South Australia’s Beresford Estate buys Laverton North site in surprise $21m deal
A top South Australian wine group has made an unexpected play in Melbourne’s booming industrial heartland — and it’s not for grapes.
A surprise $21m land grab in Melbourne’s west has revealed an unexpected buyer — a South Australian wine and hospitality empire known for fine dining, craft beer and sweeping vineyard views.
Beresford Estates Pty Ltd, the business behind McLaren Vale’s acclaimed Vale Restaurant & Bar, Beresford Tasting Pavilion and Vale Taphouse, has quietly purchased a 2.25ha industrial block at 4–6 Cambridge St, Laverton North, according to industry sources.
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Colliers Melbourne brokered the deal but declined to confirm the purchaser’s identity.
The site included approved plans for a 10,423sq m office-warehouse development and is within one of Melbourne’s most tightly-held industrial corridors — just 15km west of the Melbourne CBD.
Regional and rural property group Nutrien originally acquired the site two years ago and had planned to build a new warehouse, but later outgrew the design and opted to lease a larger facility nearby.
The land was then declared surplus and offered to market.
Colliers associate director Stephen Ryan said the site drew strong interest from both developers and owner-occupiers.
“A construction industry occupier won out with a shorter settlement timeline,” Mr Ryan said.
Construction on the Laverton North site is expected to begin within the next 12 to 24 months, with the new owners understood to be refining the existing plans to suit its operational needs.
The acquisition has raised eyebrows across both the property and hospitality sectors, as the high-profile wine group makes its first known move into Melbourne’s industrial market.
It’s not yet clear whether the business intends to develop the site for its own logistics or warehousing purposes or pursue another strategy.
Founded in 1985, Beresford Estates operates a 28ha+ working vineyard in McLaren Vale, South Australia, and has become one of the region’s best-known food and wine destinations.
The Vale Restaurant & Bar, perched above the vines in Blewitt Springs, serves a regional produce-driven menu in a striking, architecturally designed space.
The company also owns the Vale Taphouse, a popular craft beer venue and event space, and its Beresford Wines label was named Best Australian Producer at the Frankfurt International Trophy in 2023.
Melbourne’s western suburbs industrial market remains the largest and fastest-growing in the country.
Despite a leasing slowdown in 2023, demand for well-located, development-ready land remains fierce — particularly sites with rare zoning advantages.
Land values in Laverton North are holding strong between $800 and $1000 per square metre, with major transport and logistics players fuelling ongoing growth.
Colliers associate director Charlie Woodley said this type of industrial land is extremely hard to come by,”
“For businesses that require that (industrial land 2) zoning, there’s just not much of it left — especially this close to the city,” Mr Woodley said.
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Originally published as South Australia’s Beresford Estate buys Laverton North site in surprise $21m deal
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