved further south. But not before it left Langmeil’s low-lying vineyard, known as the Orphan Block, littered with fallen trees and other organic detritus, a force, which when it settled had damaged some, but fortunately not all, of the block’s vines. |
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Barossanewsonline.com caught up Langmeil Cellarmaster Jonathon Bitter as he helped with the clean-up three days after the flood had receded, and found him upbeat about how the flooded vineyard would bounce back - and, summer permitting, how the considerable number of Oprhan vines would bounce back for the coming vintage.
In our audio interview with Jonathon below, he also explains how a silver lining in the storm clouds is likely to really benefit the Barossa in the years ahead...... (runs 6:50 approx)
In our audio interview with Jonathon below, he also explains how a silver lining in the storm clouds is likely to really benefit the Barossa in the years ahead...... (runs 6:50 approx)
BAROSSA GOURMET WEEKEND STILL SHINES DESPITE WET WEATHER
Despite Winter lashing the Barossa with its watery tail as Spring tries to emerge across the Valley, tourists still made the journey to this year’s Barossa Gourmet Weekend where selected wineries shrugged off the cold and wet to welcome visitors from near and far.
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'The Barossa Gourmet Weekend continues to evolve from its once-hearty and carefree ‘schlook’n’schnitter’ beginnings where visitors were more into the drinking than the Barossa experience - to an experience more refined, where visitors are increasingly educated about the Barossa’s fine wine offerings - and where gourmands can equally taste the region’s amazing produce beyond a slap-up BBQ or a sloppy burger.
This year, we called in on one of the Barossa’s northern-most wineries, Thorn-Clarke Wines, on the outskirts of Angaston where the Barossa was to meet Bordeaux in a master class with Peter Kelly, Thorn-Clarke Wines' Senior Winemaker. |
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Check out our video (runs 4:20 approx) - and remember, you don’t have to wait for a Barossa Gourmet Weekend to enjoy the fruits of the wineries, providores or fine eateries around Angaston in the northern Barossa!
SPRING IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER!
With the first rays of Spring sun stretching through the Barossa Valley after South Australia's seriously wet and cold winter, it's time to plan a Springtime visit to the State's premiere wine and food region, no matter whether you're just down the road in Adelaide or from interstate or overseas.
You know that Spring is on its way when the roads to the Barossa (particularly the road from Chain of Ponds and Kersbrook to Williamstown) begin filling with hairy men on Harley Davidsons, or ancient cars freshly polished - and when the first of the season's lycra-clad two-wheeled terrors huff and puff their way to the Williamstown Bakery for coffee'n'cake. It would be nice to say tipplers were coming in on the Barossa Wine Train - or that anglers were beating a path to wet the whistle while catching Trout in the Warren Reservoir - but they're still works in progress (see our stories below).
Some birds are already swooping, although it'll be a few more weeks yet before the Magpies begin their strafing runs.
With the first rays of Spring sun stretching through the Barossa Valley after South Australia's seriously wet and cold winter, it's time to plan a Springtime visit to the State's premiere wine and food region, no matter whether you're just down the road in Adelaide or from interstate or overseas.
You know that Spring is on its way when the roads to the Barossa (particularly the road from Chain of Ponds and Kersbrook to Williamstown) begin filling with hairy men on Harley Davidsons, or ancient cars freshly polished - and when the first of the season's lycra-clad two-wheeled terrors huff and puff their way to the Williamstown Bakery for coffee'n'cake. It would be nice to say tipplers were coming in on the Barossa Wine Train - or that anglers were beating a path to wet the whistle while catching Trout in the Warren Reservoir - but they're still works in progress (see our stories below).
Some birds are already swooping, although it'll be a few more weeks yet before the Magpies begin their strafing runs.
The vines have been freshly clipped and present an entirely different look to the Valley as they wait in their ranks for 'bud burst' and the first baby steps towards a new Vintage. This year, for the first time in a while, the vines have had a very good winter's drink, moisture the pundits say will result in an excellent vintage this year - provided of course that Summer is robust but not too hot as the berries fill with their sugary syrups early next year.
In the meantime, come up to the Valley now for an end-of-winter visit. Many of the wineries have their welcoming fires going and with a chill still in the air, there's nothing better than a cellar-door plate of something nice - and a glass or two of the Barossa's best fortified wines, to warm the insides.
If fighting the madding crowd is more your style, bring Dad to the Valley on September 2 to 4, for the Fathers' Day and Barossa Gourmet Weekend, September 2-4. Never been to one before? Then click here to see our short video on last year's Gourmet weekend.
And to enhance your visit to the Barossa (or as a present for Dad!), get our CD audio tours of the Barossa - the Barossa Wine, Food, History and Provenance disc (on the left), and the Wine Appreciation for Cellar Door Visitors disc (on the right). Check out our samples -
then go to www.satalkingtours.com to purchase!
In the meantime, come up to the Valley now for an end-of-winter visit. Many of the wineries have their welcoming fires going and with a chill still in the air, there's nothing better than a cellar-door plate of something nice - and a glass or two of the Barossa's best fortified wines, to warm the insides.
If fighting the madding crowd is more your style, bring Dad to the Valley on September 2 to 4, for the Fathers' Day and Barossa Gourmet Weekend, September 2-4. Never been to one before? Then click here to see our short video on last year's Gourmet weekend.
And to enhance your visit to the Barossa (or as a present for Dad!), get our CD audio tours of the Barossa - the Barossa Wine, Food, History and Provenance disc (on the left), and the Wine Appreciation for Cellar Door Visitors disc (on the right). Check out our samples -
then go to www.satalkingtours.com to purchase!
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VICTORIA MAKING MILLIONS WHILE SOUTH AUSTRALIA DITHERS
While South Australia continues to dither over the stocking of trout in the State’s newly announced recreational fishing reservoirs (including the Warren Reservoir in the Southern Barossa, the Victorian Government is racing ahead to stock trout in their lakes to accelerate the substantial economic benefits trout fishing brings to its country regions.
The Victorian Government’s enthusiasm results from credible external-consultant reports that trout fishing and inland fresh-water fishing activities are worth an estimated $170 million to the Victorian regional economy.
The Victorian Government’s enthusiasm results from credible external-consultant reports that trout fishing and inland fresh-water fishing activities are worth an estimated $170 million to the Victorian regional economy.
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At left is a ‘screen grab’ from their latest fishing e-newsletter Fish eFacts (Issue 392), posted online on 7 July 2016 - which prominently notes that Victoria is chasing the ‘family fishing’ market, where, as part of its initiatives, children on school holidays have just participated in the release of 26,000 catchable-size Rainbow Trout across that State.
See the map below where Trout have been released in Victoria, this month, under the ‘Family Fishing Lakes’ initiative: 
Further, Agriculture Victoria lauds Trout fishing benefits to the State in its website - here’s just a snippet of what they’re saying:
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The Victorian trout fishery is a major social and economic contributor to regional communities with nearly half of all trout harvested in Australia being caught in Victoria. In addition to providing good sport fishing, many consider trout to be a choice table fish.
- Trout are a favoured angling species that have the ability to attain catchable sizes in relatively small lakes, rivers and streams.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S PROMISE TO REFURBISH SA RAIL LINES DOESN’T GO FAR ENOUGH
Prime Minster Malcolm Turnbull’s promises to use freshly minted rail lines from Whyalla’s steel works to refurbish the Tarcoola rail line (loudly applauded by the State Government) - should be seen for what it is - please vote for us in the soon-to-be-announced Federal Election.
The announcement, and its positive short-term effect on morale in the ‘Steel City’, is, nevertheless, to be welcomed -- but it must be recognised for what it is: a short-term ‘fix’ desperately propping up an industry which has so much to offer Australia.
Turnbull and Weatherill can’t see the bigger transport infrastructure opportunity the Whyalla steel works capacity offers -- the refurbishment and restructure of ALL rural rail lines across Australia.
If the state of the rural rail network in South Australia is anything to go by - then several hundreds of millions of dollars can be spent - and needs be spent - on the national (and State) rail networks. AND on the basis of the Prime Minister’s promise to Whyalla workers, this would mean millions more dollars being usefully invested to keep their fine city prosperous.
Sadly rail networks across the country are in various states of disrepair, no more witnessed than by our own investigations into the state of the Barossa Wine Train line, which led to people elsewhere in rural SA contacting us about the state of SA's rural rail lines generally - lines which by law, MUST be maintained to operational readiness by Genesee Wyoming Australia (GWA). (Check out our stories below about the responsibilities GWA has to SA’s rural rail lines - responsibilities that company has failed to meet.)
The announcement, and its positive short-term effect on morale in the ‘Steel City’, is, nevertheless, to be welcomed -- but it must be recognised for what it is: a short-term ‘fix’ desperately propping up an industry which has so much to offer Australia.
Turnbull and Weatherill can’t see the bigger transport infrastructure opportunity the Whyalla steel works capacity offers -- the refurbishment and restructure of ALL rural rail lines across Australia.
If the state of the rural rail network in South Australia is anything to go by - then several hundreds of millions of dollars can be spent - and needs be spent - on the national (and State) rail networks. AND on the basis of the Prime Minister’s promise to Whyalla workers, this would mean millions more dollars being usefully invested to keep their fine city prosperous.
Sadly rail networks across the country are in various states of disrepair, no more witnessed than by our own investigations into the state of the Barossa Wine Train line, which led to people elsewhere in rural SA contacting us about the state of SA's rural rail lines generally - lines which by law, MUST be maintained to operational readiness by Genesee Wyoming Australia (GWA). (Check out our stories below about the responsibilities GWA has to SA’s rural rail lines - responsibilities that company has failed to meet.)
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In our earlier stories you will have learnt that GWA has its roots in the Wild West of America, a time when the rule of law was determined by rough justice -- when OUTLAWS were dealt with without compassion.
In keeping with its wild west heritage, GWA must be regarded as an ‘outlaw’, riding roughshod over SA taxpayers by keeping a valuable State asset in its back-pocket and thumbing its nose at its legal obligations - obligations set in stone in its legally binding arrangement with the SA Govt to maintain rural railway lines in a state of operational readiness. Its blatant inaction in meeting its contractual responsibilities is by any measure OUTside the LAW which governs its lease agreement with the State. So when will this OUTLAW be brought to justice? Sheriff Weatherill and his Deputies Mullighan and Bignell have their hands on their pieces, only too happy to wave them around out the window of the Pichi Richi rail line in Quorn during their recent Mid North Country Cabinet photo-opportunity. |
The Advertiser (March 1, 2016, pic 1 above) quoted Sheriff Weatherill as saying that ...”tourism (is) the fastest way to generate jobs....(in rural South Australia)”.
The Pichi Richi rail line attracts about 9,000 visitors a year according to Sherrif Weatherill...and for the Mid North, that’s terrific.
But mention the Barossa Wine Train - with its potential to bring several tens of thousands of visits more to the glittering jewel in the State’s tourist crown, the Barossa Valley - and the cowboys’ hands remain firmly in their trousers.
Simply, Sheriff Weatherill and his mates need to have a shootout at the OK Corral with the outlaw GWA, and Federal Marshall Turnbull needs to extend his ‘rail repair’ offer to ALL States on the proviso they buy rail lines from Whyalla.
What has Sheriff Weatherill got to lose?
Reclaim our heritage, rip the rights to control SA’s rural rail lines from the dead hands of GWA, then offer those lines to open tender so that other players, operating WITHIN the LAW, can at least have the opportunity to breathe new life into South Australia’s rural regions by investing in, and reinstating, rural train and freight services.
NOTHING is being done now by the outlaw GWA - so up the ante! Call their bluff, claim their hand, boot ‘em out, and start again.
Given GWA's total distain for its contractual obligations over years, nothing less than a total 'clean slate' is acceptable.
Rural South Australia will applaud you, Sheriff - and applaud you too, Marshall - and you both might just get to keep your badges for another 4 years....
The Pichi Richi rail line attracts about 9,000 visitors a year according to Sherrif Weatherill...and for the Mid North, that’s terrific.
But mention the Barossa Wine Train - with its potential to bring several tens of thousands of visits more to the glittering jewel in the State’s tourist crown, the Barossa Valley - and the cowboys’ hands remain firmly in their trousers.
Simply, Sheriff Weatherill and his mates need to have a shootout at the OK Corral with the outlaw GWA, and Federal Marshall Turnbull needs to extend his ‘rail repair’ offer to ALL States on the proviso they buy rail lines from Whyalla.
What has Sheriff Weatherill got to lose?
Reclaim our heritage, rip the rights to control SA’s rural rail lines from the dead hands of GWA, then offer those lines to open tender so that other players, operating WITHIN the LAW, can at least have the opportunity to breathe new life into South Australia’s rural regions by investing in, and reinstating, rural train and freight services.
NOTHING is being done now by the outlaw GWA - so up the ante! Call their bluff, claim their hand, boot ‘em out, and start again.
Given GWA's total distain for its contractual obligations over years, nothing less than a total 'clean slate' is acceptable.
Rural South Australia will applaud you, Sheriff - and applaud you too, Marshall - and you both might just get to keep your badges for another 4 years....
BAROSSA RAIL LINE - A COMMUNITY ASSET SLOWLY BEING LOST TO INACTION?
The Barossa rail line through the heart of the Valley from Gawler to Angaston is marching inexorably toward ruin - and the company contractually obligated to maintain it in operational order is doing absolutely nothing about it.
The Barossa rail line through the heart of the Valley from Gawler to Angaston is marching inexorably toward ruin - and the company contractually obligated to maintain it in operational order is doing absolutely nothing about it.
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The line, once used by Penrice Mines to cart ore from its Barossa mine to Port Adelaide, now lies dormant despite calls for the line to be refurbished and repurposed as a tourism/commuter line.
The line famously once hosted the Barossa Wine Train - a popular tourist train which brought tourists to the Barossa in style - style once appreciated by no less than Her Majesty the Queen, during one of her visits to South Australia. The Barossa Wine Train today lies abandoned at the Port Adelaide Rail Museum - but we're told it would only take a lick of paint and relatively minor refurbishment to get it up and running again to bring tourists to the Valley, from (among other tourist ‘catch points’), Outer Harbour - where thousands of tourists regularly disgorge from their floating palaces looking for unique wine and food experiences near to Adelaide. What better experience than to travel by train to the Barossa Valley? We’ve been following the fortunes of the Barossa Wine Train - and for a full appreciation you can see our investigations so far by clicking here. But remember to come back here for the latest, below! |
The Barossa rail line - already an eyesore - and heading to ruin?
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COMPANY WITH LINKS TO AMERICA’S COWBOY PAST CONTROL SOUTH AUSTRALIA's RURAL RAIL LINES
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Perhaps the greatest impediment to the Barossa Wine Train gearing up again has more to do with the track it must traverse - a track in the hands of Genesee & Wyoming Australia (GWA), a company with links to America’s cowboy past and which is playing poker with South Australia’s dormant rural rail lines at a time when an overhaul of Australia’s road and rail infrastructure is being demanded as a critical way forward to Australia’s future prosperity.
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It must be said, fairly, that the Penrice line could still be made operational with minimal effort - at this stage. But if GWA’s total lack of care and maintenance of SA rural lines elsewhere is anything to go by, the Barossa line is shuffling with certainty toward total ruin.
Why do we say this? As part of our investigation into the Barossa Line, we did our own inspection of the track (see the pics left).... The line is in total disrepair and a disgrace to Australia's premiere wine and tourist region. AND THEN we visited railway lines in the Mid North, particularly those from Roseworthy to Tarlee and beyond. Remember, these lines are under the same legal ‘protection’ as the Barossa line - that they must be maintained to a standard sufficient that trains could operate on them within a fortnight of being required. |
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NOW CHECK the state of the Mid North lines in the pics at right! THIS IS THE STATE THEY’RE IN, despite contractual obligations that GWA MUST MAINTAIN THEM IN OPERATING CONDITION. Neither GWA or the State Government give a damn about rural rail corridors at a time when rail should be playing a major part in Rural SA's rejuvenation and renaissance. THESE LINES, under the control and care of GWA, HAVE NOT SEEN any maintenance in over 20 years! We put questions to GWA about its responsibilities and how it could 'thumb its nose' at the people of rural South Australia when it is legally required to actively maintain the lines it holds under lease. (Click on the icon below our pictures at right for a .PDF of our questions and GWA’s response). But in short, GWA says in effect that it has a ‘chummy’ agreement with the State that it does not have to meet its contractual obligations! |
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What the??! If this is true, then the State, represented by its Transport Minister and Cabinet, have patently failed in their fiduciary and moral obligations to good governance, and to the Government’s ‘shareholders’. We, the people. We, the taxpayers.
GET OUT OF THE WAY, GWA! You've failed. JAY, TAKE THE LINES BACK AND MAKE 'EM PAY! Work with rural South Australia to bring new life to country SA, on the backbone of a refurbished and viable rail network. It's time to tell GWA to get the hell out of Dodge!
We're asking questions of local MPs both Liberal and Labor - and Local Government representatives - for their understanding of what's going on with rural rail in this State and exactly what their stance is on this - and we'll bring you their answers in upcoming stories.
GET OUT OF THE WAY, GWA! You've failed. JAY, TAKE THE LINES BACK AND MAKE 'EM PAY! Work with rural South Australia to bring new life to country SA, on the backbone of a refurbished and viable rail network. It's time to tell GWA to get the hell out of Dodge!
We're asking questions of local MPs both Liberal and Labor - and Local Government representatives - for their understanding of what's going on with rural rail in this State and exactly what their stance is on this - and we'll bring you their answers in upcoming stories.