McLaren Vale set to boom with $100m luxury developments planned
McLaren Vale is a town on the rise with more than $100 million worth of luxury accommodation planned and millions of additional tourists visiting each year. Check out our map of these exciting new ventures.
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With more than $100 million of luxury accommodation planned and thousands of extra tourists pouring in, McLaren Vale is set to boom.
The charming small town, about 40km south of Adelaide, is a star on the rise.
It is home to some of the state’s best wineries, including d’Arenberg – famed for its $15 million d’Arenberg Cube – as well as popular events including the Tour Down Under and the McLaren Vale Vintage and Classic car show.
As one of Adelaide’s premier wine destinations, tourism to the region is skyrocketing.
Figures released by Tourism Research Australia show the number of day-trippers to McLaren Vale has more than doubled since 2015 – from 130,000 to 351,000.
According to the South Australian Tourism Commission, the value of tourism expenditure in the Fleurieu Peninsula during 2018-19 equated to $476 million. It is expected to reach $509 million this year.
However, for most of these visitors, a return to the city is the only option at the end of the day.
Only 3 per cent of international tourists to the region stay for the night.
Wirra Wirra winery managing director Andrew Kay said a lack of high-quality accommodation options in McLaren Vale deterred international tourists from staying overnight in the town.
“While the tourism expenditure generated in the Fleurieu Peninsula far outweighs the other wine regions closest to Adelaide – the Barossa Valley and the Adelaide Hills – they both attract more international overnight visitors,” Mr Kay said.
“We hear regularly from inbound tourism operators that the lack of premium accommodation in our region is a barrier to international visitation.”
Mr Kay plans to change this and, in partnership with Australian developer Greaton, Wirra Wirra intends to build a luxury hotel among its vineyards on Strout Rd.
The $30 million plans, which include nine new buildings, were approved by Onkaparinga Council earlier this month.
Construction of the luxury resort is expected to begin in November and it is scheduled to open its doors to guests by 2022.
Another three hotels, including a $60 million one by Leconfield Wines, are planned for McLaren Vale.
Leconfield’s 150-room hotel on McMurtrie Rd – around the corner from its winery on Main Rd – will include two restaurants, a day-spa, a gym and a pool.
It will also feature a cellar door, a cafe, shops, a conference area and a two-level carpark.
Last week, a proposal for a five-star motel on Seaview Rd was also lodged with the council. There is also a plan for a hotel in the heart of the town, directly behind the McLaren Vale Central Shopping Centre, in the carpark.
These long-awaited developments are a dream come true for the McLaren Vale Business and Tourism Association, which has wanted to see more accommodation in the town for years.
Association chairman Sandy Mount said tourists being able to stay overnight in the town was the key to boosting local business.
“The one thing we need more than anything is high-quality accessible accommodation,” Mr Mount said. “This will attract medium to long-term visitors, who will stay in our area and spend money.
“We are very excited about the projects planned for our immediate area over the next few years.
“We are very accessible for tourism and have many beautiful spots to visit, including wineries, restaurants and the beaches.
“I see us as a true destination of the future compared with the more established wine area of the Barossa, because we offer a wider range of activities and interests.”
In addition to the hotel developments, Onkaparinga Mayor Erin Thompson said the region was experiencing a “new wave” of innovative tourism developments based around food and drink.
“New cellar doors, breweries, distilleries and eateries are opening up all the time,” Ms Thompson said.
“New developments like this are elevating our tourism profile and inspiring future tourism opportunities.
“When you combine that with new accommodation options, like the recently approved accommodation dev-elopments for Wirra Wirra and Leconfield on McMurtrie Rd, it positions us well to grow our tourism economy and attract new visitors. Visitor-spend in the City of Onkaparinga contributes over $200 million per year to our local economy, however, we have an opportunity to significantly grow this.”
One example of the exciting new attractions in McLaren Vale is the Chalk Hill Collective, which opened on Field St earlier this month.
Sixth-generation winemaker Tom Harvey, from Chalk Hill Wines, has joined with Alpha Circus Wines, Never Never Distilling and Pizzateca’s new venture, Vera Pizza Oztalia (VPO), to form the collective at his hillside vineyard.
Mr Harvey, whose family has lived in McLaren Vale for more than 50 years, said the region was “booming”.
“It’s really exciting to see the amount of people coming through and hear all the different accents,” Mr Harvey said.
“The number of tourists is rising, we are seeing so many repeat visitors because people realise there is more here than cellar doors – there is new breweries and distilleries.
“The hotels will be a bonus for the region.”
He said more people should make the short trip from the city and see what McLaren Vale has to offer.
“The opportunity is there on a weekend to jump in the car and be in McLaren Vale in 45 minutes, and there is so much to do,” he said. “McLaren Vale can’t really be done in a day; it’s a multi-day destination and a gateway to the Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island.”
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