WE ENDEAVOUR TO ALWAYS MEET YOUR NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS
Our aim is to ensure you will enjoy the local, food, wine, history, attractions and experiences of the Barossa Valley.
Jodie our Guest Services and Property Manager brings to Seppeltsfield Vineyard Cottage an engaging, warm personality as well as her years of experience in customer service, including in high end luxury accommodation. She enjoys helping people create their perfect getaway and sharing her passion for the Barossa region by listening to your interests and providing the most relevant information to ensure a tailored and memorable stay. Her belief that “it’s the little things that count” and her commitment to always go the extra mile, further enhances the time guests spend with us. Every aspect of your stay is carefully considered and tended to with care. She also enjoys providing creative input for social media, web design, photography and blog writing.
Mark our resident Gardener and all round “Maintenance guru” is dedicated to keeping the beautiful gardens and lawns on the property looking lush and immaculate for our guests to enjoy. Our garden is ever changing through the seasons and Mark enjoys tending to each aspect with care and commitment.
Claira is our most recent addition to the team bringing her impeccable Housekeeping skills. With a super keen eye for details she ensures the cottage always delivers the highest standards of clean! A Guest Services assistant when needed she also helps deliver our high standard of customer service.
Together, we strive to ensure it’s not just a stay, but an unforgettable experience!
Original owners Sharyn and Peter purchased the property back in 1993, in 1999 Peter established his vineyard and Sharyn had a vision to restore the cottage. In 2002 they set about restoring the historic cottage and began establishing the gardens. Their aim was to try to retain as much as they could to keep the feel of the history the cottage offers, while at the same time offering luxury accommodation features.
Their tireless work, passion and commitment over the past 20 years is evident in every aspect of the property.
Sharyn’s past career as a Midwife and Peter’s as an Optometrist, meant they had a strong sense of doing things the ‘right way’ with attention to detail and a welcoming presence. “When we restored the Cottage and offered it as accommodation for others to enjoy, we drew on these skills to ensure our guests have the Barossa accommodation experience they expect and deserve” Today we endevour to uphold their vision and continue to provide the award winning service we have come to be known for by exceeding our guests expectations.
OUR COMMITMENT TO OUR GUESTS
- A high level of personal service and a friendly, welcoming environment taking into account at all times our guests privacy requirements
- A business with National Tourism Accreditation certification
- An immaculately clean cottage and attention to detail ensuring all cottage facilities are fully functional and in good order
- Accurate and detailed information about the accommodation and experiences provided
- Informed and comprehensive assistance with touring advice and Barossa experiences
- A clear definition of costs, including booking and cancellation policies
- The immediate rectification of any problems which may arise during our guests stay
SUSTAINABILITY
At Seppeltsfield Vineyard Cottage we are committed to practises which meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
To us, sustainability is not just about looking after our natural environment. It is also about considering the social and economic impact of what we do and how we do it.
In particular we aim to provide a tourism experience that focuses on protecting the environment and allows our visitors to travel responsibly, with little impact.
Seppeltsfield Vineyard Cottage is a Barossa Trust Mark recipient. This recognises our commitment to the 5 pillars the Trust Mark represents; origin, integrity, quality, environment and community.
SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES
WATER CONSERVATIONS
- Cottage waste water is recycled onto the cottage gardens via a Septek system.
- 50,000 litre lined underground rainwater tank supplies the cottage.
- Restoration of a 100 year old deep bath instead of installing a spa.
- Modern dual flush toilet with low volume water flush.
- Installation of underground dripper system for lawn areas and dripper system for gardens, all electronically controlled.
- All garden areas mulched to conserve water in the soil.
- Hardy plants and natives are chosen for the garden. Lawns are Santa Anna couch which is drought and salt tolerant.
- A Miele front loading washing machine is used for cottage laundry, using only 47 litres of water for a 6.5kg wash. The water to the laundry is rain water for most of the year. Amway washing powder containing no phosphates is used. The machine is also renowned for a long life and low energy use rating.
- All laundry is air dried in the sun, no electric dryers are used.
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
- In June 2012 an 8.085kW Grid Connect Solar Power System was installed on the roof of our home and also supplies power to the cottage.
- The early German settlers knew about energy conservation even back in the 1850s! The cottage is designed with an east west orientation and deep verandahs on the north and south sides. In summer no direct sun enters the cottage. Combined with the 45cm thick stone walls and the 10cm thick pug ceiling in the living room, ambient room temperatures are easily maintained in all seasons minimising the need for heating and cooling.
- Ceiling insulation in all other areas of the cottage.
- 7W LED globes throughout the cottage resulting in 86% less energy useage than the halogen globes they replaced.
- Sun dried linen!
- On demand gas hot water system ensuring water is only heated as used.
- Sensor lights on outside verandahs.
- We encourage our guests to help us be environmentally friendly by turning off airconditioning and lights when leaving the cottage.
WASTE MANAGEMENT
- Enjo cleaning products are used, thereby almost eliminating the need for the use of chemicals for cleaning.
- Bottles, cans, plastics and papers are all collected and recycled at the Scouts recycling depot in the nearby town of Gawler.
- A Can-O-Worms worm farm and compost heaps are maintained and used to improve our clay soils and further reduce water needs. Food scraps are recycled in this way as well as to our hens.
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM PRACTICES
- Guest food supplies are sourced locally with an emphasis on regional, seasonal produce. Artisan food products made with local ingredients are supplied to guests as are those with a heritage value.
Examples include:- Jersey Fresh milk. Pasteurised, non-homogenised delicious farm fresh milk produced by Jeff and Erica Kernich on their property near Greenock, just 6 kilometres from the cottage.
- Apex bread. Wood fired oven bread made from local flour in nearby Tanunda, 8 kilometres away.
- Linkes bacon. Smoked at Linkes Family Butcher in Nuriootpa by 3rd generation butcher Graham Linke.
- Hens are kept and their fresh eggs supplied to guests.
- We have fruit trees and vegetables planted throughout the property gardens which guests can share.
- Fig and Almond jam is made from our own figs and almonds and supplied to guests.
- Guests are encouraged to shop at the local Barossa Farmer’s Market held weekly on Saturday mornings.
- Guests can enjoy many high quality tourism experiences along Seppeltsfield Road within 6 kilometres of the cottage and can walk from the cottage through a small vineyard to Hentley Farm and Fino restaurants and also visit world renowned wineries such as Seppeltsfield Wines (also within walking distance), Torbrek Vintners, Two Hands Wines, Whistler Wines as well as our own Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop. At only 15kms wide and 25kms long the Barossa Valley provides a vast range of tourism experiences in a very small area for an Australian landscape.
- Local businesses are always used as a first preference for business needs, supplies and services. Of these businesses the ones with the most sustainable practices are utilised.
CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP
Locally we sponsor the Tanunda Show, & the Marananga Tennis Club.
The cottage has donated accommodation packages for fundraising purposes to the following charities:
- Pancare Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research
- Brisbane Mater Hospital
- Starlight Foundation
- Australian Cranio-Maxillo Facial Foundation
- Childhood Cancer Association
HERITAGE CONSERVATION
- The Barossa has a unique cultural heritage which is potentially placed at risk by the success that food and wine tourism brings.
We are active in local community groups such as the Seppeltsfield Road Business Alliance and a member of the Barossa Farmer’s Market, Tourism Barossa and Barossa Grape and Wine Association.
These memberships enable us to remain aware of potential threats to the region and act accordingly through these bodies. An example includes a plan by a major power company to run a 3rd parallel power line through historic Seppeltsfield. The members of our Seppeltsfield Road Business Alliance rallied and through community consultation and political lobbying was successful in negotiating the removal of two lines with only the one main line remaining. We did try for underground lines but had to compromise on this!
- Entered and won the Heritage and Cultural Tourism section of the South Australian Tourism Awards to help promote the profile of the Barossa’s unique heritage and culture.
- Promote the Barossa’s heritage and cultural history to our guests with books and information provided in the cottage.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
As a member of the Seppeltsfield Road Business Alliance we participate in the following community activities:
- The promotion & running of the annual Shakespeare in the Vines event. The event is the Alliance’s main fund raiser, with funds used for maintaining historic Seppeltsfield Road and other local community groups and charities. We help with planning the event and working in a voluntary capacity at the event.
- Clean up Australia Day. Work as volunteers to participate in cleaning up Seppeltsfield Road & environs.
- Development of a Business Plan in conjunction with Light Regional Council to build a 15 km Seppeltsfield Road Shared cycling/walking path.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP US
As well as helping us reduce our carbon footprint by the actions mentioned above, you can be proactive in offsetting your own carbon emissions at home.
Climate Friendly helps their customers offset and manage their carbon emissions from personal and business activities and at the same time, contributes to growing the renewable energy industry.
Their on line calculators quickly determine how many credits are required to offset the emissions of a particular item, activity or event. They have also created several packages that can offset standard items, such as a car or home.
The carbon credits they purchase on your behalf are only secured from accredited and renewable energy projects. In other words, when you buy carbon credits through Climate Friendly, you are not only offsetting your own emissions, but you are also contributing to the growth of the renewable energy industry – the long-term solution for global warming
