Aldinga winery Big Easy Radio bans children over ‘ongoing safety issues’

An Aldinga winery has copped backlash for banning kids from its venue, but the owner says “enough is enough” when it comes to unsupervised children. Do you support the move? Take our poll.

Matt Head from Big Easy Radio in Aldinga Beach. Picture: Matt Loxton

An Aldinga winery has closed its doors to children, saying ongoing safety issues have made it untenable to cater to families.

Big Easy Radio winemaker Matt Head, a father of three, said kids had been found wandering into neighbouring properties, vineyards and even barbed wire fences.

This week, in a decision “two years in the making”, he announced on Thursday Big Easy Radio would become a venue for those aged 18 and over.

It isn’t the first venue in the area to go child-free – Inkwell Wines’ nearby luxury accommodation, Hotel California Road, also has an adults-only policy.

“It’s a minority that’s spoiled it. The majority do the right thing but unfortunately there have been too many incidents,” Mr Head said.

“Some parents are enjoying themselves a little too much and they think because it’s a lovely, relaxed atmosphere that kids can look after themselves.”

The winery and live music venue opened to the public in 2019, after Mr Head and his partner, Dr Bianca Price, converted the former farm site into a cellar door.

With a focus on supporting the local arts scene, Big Easy Radio was one of the few live music venues operating on the Fleurieu throughout the pandemic.

But Mr Head said a number of incidents involving unsupervised children had taken their toll and left staff “exhausted”.

“We put signs up saying, ‘please keep your children supervised’, but they just don’t,” he said.

“We don’t have the staff to manage it. One of our staff members is constantly on patrol managing other people’s children – we’ve barely got enough staff as it is.”

While the 18+ announcement received some backlash on social media, Mr Head stressed that it was not of “hating kids”, but an issue of safety.

“We don’t hate kids. We have kids, we like kids, we don’t have a problem with kids. What we have a problem with is unsupervised children on a rural property, which is essentially what we are,” he said.

“We’ve had kids getting caught in barbed wire fences and I’m the one who’s had to do first aid on them because they’ve wandered off without their parents watching them.

“As a parent, I can’t help but worry.”

Matt Head from Big Easy Radio in Aldinga Beach, where the venue is now kid-free. Picture: Matt Loxton

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For those with kids in tow, Mr Head said there were still plenty of wineries nearby offering family-friendly experiences.

But he said he hoped his customers would be understanding of the decision – and even take the opportunity to enjoy some kid-free time at the laid-back venue.

“Not everyone’s a parent. I have kids, I love going out without them – you might get to reconnect with your partner,” he said.