The two regions studied in this project both have an emerging wine tourism industry, but differ considerably, however, in geographic location and maturity of their tourism industry. The Sunshine Coast region is a mature tourist destination with Noosa, the largest tourist destination in this region, experiencing visitor numbers of 1.7 million in 2002 and a resident population on 44,000 (EMDA, 2003). Noosa has long been recognized as a lifestyle destination, with more restaurants per head of population than anywhere else in Australia and 194 accommodation operators and 711 food outlets.
Furthermore, the beaches and local hinterland provide a rich tourism draw card for natural tourism. In contrast, the South Burnett region is an emerging tourist destination with a resident population of 35,836 and approximately 47,917 visitors in 2002 (South Burnett Local Government Association, 2003). The tourism infrastructure within South Burnett region is somewhat less developed, with 76 accommodation operators and 49 food outlets.
Sunshine Coast region
The Sunshine Coast, although well developed as a tourism destination, has a newly emerging wine tourism industry. At its most southerly point this region is approximately 90 km from Brisbane, the capital city of Queensland. The wine industry on the Sunshine Coast accounts for approximately 20 ha of wine grape plantings in Queensland, with 12 vineyards, most of which have cellar door facilities or are in the process of building a cellar door facility. The wineries of the Sunshine Coast operate first and foremost as tourism enterprises. All the wineries on the Sunshine Coast are small boutique operators, the largest being only 11 ha in area and the majority being less than 5 ha, relying primarily on cellar door sales to distribute their wine.
However, with small production yields, continuous year-round supply can be problematic for some wineries due to low production. Many of the wineries on the Sunshine Coast are newcomers to the wine industry, often owned by people that have moved to the Sunshine Coast for a lifestyle change. Table 6.1 provides an overview of the existing wineries located in this region.
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The Sunshine Coast Wineries Association was identified as being an influential group in the development of this region’s wine tourism industry.
The Sunshine Coast also has an increasing number of local food producers, which complement the wineries. Some have incorporated tourism into their business, in some cases to increase the sustainability of their business. The combination of food outlets together with the wineries is a productive step in creating a wine and food trail experience for tourists in the Sunshine Coast region. This is supported by a brochure Noosa Food Trail, produced by Tourism Noosa.
The Sunshine Coast Wine region, while in close proximity to Brisbane, is spread over a relatively large distance with the most southerly winery being 83 km from the most northerly winery, and distances between wineries ranging from 12 to 70 km. Wine trail maps for this region, such as that shown in Fig. 6.2, can often be misleading when estimating distance between wineries.
South Burnett region
The South Burnett region is the second largest wine growing region in Queensland, accounting for 400 ha of wine grape plantings with 26 vineyards in the area, ranging in size from experimental plots of 0.4 ha to large commercial vineyards. Clovely Estate, situated in the South Burnett region, is the largest vineyard in Queensland, with more than 222 ha under vine producing 1298 t of wine grapes (Queensland Department of State Development, 2004; Stuart Range Estate Wines, 2005).
The South Burnett Region is situated 2.5 hours’ drive north-west of Brisbane and was established as Australia’s newest winemaking region in 1994. Again, the wineries in this region are spread across a wide region, with 60 km between the most southerly and most northerly wineries; however, Table 6.1. Sunshine Coast wineries (from Queensland Department of State
Development 2004).
Winery Established Location
Delaney’s Creek Winery and Vineyard 1997 Caboolture Shire
Maleny Mountain Wines 2000 Maleny
Settlers Rise Winery 1999 Montville
Flaxton Gardens Wine Cellar and Vineyard 2000 Flaxton
7 Acres 1985 Forest Glen
Eumundi Winery and Vineyard 1996 Eumundi
Maroochy Springs Winery 2003 Eerwah Vale
Kenilworth Bluff Wines 1993 Kenilworth
Dingo Creek Vineyard 1997 Traveston
Glastonbury Estate 2000 Gympie
Glengariff Historic Estate Vineyards 1996 Dayboro
Noosa Valley Winery 2000 Noosa Shire
unlike the Sunshine Coast regions there is some clustering of wineries, as depicted in Fig. 6.3. Once again, however, this wine trail map does not provide a true indication of the distances between key wineries in this region;
for example the distance between Stuart Range Estate and Clovely Estate is approximately 58 km.
Vineyards were established in the South Burnett region in response to the recognition that there was a need for diversification within the agriculture
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Fig. 6.2. Sunshine Coast wine trail map. Courtesy of Tourism Queensland.
industry. As a result, the South Burnett region potentially has ‘a lot of dairy farmers that are trying to be cellar doors’ (D. Postle, South Burnett, 2004, personal communication). Table 6.2 provides an overview of the South Burnett wineries.
Fig. 6.3. South Burnett wine trail map. Courtesy of Tourism Queensland.
The South Burnett Wine Industry Association aims to promote the area as a quality gourmet wine and food region and is very active in promoting the region’s wine growing status to locals and tourists. As part of the South Burnett’s tourism development strategy new customer markets are being sought utilizing existing tourism product, such as golf courses, wineries, antiques, heritage and boutique accommodation.
The development of the region’s produce is paramount, and a common theme to emerge in this regard was the need for education programmes to assist local producers not only to develop their product to high-quality standards but also to work as educated operators ‘so that when you go to a cellar door you get an experience, you don’t just get a wine tasting’ (D. Postle, South Burnett, 2004, personal communication).
What barriers exist?
The two regions face a number of barriers to the development of successful wine and food tourism industries. First, the geographical dispersion of the wineries is noteworthy, with distances between outlets being quite large in some cases. There is a need to promote the wine and food attractions within a small geographical area clustered with related attractions such as galleries, historic buildings, markets and natural attractions.
Lesson 1: find ways to link tourism wineries (and other offerings) together within small geographical areas. Take the opportunity to present these to consumers in a clearly mapped-out way.
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Table 6.2. South Burnett wineries (from Queensland Government Tourism, 2005d).
Winery Established Location Size Style Cellar Door
Barambah Ridge Winery 1995 Redgate 500 t Large Yes
commercial
Bridgeman Downs Cellars 1996 Moffatdale Yes
Captains Paddock Vineyard 1995 Kingaroy 4 ha Boutique Yes
Clovely Estate 1997 Murgon 1298 t Large Yes
220 ha commercial
Copper Country 1997 Nanango 1 ha Boutique Yes
Crane Winery 1993 Booie 4 ha Boutique Yes
Kingaroy Ridge Winery 2003 Booie Limited Boutique
quantities
Stuart Range Estates 1997 Kingaroy 400 t Large Yes
complex
Ziebarth Fine Wines 1998 Goodger Yes
Dusty Hill Vineyard 1996 Moffatdale 7 ha Boutique Yes
Kingsley Grove 1998: first Kingaroy 8.7 ha Boutique Yes
release 2003
Moffatdale Ridge 1995 Moffatdale 105 ha Yes
Roderick’s Fine Wine 2004 Redgate 18 ha Boutique Yes
Tipperary Estate Vineyard 2004 Moffatdale Boutique Yes
Secondly, many of the operators, though exhibiting enthusiasm, lack formal training, as identified by one Sunshine Coast interviewee: ‘I guess that’s an impediment … the lack of formal training of our members.’ A similar problem identified in the South Burnett region is the need for education for winery operators: ‘This is an education process that we are trying to get over, for them to realize that they are in the tourism industry and therefore they should be open.’ In order to develop the region there is a level of professionalism required that moves beyond the ‘hobby’ feel to serious business.
Lesson 2: the provision of training to those entering the industry in fundamental business, including marketing principles, is vital.
A third problem identified through this study was associated with emerging tourism regions such as the South Burnett, where the process of collaboration has not yet been achieved among industry stakeholders. One stakeholder commented: ‘The lack of cooperation, competitiveness within the region is very fierce …’ Another stated that they felt there was a ‘lack of product, lack of awareness, lack of people heading in the right direction’. For any region attempting to establish and develop a tourism product like wine and food, there is a need for the business owners to work collaboratively.
Further to this problem, both regions are spread across several shires, making collaboration and coordination a challenge and a necessity to successful planning and development. As one interviewee on the Sunshine Coast stated when discussing what makes for strong regional development:
‘[it’s] the sense of community and without that you can go nowhere.’ On the other hand, the South Burnett is in its infancy as a tourism area and overcoming competitive tendencies and allowing the development of collaborative partnerships between sectors of the tourism industry is a key challenge. Recognition that the tourist is looking for a destination with enough products to make it a worthwhile experience is still required.
Lesson 3: there is probably more to be gained through the collaboration of tourism entities within the region and between other regions close by.
A fourth issue has to do with the size of the wineries. For the Sunshine Coast region this was seen as an impediment to development; as one stakeholder stated: ‘We don’t grow enough grapes. One of our members has been out of all wine for about a month.’ A further problem related to size is the effect that the Wine Equalization Tax (WET) (a value-based tax applied to wine consumed in Australia) has on these small operators as economies of scale are not there to help them absorb this tax – instead, they have a high price on their wine: ‘Our wine is expensive. If you go to the Hunter Valley you can buy a $7–8 bottle of wine; well, you would have to double that up here.’
Lesson 4: emerging regions may face a challenge with small operators and there may be a need in the early days to give consideration to how to manage the supply of product throughout the year.
A fifth issue that is a barrier to development is that of commitment to the tourism industry. For example, as tourism is in its infancy in the South Burnett region, not all operators consider they are part of the tourism industry. Many
have an agricultural background or operate at a retail level while others recognize that tourism needs to be developed in the region; however, the bottom line (making a profit) is the more important issue. The differing commitment among wine industry operators is a further barrier to collaborative planning between the wine industry and tourism stakeholders:
I guess I look at this site – that we’ve got not only the opportunity to grow that tourism side of things, but if we can make the wine commercially very successful and develop some export and wholesale business and get some of our food ingredient business working really strongly, it will actually provide some cash income to continue that tourism development to get the region well known. So it’s an interesting balance of finding what’s commercially workable but still helping tourism. Tourism can make you a lot of money but because we’re an emerging region you can’t rely on it 100 per cent, so you have to augment that with other aspects of the business.
The Sunshine Coast, on the other hand, has a solid tourism base and new and existing winery operators have set up their business to cater for tourism.
The wineries on the Sunshine Coast operate as tourism entities, relying on cellar door sales for revenue, and as such are actively promoting themselves to tourists.
Lesson 5: wine growers need to decide whether they are in or out of the tourism industry. Half-hearted approaches can damage more that just one enterprise.
Related to the last barrier is the flow to tourism promotion. As Hall and his colleagues have noted (2000), winemakers often know a lot about the production of wine but less about tourism. Similarly, some of the operators in the South Burnett do not appear to be fully committed to operating as tourism operators and, as a result, much of the promotional material doesn’t have all the necessary information, for example whether there is food available, opening times, what product is on offer, etc. This is an important issue given the wide geographic dispersion of these wineries – people need this sort of information to plan their itinerary.
Both regions are largely self-drive markets yet the road signage is still lacking. Both regions have developed maps of wine and food trails, yet these could be further developed with additional content and better information on distances between venues. Decisions based on poor information can be costly if the tourist has to travel 35 or 40 km between venues. The region needs to give further thought to what the tourism product comprises and how to best communicate that accurately to potential tourists.
The people operating the wineries in the South Burnett region are from an agricultural background and are very authentic, although lacking tourism experience. One stakeholder in the South Burnett commented on the cellar door operator’s attitude ‘to know that you just can’t go out into the cow yard and come in and sell wines in no shoes and a really ratty t-shirt, that’s just not a good image’. Similarly, several interviewees commented on the need to have consistent opening hours and actually to be open when advertised.
Planning seems to present a challenge for many newly organized network groups, as one Sunshine Coast interviewee noted: ‘The way that most
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collectives of people operate is “oh, did you hear about this … next week lets see if we can do something about it”. Always too late, always chasing your tail, people are panicking and they spend a lot of the time running around in circles and that’s not professional.’
Lesson 6: make sure information that is used to promote a region is accurate and kept current, especially where the product is geographically dispersed.
A key to success usually lies with the people of the region. We identified individuals with a passion for a particular vision for the region who are the driving force in the development of a regional identity and are encouraging collaboration and commitment from industry members. However, this can be a barrier when operators are motivated by self-interest, as one stakeholder identified: ‘Again it comes back to the fact that everyone gets busy and it all starts to fall down if someone isn’t keeping it alive and going.’ Nevertheless, in many of the interviews we conducted we found evidence of an entrepreneurial and pioneering attitude. For example, one of the stakeholders interviewed, although often employed on a voluntary basis, outlined her vision for the region’s organic food producers and plans to bring together the organic producers with restaurateurs to help grow the organic produce of the region, expressing great passion for this project.
Lesson 7: harnessing the energy of all concerned is important to overcome the factional barrier.
For both regions the continuing challenge is to develop the authenticity of the region and deliver this to potential tourists in a consistent and reliable manner. If tourists are going to visit a destination for a wine and food experience there needs to be enough products available to satisfy the desire for a range of unique and interesting experiences. For example, the South Burnett region is rich in history and a number of farm stays feature the original farm house and outhouses, serving breakfast in the original kitchen, telling stories of the history of the farm and the original owners of the property, thereby providing an authentic and unique experience to the tourist. The cultural heritage of this region could be further integrated into the tourist experience and, ideally, restaurants and food outlets needed in the region could also draw on the cultural heritage of the region and utilize the region’s product rather than provide an experience that has no link to the region itself.
Lesson 8: every region needs its own authentic identity with product to complement that identity.
Implications for Wine Tourism
This chapter presents the work of two case studies that sought to investigate the level of development in the emerging wine tourism industry within Queensland. Several notable implications for the development of regional wine tourism to emerge from this study include first, that attention to product development is required and the positioning of the various regions as wine tourism destinations is still challenging. Our interviews revealed a high degree
of commitment by many community or business personnel, but it was not without a sense of competition.
Second, this investigation highlighted the important role of clusters and networks in building the tourism product. This seems particularly vital at the early lifecycle stage of these regions. Third, further consideration of linking wine and food tourism to other tourism product may be required in order to target different market segments and provide diversity. As an example, heritage tourism or wildlife tourism could be incorporated into promotional materials. Finally, improved promotional information – especially information about opening times and what is available at the wine venue – is vital to existing visitors to the region as well as to attracting new markets. Attention to signage and concise tourist maps are also required.
This study has identified the importance of regional champions and leaders to the development and branding of the food and wine product of that region and the presence of such seems essential to the successful development of food and wine tourism. As south-east Queensland continues to grow at a rapid rate the opportunity to attract more day-trippers and tourists to regional locations exists. However, most of this growing population has extensive tourist experience and, consequently, high expectations about the tourism experience and the level of service. In summary, the case studies identified a number of barriers that lead to some possible lessons in developing emerging regions.
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