Industry

The Barossa region is the heart of Australia's foremost winemaking State, with more than 20% of Australia's wine made in the region. About 600 grape growers, some fifth and sixth generation Barossa families, supply more than 65,000 tonnes of premium Barossa grapes to wineries each vintage.

The region's flagship wines are Barossa Shiraz and Eden Valley Riesling. These are the product of two distinct zones - the warm, low-lying Barossa Valley and the higher, cool-climate Eden Valley.
The Barossa also produces significant quantities of cereal, fruit, vegetables, forest products, pigs and poultry.
Mining of limestone, gypsum, sand, quartzite and clay is important, with half of the State's limestone coming from a quarry near Angaston.
Companies with substantial operations in the Barossa region include Adelaide Brighton Cement, Agpoint Australia, Brauer Biotherapies, Ahrens and Clipsal.

Population and Social Characteristics

In June 2006, the estimated resident population of the Barossa and Light region was 33,356 or 2.1% of the State’s total population.
As at the 2006 Census, the median age of persons in Barossa was 40 and in Light it was 36. In comparison the State median age of persons was 39, while the National median age was 37.

Location

The Barossa Light Region lies approximately 70 km northeast of Adelaide with a total land area of 2,186 square kilometres (about 0.22% of the state). It supports a population of almost 30,000 people or 1.9% of South Australia's total population. The region has one of the fastest growing populations in South Australia mainly due to the success of the wine industry, opportunities for employment and the high standard of living that the Barossa Light Region enjoys.

The Region contains two local government areas: Light Regional Council and The Barossa Council. Towns in the region include Roseworthy, Freeling, Kapunda, Greenock, Nuriootpa, Tanunda, Angaston, Lyndoch, Williamstown and Mount Pleasant.

Geography

The landscape of the Barossa is described as a combination of gently sloping undulating land on the valley floor with surrounding areas being steeper and more elevated. The valley generally lies at 180 - 290 metres elevation and is bounded on the east by the Barossa Ranges, which rise to more than 600 metres at the southern end. Cereal and grazing land lie to the west.

Soil types vary throughout the Barossa Light Region. The valley floor consists mainly of dark rich soil. The slopes of Eden Valley are sandy and less fertile, whilst the western area of the Barossa Valley has a sandier loam and clay composition. Minerals found in the region include limestone, gypsum, marble, slate, quartzite, sand, clay and phosphate. Extractive industries are important to the region with half of the state's limestone, used in the chemical industry as soda ash, coming from Penrice Soda Products near Angaston.

Climate

The Barossa Light Region lies within the state's coastal temperate zone and its climate is similar to that of Adelaide.

Summers are warm to hot with temperatures ranging between 30°C and 35°C. Winters are cool and mild but not severe with temperatures ranging between 8°C and 20°C. Summer is generally dry with high evaporation and low relative humidity.
The region enjoys moderate annual rainfall, ranging from 490 mm in the north to 690 mm in the south.

History of Settlement

At the time of European settlement, the Barossa Light Region was occupied by a number of distinct groups of indigenous people. The Ngadjuri occupied the land in the northern area of the Barossa from Kapunda to Tanunda and down to the Mount Barker area. The Peramangk people occupied the area around Lyndoch and Williamstown.