Penola: where heart meets soil
The town of Penola on the Limestone Coast pulses with passion and respect for agriculture. It showcases its love for the land as a finalist for the 2024 Agricultural Town of the Year Award.
Within South Australia’s Coonawarra wine region, the town of Penola thrives on its connection to the land. Locals not only work the rich soil — they live by it, inviting those who pass through to experience the journey from paddock to plate and vineyard to glass.
Bellwether Wines embodies this connection, where founder and winemaker Sue Bell has turned a historic 1868 shearing shed into a boutique winery, community kitchen, cellar door and produce garden.
“I came from a big company background and started Bellwether to be a more honest, soulful place, and a place that connects with people,” Bell explained.
About a five-hour drive from the nearest capital city in the world-renowned Coonawarra — famous for its vivid Terra Rossa soil which produces some of Australia’s best Cabernet Sauvignon — Bellwether has recently introduced farm stays, inviting visitors to camp in bell tents or bring their caravans, and experience the region’s distinct maritime climate firsthand.
Sue Bell, Bellwether wines. Photo: Lara Pacillo/InDaily
“Camping is the best way to actually feel the climate, and the climate is what makes our wines taste the way they do. It’s that deeper connection that people can make,” Bell said.
“People living in the city, they do want to know where food comes from, and so I think the fact that you can come and stay at a winery, see it being made and help make it — you can understand the process better.”
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Bellwether’s ethos of nurturing bonds with the land reflects a broader theme throughout Penola, where the diverse agricultural landscape extends beyond viticulture including forestry and livestock, to potatoes and hemp.
Dave and Heidi Boyd, owners of Confido Coonawarra, produce high-quality extra virgin olive oil and welcome people onto their farm to experience the olive oil-making process firsthand.
“We’re enthusiastic for people to understand how it’s made, right from picking the olives to the final product,” Heidi Boyd said.
Penola from above. Image: Jordan Agutter/InDaily
The vibrant township and surrounds is home to over 3100 residents. Photo: Lara Pacillo/InDaily
Similarly, Steven and Emma Raidis who run Raidis Estate invite visitors to join in on the winemaking process at their winery, offering them the chance to harvest grapes and create their very own wine.
Fourth-generation farmer David Galpin has also embraced this connection-driven approach at Warrawindi Farms, diversifying their sheep and cattle farm to include farm tours. David said they will soon be introducing farm stays too.
“We’ve probably been doing farm tours for 10 or 12 years. We’re teaching people about farming, how we produce food and how well we do it,” he explained.
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“A lot of people who come have never been on a farm; they’re taking an interest back in farming.”
The townspeople’s openness to new ideas makes Penola a place where creativity flourishes, and dreams become reality.
Cory O’Connor, a former Penola High School student and now teacher, was awarded the 2024 Environment and Sustainability Australia Day Award for establishing an agricultural program at the school.
Much of the program — which involves animal handling, grooming and viticulture — was made possible by community donations, further highlighting Penola’s collective support of agricultural education.
Simone Kain is sharing agricultural with children through George The Farmer. Photo: Lara Pacillo/InDaily
This sense of community has also played a role in the success of George the Farmer, a children’s agricultural education brand launched by local author Simone Kain in 2014.
Through storybooks, apps, online videos and live performances, George the Farmer teaches children about food and fibre production helping educate over 600,000 kids across Australia.
“We’re seeing the next generations come through, and agriculture’s being viewed as something really exciting and advanced,” Kain said.
“That’s what I really wanted to do with George the Farmer, is get rid of that Old MacDonald image of farming and really take it into the future.
“I think ag education is really important anywhere. It doesn’t matter if in a regional town or in a metro town, everybody needs to know where their food comes from so that they can make healthy food choices, so that they can help support farmers, and so that we have access to clean green food in our future.”
George the Farmer has become a beloved figure in Penola; the mascot is treated somewhat like a local celebrity, children know the lyrics and dance to his ‘The Potato Song’ by heart, and the community warmly welcomed the opening of the George the Farmer concept store in November 2023 with a turnout of over 1500 people.
The store is located in Penola’s vibrant town centre, which, though small in size, boasts an impressive number of respected eateries, shops, and events, all thriving on the passion and pride of its people.
“We’re built on a foundation of agriculture, but Penola has always been a bit of a creative town,” Kain said.
“We’re genuinely curious about other people. We think outside the box, and that’s what helps us create new opportunities.”
