Come along, take a tour of a working winery and experience the thrills, excitement and the lights of vintage. Watch the grape harvesters in action and chat with the winemakers.

While in your in the area, dont forget to enjoy our wonderful local produce and sample our region’s finest wines.

Each year, on the second Thursday in January, we invite you to the Coonawarra Vigenerons Cup. The Penola Racecourse is the stunning backdrop for South Australia’s best country race meeting, certainly not a day to be missed!

The Coonawarra Vigenerons Cup brings fashion, cuisine and gives you a change to indulge in some of the nations finest wines and to enjoy the atmosphere of country racing each year at the Penola Race Course.

Come and indulge in a Coonawarra red or two, relax under the free marquee that will be open to the public and catch all the excitement on the track. If your fortune enough,the sponsor of the Cup, the Coonawarra Vignerons Association plays host to 700 guests in its marquee with Coonawarra wine, wonderful cuisine and plenty of good cheer.

With over 3,000 visitors each year, come and experience a fun-filled day with fabulous local food, fine wine, fashion and friends.

The Course: Penola racecourse has a warmth and a charm about it like few others. It is neat, organised and methodical yet it is cosy, comfortable and relaxed. It oozes heritage and tradition.
It is to the Penola Racing Club’s great credit that it has been able to retain this charm and dignity despite the construction of many new buildings in recent years. In each case they have blended with the old with clever use of red brick and sympathetic architecture. The course is compact yet uncrowded. The vast areas of lawn are permanently green and mown and edges are manicured. They beckon you to walk on them.

The History: Penola is one of the oldest racing clubs in the south east of South Australia. While race meetings in the mid 1800s were relatively informal affairs Penola is attributed with holding the first official meeting in the state. It was held over three days in February 1856. In those formative years, the streets around the town formed the track with landmarks of today such as the Royal Oak Hotel and the Presbyterian Manse being on two of the corners. The move to the current location was made in May 1906 when the Club bought 96 acres for 411 pounds. In 1979, Kalangadoo Racing Club, which was formed in May 1898, joined with Penola.

Facilities:

• Free marquee open to the public
• Full TAB, bar and catering facilities
• Local Coonawarra wines available for purchase

Details:

When: January 12, 2012 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Where: Penola Race CourseRace Course Rd , Penola, SA
Contact:  Penola Coonawarra Visitor Information Centre Tel: 08 87372855
Web:  www.wattlerange.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?c=25587

Clowns @ Penola Show

Agricultural shows have been part of the country life for approximately 150 years and provide a great opportunity for visitors and the community to enjoy the atmosphere and lifestyle of the region. Experience a real country show this year.

Enjoy a fun family day out for all of the family, whether you are touring around our state, enjoy a family weekend away or just looking for an enjoyable day out then visit the Annual Penola Country Show. The Penola Show gives you an opportunity to view the power and agility of horses in action, prime livestock at their best, animal nurseries, arts and crafts that will astonish you, beautiful roses, competitions and of course sideshow alley with rides, fairy floss and toffee apples.

Plenty of reds to taste at the Coonawarra Cabernet Celebrations

OK Wine lovers, keep your calender clear for these dates: October 14-16 2011. This is the 14th annual Coonawarra Cabernet Celebrations and Barrel Series 14 Auction showcasing the quality of Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon and the craftsmanship of the region’s winemaking community.

Coonawarra has 3 days with over 30 events planned for the annual Coonawarra Cabernet Celebrations. Festival activities are suitable for the whole family, including; performances, exhibitions, special dinners, master classes, vineyard tours and the last day an Auction of some of the finest barrels of Cabernet Sauvignon from the previous years vintage. Ohh and lets not forget the tastings!

Wineries throughout the region will be hosting over 40 cellar door events during the weekend with five main events hosted by the Coonawarra Vignerons Association.

Dont forget to book your accommodation early for this exciting weekend.

For more information head over to www.coonawarra.org

Coonawarra Cellar Dwellers

Are you looking for a chance to taste and buy hard-to-find aged Coonawarra wines? Look no further,  as the Coonawarra Vignerons will dig out some treasures from their cellars to offer visitors a rare opportunity to taste and buy aged wines during the month of July. Coonawarra Cellar Dwellers was started by the Vignerons to attract visitors to the region at this traditionally slow time of the year and has been so successful it is now an annual event.

Coonawarra wines are well known for their aging ability and great flavours and Cellar Dwellers provides our region with an opportunity to showcase wines that are otherwise not available for tasting. This event is attracting growing interest particularly from people looking for the opportunity to try something a bit different. It is a wonderful way to spend a couple of days escaping from the hustle and bustle to taste, discuss, learn and most importantly relax.

Enjoy the Cellars of Coonawarra during the month of July and experience the rare chance to taste and buy sometimes hard to find, aged Coonawarra wines. Help brighten up your winter and warm up your belly with delicious wine & food by partaking in ‘out of the ordinary’ specials.

Project Artwork

The Penola Coonawarra Arts Festival, now in its 20th year, is one of the most distinguished regional festivals in Australia, and has become ‘South Australia’s leading regional arts festival’.

The festival celebrates the literary and arts heritage of Penola, the fine wines of Coonawarra and our premium regional produce.  With the last festival taking over 11 days, there were plenty of activities to please the crowds of all ages. Event features include local and national artist exhibitions, music, dance, literary and history tours, Farmers’ market, photographic exhibition and a competitions,

The Penola Coonawarra Arts Festival is organised by the Penola Festival Association Incorporated a voluntary, non-profit organisation. Since its inception the festival has attracted major events and exhibitions that have appealed to a broad audience and have contributed to Penola’s and Coonawarra growing profile. By amalgamating with the Coonawarra Vignerons and incorporating the ‘Coonawarra Unearthed’ programme into the Penola Coonawarra Arts Festival they have continued to broaden the only arts based festival in the Limestone Coast.

Come and let your creativity run wild, lose yourself amongst the colour, words, music, food and wine at the Penola Coonawarra Arts Festival!

Details:

Festival will be held from May 17-27, 2012

Where it all Began.

The Beginning: Mary Mackillop Schoolhouse

For a truly inspirational experience we invite you to visit us in Penola, where it all began.

You will be moved and inspired by this fascinating story of Mary’s life, from her birth in Melbourne to her death in Sydney, with a focus on the pivotal Penola years.
This exceptional woman, whose childhood was ‘one of sorrows’, well understood human frailty. However, her strong character and deep spirituality helped her face the most daunting of challenges, including excommunication, with courage and dignity. Mary was a model of goodness.

Through her vocation as a Sister of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, Mary made a real difference to the lives of countless Australians. She still does.
Mary told her dearest Mamma that the ‘new stone schoolhouse, a large schoolroom and two small ones attached’ was to be built ‘at the foot of Father Woods’ garden, quite close to the Chapel’.
She and her sister Annie had the great pleasure of teaching in this fine 1867 building, having previously shared a converted six-stalled stable with two horses and an ever-growing number of enthusiastic pupils.

The Canonisation

In October 2010, Pope Benedict XVI canonised the Blessed Mary MacKillop and thereby created Australia’s first recognised saint. Pilgrims flocked to Penola in South Australia to help celebrate the occasion.

The Woods MacKillop Schoolhouse

Mary Mackillop and Father Woods

Father Julian Tenison Woods commissioned the Schoolhouse and Mary Mackillop taught and lived there in 1867. It is displayed as a school room of the 1860′s with living quarters in the back rooms.
It was here in 1866 that Mary MacKillop, an outstanding young teacher, and Julian Tenison Woods, a priest and brilliant scientist, founded the uniquely Australian Sisters of St Joseph.
They provided a free Catholic education, initially for the isolated bush children of Penola. Since then the lives of many throughout Australia and overseas have been enriched and transformed.
Our friendly volunteers look forward to sharing with you this special part of Penola, where Mary MacKillop and Julian Tenison Woods once walked, and where they made their astonishing dream an exciting reality.

Mary MacKillop Penola Centre

The Centre was completed in 1998 and contains displays with photographs and

Visit the friendly volunteers in the Mary MacKillop Penola Centre

artifacts explaining the story of Mary MacKillop and Father Julian Tenison Woods and particularly their time in Penola in the 1860′s. You will enjoy all the things that Mary MacKillop Penola Centre has to offer, especially absorbing the exhibitions and the schoolhouse where Mary’s serene but vibrant youthful presence can still be felt.

Your visit is sure to be either a nostalgic or a novel experience, depending on your age!

The lane’s character is enhanced by red gum kerbing, rose plantings, a herb garden and a lavender farm featuring 60 varieties of lavender.

Kalangadoo Cup @ Penola Race Track

Organize a weekend in the Limestone Coast this November as some of the best country race meetings in South Australia take place here and this month its the  Kalangadoo Cup.  Its a great day out, so be sure to come along to one of the up and coming race meets at the picturesque Penola Race Course.

As usual, there will be a fantastic selection of food and drinks available at the track, as well as the normal selction of qulaity foods in the region.

This fabulous family event has live music, free entertainment for the kids, rides, and a full programme of racing makes for a great day out. Bring a picnic lunch or enjoy all the local food and wine trackside. Late spring is a delightful time to be in this neck of the woods and the Kalangadoo Cup is a great reason to experience it.

The racecourse is situated amongst vineyards, and makes for a delightful setting while enjoying your own picnic lunch or the delicious food & wine trackside.

Nothing beats Country Racing!

Services:

• There will be a shuttle bus available from Penola, before the first race and returning after the last.

The Details:

• Kalangadoo Cup – Sunday, 13th November 2011
• Gates Open: 11:00am
• First Race: 12:00pm

Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop Feast Day

Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop, Australia’s first has been honoured like no other Australian with her feast day now named as a solemnity. Annually on 8 August, the ‘feast day’ of Mary MacKillop has traditionally been marked in parishes and a special Mass is often said, particularly in places where the Sisters of St Joseph have a presence. This honour is a recognition that the story of and devotion to St Mary of the Cross MacKillop has a prominent place in the Catholic community in Australia.

Come to the Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop Feast day where there will be a Mass in St Joseph’s Church at 8:30am. All those in attendance will then be invited to the Mary MacKillop Centre where refreshments will be provided free of charge all day. Saint Mary of the Cross will be celebrated in the Mary Mackillop Penola Centre all day for those who would like to attend.

Mary MacKillop, an outstanding young teacher, and Julian Tenison Woods, a priest and brilliant scientist, founded in 1866 the uniquely Australian Sisters of St Joseph in Penola. They provided a free Catholic education, initially for the isolated bush children of Penola, enriching the lives of all who attended.

“For All Australians, whether Catholic or not, Mary MacKillop is seen as a woman of heroic virtue, and this goes a little further toward honouring her great example.”

Services:

Mass in St Joseph’s Church at 8:30am

Refreshments in the Mary Mackillop Penola Centre all da