Application lodged for 150-room, five star hotel, restaurant, bar and day spa for the Barossa Valley

A development application has been lodged for a sweeping new 150-room, five star hotel, restaurant, bar and day spa for the Barossa Valley.

A development application has been lodged for a sweeping new 150-room, five star hotel, restaurant, bar and day spa for the Barossa Valley.

Proposed by South Australian property investment firm Strategic Alliance, the Tweedies Gully Winery and Tourist Accommodation Project will sit on Hoffnungsthal Rd, approximately halfway between Williamstown and Lyndoch.

A Strategic Alliance spokesperson said the project was strategically located near other popular facilities — including the Lyndoch Lavender Farm, Barossa Helicopters and Barossa Rodeo — and presented an exciting tourism opportunity for the southern area of the wine region.

The hotel will comprise a 150-room international brand five star hotel, with the operator to be announced in due course, and include a restaurant, bar, conference facilities and day spa which would be available to both the public and hotel guests.

Development approval has been lodged for a new five-star hotel and event space in the Barossa Valley. Picture: Ekistics

A well-established Barossa winery has also committed to relocate and expand their operations to the site, including wine production, cellar door, restaurant and functions — but developers remain tight-lipped on which winemaker is eyeing the move.

The 21.5 hectare site will be used primarily as a fully operational vineyard with an upgrade of existing vines, and the building will be “low profile and linear in form to sit modestly in the landscape ”.

Strategic Alliance said the development would seek to blend in and complement the natural environment, with the proposed buildings unlikely to be visible from Lyndoch Valley Rd.

The Sunday Mail understands the project could cost as much as $100m.

Planning Minister Nick Champion with Premier Peter Malinauskas. Picture: Matt Loxton

Planning Minister Nick Champion said the project would now be subject to an impact assessed development pathway — the state’s most rigorous and stringent development assessment.

The impact assessed development pathway will include a significant public consultation process, as well as a thorough Environmental Impact Statement examination to investigate potential bushfire hazard risk, traffic impacts, infrastructure requirements, urban design and water management.

The assessment process will be overseen by the by the independent State Planning Commission.

Mr Champion said the proposed development was significant to the Barossa Valley and the state’s tourism sector, but involved a range of environmental, social, and economic impacts that require careful and detailed assessment.

A Strategic Alliance spokesperson said developers were keen to work closely and build trust with local residents, business operators and key Barossa stakeholders.

“We want to ensure the project embodies the region and adopts a sensitive design which complements, rather than competes with, its surrounds and is respectful of the unique character of the Barossa landscape,” they said.

The proposal is the latest in a swath of new developments for the wine region, with some operators fearing the Barossa is falling behind its counterparts when it comes to tourism. 

In June, controversial Luxury hotel “The Oscar” at Seppeltsfield Winery – consisting of 71 rooms and a fine dining restaurant, lounge area, rooftop pool and terrace bar – was awarded a $3.5m government loan.