Ulva Cottage in Penola built in the 1850s by Alexander Cameron

Penola
Historic town at the southern end of the rich Coonawarra/Penola wine district
Located 388 km south east of Adelaide, Penola is in the heart of one of South Australia's most productive wine growing areas. To the north of the town lies the famous terra rosa soils of the Coonawarra which have produced excellent red wines for the past century. The town is also famous as the central location in the life of Mary McKillop, Australia's first saint.

Along the road from Penola to Coonawarra (a distance of only 7 km) there are a total of 21 wineries. [The two entries on Coonawarra and Penola are designed so that if you are heading south from Coonawarra the wineries are in the order you will experience them and if you are heading north from Penola they are in correct order]. This is the result of an extraordinary situation where there are beautiful red soils (terra rossa) stretching 14 km and lying on top of limestone. The town's name, although no one is exactly sure, seems to derive from an Aboriginal word meaning 'wild honeysuckle' although other sources insist it was a local Aboriginal word 'pena oorla' meaning 'wooden house' and referring to the first pub, the Royal Oak, built in the district.

The local Aborigines were the Bunganditj or Booandik group who lived on a diet of kangaroo, wallaby, emu, wombat, fish, roots and seeds. They had lived in the district for tens of thousands of years but, with the arrival of Europeans, their numbers declined rapidly. It is said that five Aborigines are buried in the Penola cemetery but there is no evidence of their graves. The last of the local Aborigines died in 1902.

The first Europeans into the area were the Austin brothers who arrived in 1840 and established a run of 109 square miles based on what is now Yallum Park (see Coonawarra for more details). But the gold rushes of the 1850s ensured that their dreams were not realised.

The man who was known as the Founder of Penola and the 'King of Penola' was Alexander Cameron (1810-1881). He arrived in Sydney in 1839 and that year set out with his uncles and a range of animals and travelled 1500 km from Sydney to the famed 'Australia Felix', west of Melbourne. In 1841 Alexander crossed into South Australia and by 1844 Penola Station had been established. By 1850 Cameron had built a pub, the Royal Oak, to supply liquor to the increasing number of travellers who were coming through the Penola area. It was around this time that he gained freehold title to 80 acres stretching north from the hotel. This was to be the site for the township of Penola. Christopher Sharam, a bootmaker, built his house on this land in 1850. He was quickly followed by a Mr Hailes, a blacksmith. Later that year Cameron added another 80 acres to the original holding.

The real beginning for the settlement of the area occurred when John Riddoch purchased Yallum in 1861. Riddoch was one of those larger-than-life characters who seem to squeeze five lives into a single lifetime. He grew up in poverty in the highlands of Scotland (a result of the Highlands clearances) and in 1851 emigrated to try his luck on the Victorian goldfields. Within a few years he was a successful shopkeeper and wine merchant on the Geelong goldfields.

He acquired 35,000 acres on which he ran 50,000 head of sheep. In keeping with his exalted status he lived like a local lord (as can be seen for the richness of Yarram Park).

By 1863 Penola had acquired an unusual status in South Australia. It boasted the largest library outside Adelaide. Not surprisingly, given its literary tradition, the poet Adam Lindsay Gordon, came to the district and often stayed with John Riddoch. Three years later (1866) Mary McKillop, Australia's first saint, built the first of many schools she was to construct in Australia and New Zealand. This remarkable woman established a concept of egalitarian education which ensured education for children regardless of their family's income or their social class. She founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart.

Another significant figure around this time was Father Julian Tenison Woods, a Catholic priest, who in 1866 actively assisted Mary McKillop to form the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart.

Around 1890 John Riddoch formed the Coonawarra Fruit Colony and 2,000 acres from Yarram Park were subdivided into smaller holdings of 10-30 acres which were sold, at very reasonable terms, to a group of farmers with the express idea that they all became vineyards and orchards. The secret of the district's success was a strange rectangle, known as the 'Coonawarra cigar', of terra rosa (red soil). Here, according to grape growers, was perfect soil which would produce perfect grapes which, if the locals knew what they were doing, would produce near-perfect wines, particularly red wines.

It was out of this that the Coonawarra vineyards grew. In fact Riddoch insisted that the 'blockers', the people who purchased the 'blocks' of land, had to plant one-third cabernet sauvignon to two-thirds shiraz. It is no accident that today eighteen of the district's twenty one vineyards have, among their crops, healthy acreages of both cabernet sauvignon and shiraz grapes.

The vineyards were more successful than the wineries but wine wasn't really part of the Australian diet. It was not until the 1960s that the exceptional soils of the area, and their ability to produce superb red wines, was fully realised. It is worth noting that of the 21 wineries in the Coonawarra-Penola district only one, Wynns Coonawarra Estate, dates from the nineteenth century (1896). Of the rest one (Rouge Homme) appeared in 1954, seven came into production in the 1960s, four in the 1970s, five in the 1980s and three in the 1990s.

It is significant that Penola is associated with two of Australia's most distinguished poets. John Shaw Neilson was born in the town in 1872 (his home is now the tastings and cellar door for Hollick Wines and Adam Lindsay Gordon worked in the area as a mounted policeman from 1853-54.

Things to see:  

AROUND THE TOWN
There is an excellent pamphlet, 'Walk with History at Penola', which is available free of charge from the Tourist Information Office. It covers all the major buildings and locations in town (a total of 33 destinations) and provides interesting information about the most significant buildings). Some of the buildings mentioned include:

Tourist Information Centre & John Riddock District Interpretive Centre
Located in Portland Street and housed in the Old Mechanics Institute (built 1869) The John Riddock District Interpretive Centre, which traces the history of the area through well-captioned pictures and illustrations, is an excellent introduction to the history of Penola. Unfortunately there are some errors particularly in the text relating to the early Aborigines in the district. The claim that a number are buried in the town cemetery is simply not true.

Bond Store
Built between the Old Mechanics Institute and Ulva Cottage, the Bond Store was used to hold liquor and goods in the pre-Federation days when goods coming across from Victoria attracted state taxes.

Ulva Cottage
Located on Bowden Street, Ulva Cottage was built in the 1850s by Alexander Cameron, the founder of Penola. The house was built for Cameron's daughter, Margaret and her husband, Dr Bayton. Sadly Margaret died in childbirth in 1863. Does this reflect on her husband's ability as a doctor?

Church of St Mary the Virgin
Located on the corner of Arthur and Queen Sts (1873) this church takes third place behind the Catholic and Presbyterian buildings. Historically the town has strong Presbyterian traditions (John Riddoch built the town's Presbyterian Church) and Roman Catholic traditions. This building was completed by Michael Harris and William Blight. The bell turret and bell were added in 1889. Of particular interest are the floor made from adzed logs and the memorial window which was installed in 1886.

Lynn's Market Place
Lynn's Market Place was used in the 1870s by Christopher Sharam as a bootmaking premises. Later it was used as a barbershop and billiard room.

Balnaves Store
The Balnaves family have lived in the Penola-Coonawarra district since the 1890s when they set up a General Store in the main street. They continued to operate the store until the 1970s. In 1972 Doug Balnaves became manager of Hungerford Hill's vineyard outside Penola. He was with Hungerford Hill until 1988 when he decided to go out on his own. He now owns Balnaves of Coonawarra - a producer of fine local wines.

Royal Oak Hotel
Located in Church Street, the current stone building was completed in 1873, it replaced an early slab hut hotel (one of the first buildings in the district) which had operated on the same site since the 1840s. The building is now part of the town's main streetscape.

The Cobb & Co Booking Office

Cobb & Co
Dated 1857 and located in Riddoch Street this small, unassuming booking office still stands virtually unaltered since it was used as the town's 'bus stop' for the Cobb & Co. coaches. Today it is a good quality restaurant which perfectly complements the local wines.

Woods - MacKillop Schoolhouse
Located on the corner of Portland and Petticoat Lanes, this was the first Josephite School House. It was built in 1867 and is the site of the original Josephite Stables School. Inside there is a lot of information pertaining to Sister Mary McKillop although much of this has been moved to the McKillop Centre which is nearby.

Petticoat Lane
This is a remarkable area which is well worth visiting and exploring. A number of very old single storey cottages have been maintained. Some are still lived in and others have been purchased by the National Trust. The masterpiece is Sharam Cottage which dates from 1850 and is the oldest extant cottage in the town. Other cottages of interest include Gammon Cottage (early 1860s) with its distinctive detached kitchen and its pressed metal tiles and Wilson Cottage (1860s).

Sharam Cottage
Reputedly Penola's first house, Sharam Cottage was built in 1850. It is located, and clearly signposted, in Petticoat Lane. Sharam's Cottage (built by Christopher and Ellen Sharam in 1850 and now owned by the National Trust) is a reminder of how the whole Coonawarra wine region started. In 1890 John Riddoch divided the terra rosa soil area up into smaller blocks of land which he sold to people known as 'blockers'. There was a covenant on the land that the 'blocker' had to plant one-third cabernet sauvignon to two-thirds shiraz. One of these blockers was Christopher Sharam and his family kept producing grapes until they Sharam 'block' was sold to Penfolds in 1957.

Sarah's Cottage
It is possible to book into one of the old cottages. Sarah's Cottage, which is located at 24 Julian Street West, is a delightful cottage which dates from the 1870s and which has been meticulously restored so it has all the mod-cons as well as a superb Victorian bathroom with spa bath, delightful old style kitchen and open fire place. Contact (08) 8736 3309 for bookings.

National Trust McAdam Slab Hut
The National Trust McAdam Slab Hut in the school yard, Penola. It was built in the 1850s by David McAdam. It is signposted off the main road on the Naracoorte side of town. It is interesting for its smallness. The concept that you could live in a house which was nothing more than a single room was an adequate dwelling. It seems so low and so small by today's standards.

Yallum Park

Yallum Park
Owned by Glen and Gay Clifford who have written 'The Grass is Green - The story of Yallum Park' (a very comprehensive history of the house) Yallum Park is a glorious old Victorian Classical Revival sandstone house, with lots of Italian additions, which was built in 1878-1880 for John Riddoch, eight kilometres out of Penola. It was from this base that Riddoch established his Coonawarra vineyards planting some 95,000 vines in 1891.

Riddoch was one of those larger-than-life characters who seem to squeeze five lives into a single lifetime. He grew up in poverty in the highlands of Scotland (a result of the Highlands clearances) and in 1851 emigrated to try his luck on the Victorian goldfields. Within a few years he was a successful shopkeeper and wine merchant on the Geelong goldfields. He borrowed £23,000 and paid £30,000 for Yallum Park where he promptly built his mansion.

Today it is still a wonder to behold with its original William Morris wallpapers, it's beautiful gardens and arboretum, its cavernous 15-feet high ceilings, its eleven Italian marble mantelpieces, its gold leaf cornices and its sense of history. It was here that the English novelist Anthony Trollope stayed and where a passing parade of Governors and Princes (including King George V when he was still the Duke of Cornwall) spent the night. And out the back is the old Yallum Park house where Adam Lindsay Gordon used to stay when he visited John Riddoch.

The dining room at Yallum Park House

Behind the main Yallum House are two smaller residences. One called Gordon House and the other Austin House. These were the original houses. It was in the place now known as Gordon House that Adam Lindsay Gordon came to stay. Yallum Park is now a private home which is open by appointment. Contact (08) 8737 2435.

A Modern Folly
The idea of people in the 1990s building follies is rather quaint. They were essentially 19th luxuries full of pointlessness and grandeur. However in Penola, if you take the Dergholm Road out of Penola and turn into Shepherd's Lane you will come across David Abbey's folly which is a combination of mausoleum, church and brick frippery.

Majella Wines
Located on Lynn Road south of Coonawarra this family winery was established in 1990 and specialises in red table wines derived from cabernet sauvignon and shiraz grapes. It is open seven days for tastings and sales. For more details contact (08) 8736 3055.

Katnook Estate & Riddoch
Located on the Riddoch Highway north of Penola this large winery was established in 1978 and specialises in red and white table wines and sparkling wines derived from cabernet sauvignon, riesling, chardonnaysauvignon blance, merlot, and shiraz grapes. It is open seven days for tastings and sales. For more details contact (08) 8737 2394.

Highbank Wines
Located on Main Penola/Naracoorte Road north of Penola this family winery was established in 1986 and specialises in premium red and white table wines derived from cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, Merlot and cabernet franc grapes. It is open during the holiday period, other times by appointment for tastings and sales. For more details contact (08) 8736 3311, toll free 1800 653 311.

Leconfield
Located on Main Penola/Naracoorte Road north of Penola this family winery was established in 1974 and specialises in premium red and white table wines derived from cabernet sauvignon, riesling, chardonnay, Merlot, cabernet franc, petit verdot and shiraz grapes. It is open seven days for tastings and sales. For more details contact (08) 8737 2326.

Bowen Estate
Located on the Riddoch Highway north of Penola this family winery was established in 1972 and specialises in premium dry red and white table wines derived from cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, Merlot, cabernet franc, petit verdot and shiraz grapes. It is open seven days for tastings and sales. For more details contact (08) 8737 2229.

Balnaves of Coonawarra
Located on the Riddoch Highway north of Penola this family winery was established in 1991 and specialises in premium red wines derived from cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, Merlot, cabernet franc and shiraz grapes. It is open seven days for tastings and sales. For more details contact (08) 8737 2946.

Haselgrove Wines
Located on the Riddoch Highway north of Penola this family winery was established in 1966 and specialises in dry and sweet white wines and dry red wines derived from cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay grapes. It is open seven days for tastings and sales. For more details contact (08) 8737 2734.

Hollick Wines
Located on the Riddoch Highway north of Penola this family winery was established in 1966 and specialises in dryred and white table wines and sparkling wines derived from cabernet sauvignon, riesling, chardonnay, Merlot, pinot noir, cabernet franc, sauvignon blanc, petit verdot and shiraz grapes. It is open seven days for tastings and sales. For more details contact (08) 8737 2318.

Wetherall Wines
Located on Main Road north of Penola this small family winery was established in 1966 and specialises in red and white table wines derived from cabernet sauvignon chardonnay, Merlot and shiraz grapes. It is open seven days for tastings and sales. For more details contact (08) 8737 2104.

Parker Coonawarra Estate
Located on the Riddoch Highway just north of Penola this select winery was established in 1988 and specialises in red table wine derived from cabernet sauvignon, Merlot and cabernet franc. The retail outlet and tastings is located at the Bushman's Inn, PenolaI. For more details contact (08) 8737 2946.

Punters Corner
Located corner of Riddoch Highway & Racecourse Road just north of Penola this small winery was established in 1994 and specialises in red and white table wines derived from cabernet, chardonnay, Merlot and shiraz grapes. It is open seven days for tastings and sales. For more details contact (08) 8737 2007.

Lindemans Coonawarra Estate
Located on the Riddoch Highway just north of Penola this famous winery was established in 1965 and specialises in premium red and white table wines derived from cabernet sauvignon, riesling, chardonnay, Merlot, Malbec and shiraz grapes. It is open seven days for tastings and sales. For more details contact (08) 8737 2613.

	Tourist Information
	Penola-Coonawarra Visitors Centre Arthur St Penola SA 5277 Telephone: (08) 8737 2855 Facsimile: (08) 8737 2251
	Motels
	Coonawarra Motor Lodge Motel 114 Church St P.O. Box 161 Penola SA 5277 Telephone: (08) 8737 2364, 1800 649 342 Rating: ***
	Hotels
	Heyward's Royal Oak Hotel 31 Church St Penola SA 5277 Telephone: (08) 8737 2322 Rating: ***
	Prince of Wales Hotel/Motel Church St Penola SA 5277 Telephone: (08) 8737 2402 Rating: **
	Apartments
	Julian Court Apt 1/13 Julian St Penola SA 5277 Telephone: (08) 8762 3038 or 018 838 213
	Cottages & Cabins
	Cobb & Co Cottages 2 Portland St Penola SA 5277 Telephone: (08) 8737 2526 Rating: ***
	Jessie's Cottage Cnr Clark & Scott Sts Postal: 2 Scott St Penola SA 5277 Telephone: (08) 8737 2630
	Maggie's Cottage 33 Riddoch St Penola SA 5277 Telephone: (08) 8736 3302 or 8736 3331 Rating: ***
	Naomi's Villa 20 Riddoch St P.O. Box 4 Penola SA 5277 Telephone: (08) 8736 3309 Rating: ****
	Sarah's Cottage 24 Julian St West Penola SA 5277 Telephone: 0407 719 030 Rating: ***
	Lodges & Chalets
	McKays Trek Inn 38 Riddoch St Penola SA 5277 Telephone: (08) 8737 2250 or 1800 626 844
	Restaurants
	Bushmans' Inn Restaurant Church St Penola SA 5277 Telephone: (08) 8737 2364
	Cobb & Co Restaurant Riddoch St Penola SA 5277 Telephone: (08) 8737 2824
	Heyward's Royal Oak Hotel Bed & Breakfast 31 Church St Penola SA 5277 Telephone: (08) 8737 2322
	Irises Cafe Church St Penola SA 5277 Telephone: (08) 8737 2967
	Prince of Wales Hotel/Motel Church St Penola SA 5277 Telephone: (08) 8737 2402