Gumeracha Primary School R-7 students, staff and parents worked alongside the Biodiversity Team (Adelaide Hills Council) on National Tree Day for schools, planting over 950 native shrubs and trees along the banks of Kenton Creek. This added valuable understorey to the magnificent gum trees that have stood in Gumeracha’s Federation Park for over 200 years. A community planting session was held in the Park a couple of days later.

By Kendrea Rhodes

‘Embedded Landscape’ is a South Australian Living Artists (SALA) exhibition, featuring artist Jane Skeer. This exhibition responds to an emotional twelve months for regional Australians and emerges from Jane’s own reactions to her experience of a changed landscape.

Politicians like to remind us that we are all in this together—in this time—but ‘place’ requires nuanced thinking for that generalisation. Contrary to current news headlines focussed on coronavirus, activity in the Adelaide Hills remains around bushfire recovery and day to day living. There are still fences to mend, houses to build and people to support. And as an unwelcome anniversary looms in December, we might still be saying the same thing. 

By Kendrea Rhodes

The wonderful wide aisles of the new Klose’s Foodland Supermarket and Cellarbrations stores in Woodside are a treat to navigate. Couple that with designer lighting and the myriad of colours bouncing from the fully stocked shelves, it feels like the only thing missing is the red carpet. The contemporary design of the new site oozes space, creating an enjoyable shopping experience that encourages browsing, menu planning, and new product discoveries! Then there are those times that a quick dash in and out is required—completely possible with oodles of parking, all your favourite products, and seven checkouts.

Welcome to the first ‘Special Online Edition’ of Along The Grapevine!

By Kendrea Rhodes

In April this year, Kalyra Communities purchased the retirement village on Tolmer Road in Woodside. An exciting time was expected because community get-togethers and information nights usually result in pleasant hospitality, new friendships and entertainment! But we all know how April panned out this year with the advent of COVID-19. The scheduled social gatherings and extra benefits that Kalyra brings to Woodside were rethought, repackaged and redelivered—much like everything else, world-wide.

We have not been immune to the Covid-19 virus, so our next performance, ‘LOVE! LOVE? LOVE…’, will go on show in November this year instead of the mid-year time-slot.

By Kendrea Rhodes

Pictured here are The Artificial Hipsters (Iain Ross & Bob Molloy) performing on Club Night with Club Acoustica at the Olive Branch Café in Balhannah, 2015. Photo courtesy of Martin Photographics.

The lyrical twang of harmonic voices and acoustic guitars echoes through the diners, musicians and the very walls of the Olive Branch Café in Balhannah. It’s the first Sunday of the month and, at 5:30pm, Club Acoustica kicks off its club night with over three hours of live music and wholesome, homemade food and drink at the Café.   

By Kendrea Rhodes

This heritage-listed nature reserve — beloved by many as a place to escape and enjoy nature — suffered an enormous blow as the Cudlee Creek Bushfire tore through in December last year. In what was considered a ‘hot’ burn, the Park endured a 95% loss of vegetation, with the remaining 5% canopy spared due to a controlled ‘cold’ burn completed by the Adelaide Hills Council in September 2018.

The Park is now partially open due to the efforts of the Adelaide Hills Council, the Australian Defence Force, Conservation Volunteers Australia, Team Rubicon and other volunteers. The Council have stated that a ‘full reopening [of the Park] will take up to three months … and Council urge visitors to remain vigilant about safety and stay on the trails.’