Penola

Penola is a small town in South Australia at the center of the Coonawarra wine region and falls under the Wattle Range Council jurisdiction. The town has wide streets lined with older buildings and serves as a hub for the surrounding vineyards and farms of the region.

A settler named Alexander Cameron founded the town in 1850 as a private settlement and built a hotel to serve travelers heading to the Victorian goldfields. Later, John Riddoch introduced grape vines starting in 1861 and permanently shifted the area's economic direction.

The name comes from the Bindjali Aboriginal word referring to the first pub built here. You can sense this connection to the original meaning when you walk through town and see how locals value their heritage.

The town sits in wine country where you can easily explore local vineyards and orchards around it. It is a quiet place to walk around, and you will find local shops and services for visitors.

The town was originally planned as a private village rather than a public settlement, which shaped its early development in an unusual way. This private founding made the later transformation into wine country a remarkable economic shift.

Location: Wattle Range Council

GPS coordinates: -37.37617,140.84042

Latest update: December 7, 2025 20:49