news
September 10
A toast to country women at Nuriootpa
words & photos Clem Stanley
South Australia is known for its vast landscapes and sparse countryside, with some families in remote parts of the country having to travel many kilometres before they encounter another human being.
While this forms part of what makes our state special, it also means that opportunities for connection with others can be few and far between (literally).
This was something that a group of women at Murray Bridge identified, and in 1996, hosted the inaugural South Australian Rural Women’s Gathering, bringing together regional women from across the state for a weekend of friendship, learning and fun.
Safe to say, it was a roaring success, and the Gathering has been held almost every year since. In 2025, it will arrive in the Barossa Valley for the second time.
The female population of Nuriootpa is expected to spike come the third weekend of October, as the township welcomes some 250 guests at the 39th South Australian Rural Women’s Gathering.
Each gathering is organised by an independent local committee – for Nuriootpa, this comes in the form of a subcommittee of the Nuriootpa Futures Association (NFA).
Secretary/Treasurer, Paula Brown, shared that the first inkling the town might host the event appeared after another NFA member attended the Clare gathering in 2023, and thought Nuriootpa would make a perfect venue.
An application was then submitted and a delegation of local women headed to the 2024 Robe Gathering on the Limestone coast to learn the outcome.
Her first time attending the event, Paula said she had a fabulous time and was thinking of how the activities could be translated to Nuriootpa, even before the official announcement was made.
Naturally, the crowd at Robe went wild upon hearing the announcement that the 2025 Gathering would be held at Nuriootpa.
“So that’s why I came back and I went ‘we’ll get Damien at Bean Addiction, we’ll get Barossa Valley Ice Cream involved,’ you’ve got all of those things that we really want to showcase,” Paula said, adding that she had Small Victories Wine Co and Linke’s Bakehouse & Pantry also come to mind.
Paula explained the Gathering’s ‘Hub’ will be based at the Coulthard Community Garden on Murray Street, where the women will be welcomed with an opening on the Friday night.
“We’ve got food, we’ve got music, we’ve got primary producers, we’ve got especially, ladies who are out there kicking goals and making lots of amazing products, so that’s what we wanted to do.”
- Paula brown
Saturday will see a number of workshops, speakers and classes; from knitting a square with the Valley Stitchers at the Nuri RSL Hall, to wine and coffee tasting, pot-plant painting with The Plaster Studio and line dancing, to choir singing and cooking classes (just to name a few). The day will be finished off with the Blush of Pink Gala Dinner at the Vine Inn Barossa Community Hotel.
The Gathering concludes on Sunday, with a breakfast provided by local service clubs at the Barossa Bushgardens, and a session from Those Barossa Girls about their work on the “Rolling Up Their Sleeves” book.
Designed to uplift, connect and provide opportunity for both personal development and fun – Paula and the team have more than covered the bases.
While the program is stacked with the names of inspiring local speakers, workshops, and plenty of opportunities to get to know other attendees, it will come as no surprise to Nuriootpa locals the volume of things to see and do in the town.
“Nuri’s got hidden treasures that people bypass, I am really passionate about Nuri, and I think there is a lot that we have to offer…” Paula said. “…and so that’s why we thought it would be good to say, ‘hang on, this is what we’ve got’, so that’s why we really wanted to bring it to Nuri…”
Paula explained that while she expects a lot of the women will expect great wine, which of course they will receive, she hopes she will also be able to share Nuriootpa’s multitude of offerings. Particularly those by local women.
“We are in the heart of town, but there’s also more than wineries in the Barossa…I mean we love the wineries, but we wanted to show that there is more,” Paula said.
“We’ve got food, we’ve got music, we’ve got primary producers, we’ve got especially, ladies who are out there kicking goals and making lots of amazing products, so that’s what we wanted to do.”
Adding to what is already a banner 175th year for the town of Nuriootpa, the Rural Women’s gathering is sure to be a vibrant celebration of regional women.
