Using the principle of the “canary in the coal mine” we actively monitor the bird species diversity on the Poonawatta property.

Poonawatta was established in 1860 when German immigrant Ferdinand Vorwerk settled some 3 miles north of the village of Eden Valley. A well was dug, a home built from local stone, crops sown, an orchard planted and in 1880 a small Shiraz vineyard established.

When Ferdinand Vorwerk decided to plant a small Shiraz vineyard sometime in the late 1870s, site selection would have been as important as it is today. Back then the site was about survival of the vineyard, so vines were planted in deep soils near rivers and creeks, requiring less distance to cart water to ensure the vines survived their first summers.

In 1967, a year after Sue and John Holt purchased the Poonawatta property, the daughters of Colonel John Temple paid a visit. Colonel Temple purchased Poonawatta in 1890, and Gwen and Eleanor Temple hadn’t been back to the property since 1922.