• International consultancy makes the move to Adelaide
• South Australian wineries named amongst best in the world
• G’day Group acquires caravan park on Kangaroo Island
• South Australia tops HIA Housing Scorecard
• The Penfolds Collection release for 2023 includes a trial wine from China
• South Australian company makes million dollar sale to US Navy

International consultancy makes the move to Adelaide

Beca – one of the largest professional services consultancies in the Asia-Pacific region – is establishing a permanent presence in South Australia with a new office at 99 Gawler Place in the CBD.

The specialist engineering and consultancy company already services clients in the state’s defence, industrial and water sectors.

They have consulted on projects including the Adelaide Airport Main Runway and Taxiways Overlay Project, the National Airfields Maintenance Program and the Maritime Structures Program for the Department of Defence.

Beca Australia’s managing director, Craig Lee said the company is proud to cement its presence in South Australia through an Adelaide office and aims to build the state’s team from 10 employees to over 30 staff by 2027.

“It will be a base from which we can strengthen our existing client partnerships and support the growth of the region through relevant and exciting opportunities in the defence, water, transport and industrial sectors,” Lee said.

“With South Australia leading the nation in a number of fields, including the space and defence sectors, combined with incentives from Invest SA, now is the right time for us to grow our geographical footprint and partner closely with local firms to deliver great outcomes that make every day better for the South Australian community.”

The consultancy came to the state through the South Australian Landing Pad program led by the Department for Trade, Tourism and Investment to help businesses build a presence in the state by providing grants for access to co-working hubs and professional support.

The d’Arenberg vineyard was named 17th best in the world. Photo: Andre Castellucci.

South Australian wineries named amongst best in the world

Three South Australian wineries were named in the 2023 World’s Best Vineyards Top 50 list.

In 17th place on the list, d’Arenberg in McLaren Vale was accolated as Australia’s best vineyard.

Henschke in Eden Valley ranked next as the 26th-best vineyard in the world, while Penfold’s Magill Estate rounded out the trio in 44th place.

South Australia was the only Australian state with vineyards ranking amongst the list’s Top 50.

According to the list, the world’s best vineyard is Catena Zapata in Mendoca, Argentina.

Argentina bolstered the list, with Bodegas Salentein and El Enemigo Wines also featured in the top ten.

The full list is available on the World’s Best Vineyards website.

Overhead shot of the Western Kangaroo Island Caravan Park. Photo: supplied.

G’day Group acquires caravan park on Kangaroo Island

G’Day Group – the owner of Discovery with over 87 owned and operated holiday parks and G’Day Parks, a network of more than 220 independently owned parks – has acquired the Western Kangaroo Island Caravan Park.

Located at the entry of the Flinders Chase National Park, the 17-hectare caravan park featuring 71 tourist sites, 13 cabins and a 48-person bunkhouse will be renamed Discovery Parks Kangaroo Island.

The group plans to invest $1 million into the park before starting a “master planning process” looking at future development options.

G’day Group Chief Investment Officer Amanda Baldwin said the acquisition was a strategic addition to the company’s national footprint.

“Kangaroo Island is one of Australia’s most loved tourism destinations and a location we have been eyeing for some time as a valuable addition to our portfolio,” Baldwin said.

“With access better than ever thanks to the new SeaLink ferry contract and more direct Qantas flights coming this summer, we’re expecting continued growth in visitation to the Island.

“This will enable us to attract more visitors to the Island and increase the length of stay, which will in turn deliver great benefits for other local tourism operators and the wider community.”

South Australia has topped the bi-annual HIA Housing Scorecard. Photo: Pexels.

South Australia tops the HIA Housing Scorecard

South Australia has topped the list in the bi-annual Housing Industry Association (HIA) Housing Scorecard which reviews residential building conditions in each state and territory.

Rankings are analysed against each state’s long-term average and highlight the relative strength or weakness of residential building activity.

HIA Chief Economist Tim Reardon said South Australia’s strong performance will be supported by policy changes announced in this year’s State Budget which included a reduction in stamp duty, the release of 25,000 blocks of land and an investment in public housing stock.

“South Australia has topped the list with strength across a number of leading indicators of building activity, including approvals of new work, expenditure on renovations and activity on the ground,” he said.

Queensland maintained second place on the Scorecard due to strong renovations and multi-unit activity but felt constraints by a shortage of skilled labour.

In fifth place, Western Australia’s building industry has strong potential moving forward due to the continued inflow of people from interstate and overseas.

New South Wales and Victoria dropped in the list as the rise in cash rate has adversely impacted the markets given higher land cost which will see activity in the state move more slowly than the rest of Australia.

Penfolds chief winemaker Peter Gago at the global launch event in Lijiang, China. Photo: Penfolds.

The Penfolds Collection release for 2023 includes a trial wine from China

This year’s The Penfolds Collection release will include the inaugural China Trial wine which combines Cabernet Sauvignon Shangri-la and Marselan from Ningxia, China.

The ‘Chinese Winemaking Trial 521 Cabernet Sauvignon Marselan 2021’ wine will be accompanied by wines from Australia, France and the United States.

Chief winemaker Peter Gago said the collection is an evolving showcase of Penfolds’ innovative spirit and enduring ‘House Style’ in a global context.

“The Penfolds Winemaking Team relishes the opportunity to work across two hemispheres and numerous time zones – with like-minded people and unique winemaking cultures – redefining what ‘pushing the boundaries’ now means,” he said.

The Penfolds Collection 2023 will be globally available from Thursday, August 3 with limited bottles retailing at $150 each.

AML3D Limited’s ARCEMY® ‘X-Edition 6700’. Photo: AML3D.

South Australian company makes million dollar sale to US Navy

South Australian large-scale 3D metal printing company AML3D Limited has sold an industrial-scale ARCEMY® ‘X-Edition 6700’ Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing metal 3D printing system to the United States Navy’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence after signing an agreement with manufacturer reseller Phillips Corporation to sell their products in the US.

The sale is valued at approximately AUD $1.1 million and is expected to be installed in early 2024.

This is the second order for an ARCEMY® X by the US Navy and AML3D Interim CEO Sean Ebert said it demonstrates confidence in the technology.

“We are extremely pleased the US Navy has purchased this ARCEMY® ‘X-Edition 6700’ system, demonstrating their confidence in our technology and validating our strategic focus on delivering ARCEMY® systems to the US maritime and defence industries,” he said.

“Our collaboration with Phillips Corp has been invaluable in expanding our presence in the US market and securing this order. We continue to actively engage with our partners to deepen our presence in the US defence and federal sectors, which will drive further growth in sales.”