This is Chris — and we honestly can't believe what he found.

Armed with a metal detector and a passion for history, Chris paid us a visit to explore the ground beneath Colonel William Light’s tree — the very spot where Light is believed to have camped in 1837, under the now-iconic gum tree at the front of Kies.

Chris volunteered his time purely out of kindness, wanting to help us uncover more of the rich history surrounding this special place. What an incredible human being.

While he didn’t uncover anything directly linked to Colonel Light himself, Chris did strike gold in another way: with rare and fascinating artefacts that shine a light on the everyday lives of those who came after.

Among the discoveries:

• A dog registration tag from 1888
• A shotgun cartridge dated 1901

These might seem like small items, but they're significant windows into the past. Here’s a fun (and slightly shocking) fact: back in the 1800s, failing to register your dog could land you with a 90-day prison sentence. Suddenly that modern $50 registration fee doesn’t seem so bad!

We also want to take a moment to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported our efforts to honour and preserve Colonel Light’s Tree. From the media outlets like The Leader and 5AA, to our amazing local community and supporters from further afield — including the 200+ people who’ve already signed our petition to help get the site heritage listed — we are incredibly grateful.

If you’d like to learn more or add your name to the petition, you can find the link below.

And if you’d like to show your appreciation for Chris and his efforts, give this post a like or share it with someone who loves local history as much as we do.

Thank you again, Chris, and thank you to everyone who continues to help us bring this piece of South Australian history to life.

Petition link:

Some days, the universe just throws you a win – and today was one of those days!

We received the most thoughtful little care package from one of our long-time, loyal customers, Jerry, all the way from Inverell in New South Wales. It brought a huge smile to my face — and not just because it involved salami!

I still remember packing Jerry’s wine orders way back in my late teens (yes, that was quite a while ago – let’s just say "a loooong time ago" and leave it at that ). He’s been with us through the years, and truly one of our best customers.

Well, Jerry has taken things to the next level. He’s started crafting homemade salami using our very own Deer Stalker Merlot – and sent us a sample pack as a thank-you for "making such excellent wine." How amazing is that?

Now, while I can’t take credit for making the wine myself, Bronson and I did the honourable thing and hosted a salami tasting breakfast this morning. What a way to start the day!

We sampled:

• Calabrese style (both traditional and modern)
• Tuscan style

Each one was exceptional — rich, full of character, and perfectly paired with memories of travelling through Spain and savouring artisanal meats across Europe.

A huge cheers to you, Jerry! Your kindness, creativity, and continued support mean the world to us. Thanks for turning our wine into something so unique and delicious. Here’s to great wine, great food, and even better people.

Thank you for your vote

You Did It! Colonel Light’s Tree Takes the Crown 

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR VOTES

Thanks to your votes, we’re thrilled to share that Colonel Light’s Tree has officially won the 20 Metre Trees Competition, making it the 2025 Trees South Australian Tree of the Year.

If this is the first time you are hearing about this, there is a short video here. 

It's an incredible story and certainly a significant one, historically. 

All the details:

We are beyond grateful to everyone who supported this special piece of Barossa history—it truly means the world to us.

This majestic gum, believed to be around 700 years old, caught the eye of Colonel William Light back in 1837 when he sketched it during his first survey of the Barossa Valley.

The valley reminded him of when he fought in the battle of Barrosa in 1811 and named the valley in its honour. Today this world famous valley is known as the Barossa Valley - the tree is that significant.

In a serendipitous moment, Reuben Batten and I recently uncovered a photograph from the 1980s, before our Cellar Door was renovated, and the hill line in the image matched Colonel Light’s original sketch perfectly. A spine tingling confirmation of history standing still.

Today we were featured on the front page of The Leader Newspaper who were amazing in helping us to spread the word about this incredible story. 

But this isn’t the end of the story.
 

We would be ever so grateful if you would sign the petition to protect the tree. Click here for the petition...