Escape to Greenock, South Australia: 'The best-kept secret in the Barossa Valley'

Welcome to wine country. About an hour from Adelaide, depending on the traffic, the locals from Greenock say the town is a bit of a hidden secret within the Barossa.

While it maintains a country atmosphere and historic main street, it’s also buzzing on a Friday night, with plenty of places to eat, drink, and generally have a good time in a family-friendly atmosphere.

Population: 1087, as at the 2016 census.

Who lives here?

One longtime resident is local cellar door owner and former publican Mick Schluter, whose family has been in the area since 1870.

He said that the town had been a “sleepy little place” for a while, but of late Greenock had been reinvigorated with new businesses.

“It’s gone through a bit of a renaissance now, over the past decade or so,” Mr Schluter said, pointing to American wine critic Robert Parker jnr’s high praise for the local wines as a kicking-off point.

The town was made up of a nice mix of families, downsizers, old hands and new arrivals, he said, explaining that “if Greenock is anything, it’s accepting”.

“You see a lot of kids about the place – there’s a lot of young families,” he said.  “And retirees. People retire to the beach, and people also retire to wine areas.”

Andy Adams bought the Greenock Hotel about four years ago, and thinks the town has “some really strong businesses, with a good community vibe”.

“You don’t get that sense of community in the other towns in the Barossa Valley,” he said. “People welcome you with open arms.”

A newer arrival is designer Daniel Hill, who relocated with his wife to Greenock just shy of two years ago. He described the town as a “a little bit of a hidden secret”.

“I didn’t realise how unique the Greenock community was, really, until after I’d already decided to move here,” he said.

“It’s a really beautiful thing here, you don’t see that often any more. Everybody is passionate about Greenock.”

What happens here?

Mr Hill said the Greenock Hotel and cafe El Estanco were very popular with locals.

“The pub is very much a social hub,” said Mr Hill. “And El Estanco is the place to go for a coffee – it’s rare to not run into someone you know.”

Julian Velasquez, from El Estanco, said the cafe was something between a coffee shop and a fine dining restaurant.

“There is nothing really like us around the Barossa,” he said.

The Greenock Village Association organises two or three big events a year, including the popular Greenock Feast-ival, held in April in the Greenock Centenary Park.

Attracting over 1000 people, it features local food and wine producers coming together in a family fete-like atmosphere. Similarly, there was a Christmas Feast-ival held during last year’s festive season.

Many of the local wineries also held regular events, said Mr Schluter, and there were plenty of places to have a cheeky drop in the town itself.

“There’s now five cellar doors in the town, mine being one of them,” said Mr Schluter. “We’ve got our own brewery, knocking out some excellent stuff.”

And moving to the country definitely doesn’t mean giving up on going out of a Friday night.

“The nightlife on a Friday night – the street is just full of cars,” he said.  “It goes up the main street, and down the side streets, into the cellars doors, up to the restaurant and down to the pub.

“It really is buzzing sometimes. It’s quite something.”

What’s life like here?

Despite its proximity to Adelaide, Greenock still very much has a rural vibe, say locals.

“It’s very country,” Mr Schluter said. “There’s still paddocks with horse and sheep, just off the main street. Lots of people still keep chooks, I still hear a rooster every morning.

“We have an heritage conversation zone in the main street.”

Mr Hill said it was the kind of town where you got to know your neighbours, and where people would say hello to you when you were walking down the main street.

Mr Velasquez described Greenock as having “a good sense of community”.

“It is, at the moment, I think, the best-kept secret in the Barossa Valley,” he said.

What jobs are here?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the wine industry and surrounding businesses – such as labelling and bottling – are the economic drivers in town. Locals generally work in the wine industry or in the surrounding towns, or commute to Adelaide.

Tourist accommodation is also a money-maker, with at least five bed-and-breakfast ventures around the area.

“We get quite a lot of the grey nomads dropping in,” said Mr Schluter.  “And the town does fill up now on weekends.”

Affordable accommodation options have also made a difference, said Mr Adams, with the Greenock Centenary Park a popular spot to drop anchor.

“Backpackers and campervans can stay for $5 a night,” he said. “It’s been huge for the town.”

Mr Velasquez said his business was doing a roaring trade with tourists and locals alike – and he was beginning to see a few more businesses, and the town receiving more exposure.

Why move here?

“The Barossa is a great place to bring up a family,” said Mr Hill. “It’s quiet, its beautiful, there’s lots to see and do. And if I want to get into the city, I’m not disconnected.”

He said they were lucky in SA to have a lot on offer in a relatively small space, and good connectivity between the city and country made the benefits of both easily accessible.

“Living in a regional town doesn’t affect what I do,” he said. “We’ve got good internet, we’re on the NBN. Those sort of things; you’re not limited as far as work goes.”

Mr Hill said Greenock was a great place “for young families and for people who want to be involved, who want a sense of community”.

“My wife and I had a house in the ‘burbs, for eight or nine years. Aside from knowing your direct neighbours, you don’t get to know people.”

Mr Velasquez said he knew people who wanted to move to Greenock.

“I think it’s great. We need more people! It has a space for a little bit of a bigger community,” he said. “We all want to maintain that village feel, but we want a bit of buzz in town too.”

“If you are looking for country, Greenock is a great place to be. If you are looking for somewhere to bring up kids, where they play in the creek and have some chooks,  it’s a great place to be,” said Mr Schluter.  “And if you are interested in wine, it’s a great place to be.

“And it’s very pretty – it’s got a lot of trees. The main street is beautiful.”