Whispering Wall tragedy stuns Barossa community

The close-knit Barossa community has been left stunned by the deaths of a man and a nine-month-old girl at the Whispering Wall.

Members of the close-knit Barossa community are in shock over the deaths of a man and a baby girl who fell from the Whispering Wall last night.

The popular Williamstown attraction remains closed today as police investigate the deaths nine-month-old Kobi Shepherdson, who was attached to her father, Henry, 38, in a baby carrier when members of the public saw him jump.

Barossa Mayor Bim Lange said the incident was “shattering”.

“It’s very numbing, and I’m sure the community will be shaken,” he said.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family.

“It’s been a very popular tourist destination ... for international, interstate and even local visitors to our region.

“It’s the last thing you’d expect to have to witness ... so to those people who were there, our thoughts are with them and also the various agencies who responded to the incident.”

Barossa Mayor Bim Lange speaks about the Whispering Wall tragedy. Picture: Jason Katsaras.

At a cafe on Williamstown’s main street, community members spoke about the tragedy.

Local Allie O’Toole said it had hit everyone hard.

“Any time something like this happens it bloody rocks our community, it’s just so terrible,” Ms O’Toole said.

“I used to take my kids there pretty often, it’s a terribly long drop.”

Rodney Carnell, who has lived in the Williamstown area since 1980, said he’d never heard of a similar tragedy.

“It’ll be terribly devastating on the community here,” he said.

Mr Carnell said he expected the Wall – to which he has taken his grandkids – to be closed for a while.

“It may need better enclosure over the top and a higher fence.”

Williamstown local Rodney Carnell talks about the tragic deaths at the Whispering Wall. Picture: Jason Katsaras

Police at the gate of the Whispering Wall in the Barossa on Thursday morning. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Kelly Barnes

Lorraine March called it an “absolute tragedy”.

“I think people will be terribly sad and disheartened that this has happened in this little township.”

Another local man said he felt worried about those who witnessed the fall.

“To think that there was people there that saw it … that would have just been terrible to see,” he said.

The Whispering Wall, near Williamstown, in the Barossa Valley.

The shockwaves of the tragedy were echoed by a cafe worker, who said that she had been to the wall on multiple occasions.

“I always used to look over and think, you wouldn’t want to go over that.”

Local MP Stephan Knoll, the member for Schubert, said it was heartbreaking, especially on the back of bushfires and a spate of road accidents that recently rocked the area.

“It is just heartbreaking … it does hit everybody hard … and we all do need to band together. But that’s the beauty of a community like the Barossa. Whenever these things happen … we do what we can to look after each other,” he told ABC Radio Adelaide.

The Whispering Wall is just outside Williamstown at Barossa Reservoir and is the retaining wall of the reservoir.

Built more than a century ago, it is a popular tourist destination because of its ability to carry sound from one end to the other, over more than 100m.

Originally published as Whispering Wall tragedy stuns Barossa community