SAFarming
Nuriootpa
A bullock stop grew into the Barossa’s commercial centre.
1843Red Lion opens · Barossa road stop
WHAT STARTED IT
Nuriootpa formed around William Coulthard’s Red Lion hotel, built in 1843 for travellers and bullock teams moving between Adelaide and the Kapunda copper district. Coulthard laid out the town in 1854.
WHAT SUSTAINED IT
Farming and nearby wineries gradually became more important than through traffic. By the late nineteenth century a dense network of Barossa vineyards and wine businesses surrounded the town, making it a service and processing centre for the valley.
TURNING POINTS
1843Red Lion hotel opens.
1854Town laid out.
1929Barossa produces a quarter of Australian wine.
WHAT IT DOES NOW
The Barossa Valley’s main commercial centre, closely tied to grape growing, wineries and regional food production.