Monday morning – entering week nine of lockdown – and Emma Welling, director of sales and marketing at The Louise in South Australia's Barossa Valley, is busy helping prune the garden, shine the silver, and polish the grapes in readiness for reopening on July 31.
"We've definitely not wasted this time," she assures those familiar with the 15-suite property, which has been shut since late March. "Thanks to JobKeeper, we've been able to keep all 45 full- and part-time staff on the books – and now everyone is just focused on reopening."
Fiona CarruthersTravel editorFiona Carruthers has written and edited travel for the Financial Review for almost a decade. She has held senior roles with ABC Radio National, Deutsche Welle Radio, TIME and The Australian, and was deputy editor of Traveller. Email Fiona at fcarruthers@afr.com
Nina KarnikowskiTravel writerNina Karnikowski is a travel writer focused on sustainability, and the author of two books including Go Lightly: How to Travel Without Hurting the Planet. Connect with Nina on Twitter.
