Chateau Tanunda’s $31 million plan for five-star Barossa Valley hotel, cultural centre
A plan for five-star hotel and cultural centre in Tanunda is surging ahead, but the business is frustrated a move to bring a tourist train to the region has hit a brick wall.
SA Business
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA Business. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- $60m Barossa wine cycle project push to bring international tourists
- How to get the most out of your Advertiser digital subscription
A $31 million development at Chateau Tanunda, featuring a five-star hotel and cultural centre, would boost tourism in the region and create more than 100 long-term jobs.
Owner John Geber says the business is in the final stages of settling a land swap with Barossa Council to make way for the project, before lodging designs for development approval.
It would feature a hotel with 100-120 rooms over up to three storeys, and a cultural educational centre with another 40-45 rooms, teaching visitors about winemaking, local cuisine and the area’s history.
“It could be a world destination,” Mr Geber said.
“The Barossa is really crying out for something like this.”
Under the plans, the council and Chateau Tanunda will swap two undeveloped pieces of land.
The land coming from the council, adjacent the chateau property, will be used for the development, while the council will use its new piece of land, next to a railway line, to build a centre for arts, theatre, music and history programs.
Mr Geber expects the project would create about 100 jobs during construction, and ongoing work for another 100 people once the development is complete.
If approved, work could start within 18 months.
The centre would target the lucrative Chinese market, but would also attract locals; a partnership with the University of Adelaide offering week-long courses including activities such as lectures in winemaking and local history, wine-tasting and viticultural work in the field.
Meanwhile, Mr Geber has lashed out at the State Government, saying it is standing in the way of another project he hoped to get off the ground – bringing a tourist train back to the region to service the Barossa.
He owns the three-carriage former Barossa Wine Train, a Bluebird, currently housed in the National Railway Museum, and is keen to use it to carry passengers around the region on a defunct railway line, resurrecting a service that finished in 2003.
He said the train could do for the Barossa what the d’Arenberg Cube has done to boost tourism in McLaren Vale.
“I suspect this could be a really good answer to the Cube,” he said.
Mr Geber said he had met with Transport Minister Stephan Knoll about the idea and did not believe much work was needed to reopen the line.
“It’s the biggest waste of an asset I’ve ever seen in my life,” he said.
Barossa Mayor Bim Lange said the region needed a five-star hotel to capitalise on its reputation as a premier wine region.
“It’s imperative that if we talk about brand Barossa, we need to have that next level of accommodation available,” he said.
The council is keen to see the rail corridor retained for public transport, which he said might include autonomous buses servicing the area between Tanunda and Nuriootpa.
It could coexist with Chateau Tanunda’s tourist train plan, Mr Lange said.
MORE NEWS
$12 million cultural hub flagged for popular SA tourist region
Seppeltsfield Barossa winery leads Australia in anti-counterfeit technology
However, Mr Knoll said the Government had completed an expression of interest process for projects to revive the rail corridor, concluding last month that none of the proposals warranted further development.
“There was no proposal that was feasible without a prohibitive amount of taxpayers’ dollars being required,” Mr Knoll said.
“There is nothing stopping Mr Geber pursuing a commercial venture similar to the Steam Ranger service on the Fleurieu Peninsula.”