‘We feel violated’: South Australia’s Big Rocking Horse in the Adelaide Hills targeted by shoplifters

The owners of a beloved South Australian small business have been left feeling “violated” after a group of thieves brazenly stole from their souvenir shop.

The owners of a beloved South Australian small business have been left feeling “violated” after a group of thieves brazenly stole from their souvenir shop on Friday.

The owners of The Big Rocking Horse – the iconic children’s attraction nestled in the Adelaide Hills – have taken to social media, pleading with thieves to return the stolen goods, which included sanitary products, skincare, candles and jams worth about $200, to their shop.

Co-owner Mell Penno told The Advertiser the theft occurred on Friday afternoon, when a group of four people came into the store, without stopping to visit the parklands.

Aerial photos of the Big Rocking Horse in Gumeracha. Picture Simon Cross

“I’d say there was four of them, they were in their 20s,” Ms Penno said.

“My husband witnessed it all go down; he was watching them and he saw one of them had picked something up and walked around the shop with it until they realised they were being watched and put it back down again.

“But then my husband sort of stood aside and while watching them, he realised that one of them was putting things up their sleeves, and another was putting things into his bag.”

Ms Penno said her husband didn’t confront the thieves because they were in a group while he was by himself – which meant he watched it all happen before letting them walk out without paying.

Moreover, they didn’t call the police because they believed patrols wouldn’t arrive in time.

Mell Penno bought the Big Rocking Horse in 2023 and wants to restore it to its former glory. 4 July 2023. Picture Dean Martin

Ms Penno said while $200 worth of stock didn’t sound like much, it was very damaging to the business budget.

“Things like this have a huge impact and cause a chain reaction,” she said.

“Because not only do we lose profit but so do the small businesses we buy from because I won’t want to buy things that are expensive and small and easy to steal.

“And I can’t just constantly hike up the retail prices because no one will want to buy anything that expensive.”

Ms Penno said the theft had “really hurt” their team that worked “seven days a week, up to 15 hours a day, rain, hail, or shine”.

“We feel violated because we honestly have the cheapest family day out experience in South Australia,” she said.

“It really breaks our hearts when people who just don’t have a conscience just come in here and take our belongings.”

After the theft, Ms Penno said they would be redistributing their tight budget towards getting CCTV to more effectively help police if it was to happen again.

However, it will be a “huge budgeting cost” because they’ll have to set up multiple cameras, with a reliable internet to be able to store the footage.

Originally published as ‘We feel violated’: South Australia’s Big Rocking Horse in the Adelaide Hills targeted by shoplifters