WELCOME TO LIGHT COUNTRY.
LIGHT COUNTRY ECONOMY.
Our economy is stable and set for continued economic expansion through strong transport links, dynamic markets, and focused strategies.
Our economy complements the region’s diverse offerings and attractions and we believe variety makes our community stronger. Multiple industries help drive the region’s wealth.
Light Country is a growth region. Our gross Regional Product:
• $760 million (2020) – this equates to American Samoa’s entire Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
A MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR
Some of the biggest chapters in Australia’s mining and farming history have been written here.
We are home to open plains, rolling hills and world-class wines.
Our glowing sunrises, starry skies and fields of colour prove what we have always known: nature is the best show in town.
The rich land we call home is our lifeblood. It has been this way since the beginning. And always will be.
The winds carry the stories of local legends. Great men and women who worked above and below the ground to shape who we are.
And we are for growth.
Light Country offers a natural, and built, environment suitable for a range of living and business options making it the ideal place to raise a family, retire to or invest in.
Located within an hour’s drive to Adelaide, the distinctive and diverse features of Light Country create the ideal lifestyle if you want country charm and city convenience.
You will have your own reason for coming. What matters is that you find what you are looking for.
Light Country. Get Closer.
– Mayor Bill O’Brien
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY
We acknowledge that Light Country’s wellbeing is built upon the traditional lands of the Ngadjuri and Kaurna First Nations people. We respect their spiritual relationship to their country and acknowledge that as traditional custodians, their cultural and heritage beliefs are still as important to the Traditional Owners of today.
LIGHT COUNTRY’S MAJOR EMPLOYING INDUSTRIES (2018-2019)
• Manufacturing: 25%
• Agriculture: 15%
• Education: 12%
• Healthcare: 6%
• Tourism: 18%
Our growing businesses are always looking for new employees.
FUTURE GROWTH INDUSTRIES
• Healthcare
• Agriculture
• Beverage Manufacturing
• Professional, Scientific and Technical services
• Tourism
LIGHT COUNTRY A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE.
We are a generous country community where you can connect with the past and the present and create lasting bonds with our people and places.
Light Country ticks all the boxes for liveability offering space, community, services, schools, and lifestyle. All this can be found only an hour to Adelaide and just minutes to the beautiful Barossa Valley.
Our towns provide quality education, community-minded sports and recreation pursuits to offer regional living at its best in a mild Mediterranean climate.
Here, the lifestyle is relaxed and people will get to know you by name.
SPACE
Light Country has space in abundance and can accommodate large blocks with separated houses.
Only 1.7% of housing here is classed as medium or high density. This compares with 11% across regional South Australia. We have more four- and five-bedroom houses to cater for growing families and plenty of room for the family and kids’ cars.
Light Country’s popularity with families is clear. We have nearly double the percentage of couples with children compared with the rest of regional South Australia.
AFFORDABILITY
Light Country offers affordability with house prices generally around 20% lower than the South Australian average and 30% lower than metropolitan Adelaide.
LIFESTYLE
The facilities, services and amenities we have available, coupled with our close proximity to Adelaide and neighbouring townships, make Light Country a great place to call home.
We offer work and investment opportunities as well as a full range of leisure opportunities and year-round activities and events.
SHOPPING AND ENTERTAINMENT
Light Country has many convenience stores and independent supermarkets as well as hardware and specialist shops. Bespoke and boutique retail stores can be found in towns across the region for unusual and precious finds.
We also have regional produce, markets, internationally renowned restaurants and eateries, quaint and hidden cafes and wineries as well as charming country pubs.
Kapunda is the main service centre in Light Country with a new supermarket, 24-hour petrol stations, cafes, bakeries, a hardware store, a vet and other convenience facilities.
SERVICES
Light Country has quality schools, hospitals, parks and reserves along with arts and crafts.
Kapunda Hospital offers general medical and surgical care as well as an accident and emergency service. Maternity and obstetrics services are also available so you can welcome your new baby in a caring, country community.
Kapunda Homes is co-located with Kapunda Hospital and provides 26 residential aged care beds and the Wheatfields has 53 beds in Freeling.
SCHOOLS AND TERTIARY EDUCATION
Light Country is home to a range of quality education and training institutes and facilities to support life-long learning. Every main town in the region has its own primary school and depending on community, may also have kindergartens, high schools and out-of-school-hours vacation care (OSHC).
The University of Adelaide Roseworthy Campus is South Australia’s major centre for animal and veterinary science research. Other tertiary education institutions include TAFE SA in the Barossa Valley and the Barossa Campus regional study hub.
There are good job prospects for young people while they are studying with opportunities available working in local supermarkets, chemists, bakeries or cafes.
SPORT
Sport is the beating heart of communities in Light Country. Each town has built strong clubs in various sports including netball, cricket, AFL and tennis.
Formed in 1866, and steeped in tradition, Kapunda is home to the oldest football club in Australia that has enjoyed an uninterrupted identity. The camaraderie across sporting clubs in Light Country is strong and many combined social functions are held throughout the year.
Light Country also has three beautiful golf courses and three competitive lawn bowls clubs.
Opportunities for young people include traditional junior sports plus basketball, dance classes and swimming being popular amongst others.
PARKS, RESERVES AND RECREATION
Each main town in Light Country has a number of recreation facilities ranging from reserves and sportsgrounds to skateparks and playgrounds, indoor recreation centres, picnic areas and lookouts. Kapunda also has a 30m solar-heated swimming pool, with indoor swimming centres close by in the Barossa Valley and Gawler.
WALKS AND TRAILS
Sections of South Australia’s famous Mawson, Heysen and Kidman Trails wend through Light Country. The trails are a wonderful way to explore the region’s landscapes, wineries and places of historical significance at your own pace on foot, on wheels or on horseback. All three trails meet in Kapunda’s Town Square – the only place in South Australia where this occurs.
LIGHT COUNTRY A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE.
CLIMATE
Light Country is blessed with a mild Mediterranean climate. The region experiences all weather seasons with spectacular colour changes as crops, vines and pastures move through their growth cycles.
ARTS AND CRAFTS
Light Country has galleries, studios and award-winning public art installations. Numerous artists have their studios in Light Country and we have wonderful community craft shops, staffed by local volunteers, which attract visitors from all over the world.
EVENTS
Light Country hosts many wonderful and colourful cultural events every year including the Kapunda Rodeo, the Kapunda Musical Society’s annual pantomime, shows and farm fairs, wine and history events, Christmas street parties, star-gazing sessions and more.
GREAT PEOPLE
Our values sum up who we are, and what we believe, in Light Country:
People: We are a big-hearted community and care for one other.
The Land: We respect the Traditional Owners and how our homeland provides for us.
Heritage: We celebrate our ancestors and uphold our traditions.
Diversity: We believe variety is what makes our community stronger.
Honesty: We are genuine.
Our winds carry the stories of local legends. Great men and women who worked above and below the ground to shape who we are. Greats like:
• Australia’s ‘cattle king’ Sir Sidney Kidman
• South Australia’s ‘sheep king’ Frederick Dutton
• Australia’s first copper mine owner Captain Charles Bagot
Light Country’s story is one of endeavour. Many successful businesses had their beginnings here.
Our story is also one of community with many groups and associations providing the backbone for connection.
LIGHT COUNTRY PLACES TO LIVE.
Get closer to belonging
Live in a historic residence or build a brand new home in Light Country.
Are you tired of living in the city and ready for a ‘tree change’?
A tree change to Light Country means you can have both country charm and city convenience living less than an hour’s drive from Adelaide.
A tree change to Light Country means you can change pace and enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle. Where you can wake up to bird song - not in traffic snarls. And where you can become part of an authentic, big-hearted community where neighbours are friends and you’ll be known by name.
A tree change to Light Country means more space and a more active lifestyle with a big backyard and your own vegetable garden.
A tree change to Light Country also means you can live in a historical character home or a brand new property in a beautifully planned community.
With six main towns, master-planned residential communities at various stages of development, charming townships and attractive rural living options, you can choose your own life adventure in Light Country.
RESIDENTIAL ESTATES
House and land packages are available at various locations in Light Country residential estates including:
• Wasleys Fields Estate
• Schuster Estate - Freeling
• Kidman Rise - Kapunda
• St Yves - Roseworthy
• Roseworthy Garden
Or pick yourself a bargain with a township infill allotment.
MAJOR TOWNS AND COMMUNITIES
Our winds carry the stories of local legends. Great men and women who worked above and below the ground to shape who we are. And whose names live on - never to be forgotten.
Their community spirit and pride helped lay the foundation for the enviable lifestyle we enjoy today.
Light Country townships have their own character and history.
FREELING
Township or settlement, heritage or new, hills or plains; Light Country offers a genuine country experience by sharing our unique stories, scenic beauty and diverse experiences.
Freeling is the centre of crop farming in the region and home to the new F.A.R.M. Centre which can host sports competitions, agricultural demonstrations and exhibitions, and has a community fitness centre.
Freeling is famous for… the television series McLeod’s Daughters. Freeling is home to many locations that feature in the series including the Gungellan Truck Stop, the Town Hall, the Gungellan Hotel and town streetscapes. Take a selfie in the bathtub which is part of the display in ANZAC Park celebrating the town’s connection with the series.
GREENOCK
Greenock is sometimes called “Little Scotland in the Barossa Valley”. It is a colourful heritage town that oozes old-world charm. The town’s community spirit is strong with events, boutique stores, cellar doors and a variety of eateries.
Greenock is famous for… being the life of the Light Country party.
HEWETT
Hewett offers the best of both worlds with wonderful urbanrural living opportunities available in a friendly community atmosphere. Hewett is located 20 minutes from the Barossa Valley and 45 minutes from Adelaide.
Hewett is famous for… being the home of ‘Big John’ McKinlay who organised a search and rescue expedition for Burke and Wills.
KAPUNDA
Kapunda is steeped in heritage and stories and has country pubs, museums, art galleries and craft shops, trails, churches, parks and district sporting facilities.
Kapunda is the region’s main service centre. It is experiencing residential and industrial growth and maintains the relaxed country atmosphere it is known for.
Kapunda is famous for… once being the home of Australia’s ‘cattle king’ Sir Sidney Kidman. Kapunda was also home to Australia’s first commercial copper mine which, at one point, saved South Australia from bankruptcy.
WASLEYS
Wasleys is known for its contribution in pioneering, and revolutionary, early agriculture. The town became a thriving centre servicing the surrounding farming area. Established in an area known as Mudla Wirra, or Pengilly Scrub, the town is still a centre for agriculture with venues and facilities servicing its small and active community.
Wasleys is famous for… being the birthplace of the Ridley Stripper harvester which was invented by local miller and wheat farmer John Ridley.
ROSEWORTHY
Roseworthy was surveyed the year the colony of South Australia was settled by Europeans. Today, it is home to a thriving community recognised for its significance in the wine, grain and sheep industries.
Roseworthy is famous for… Roseworthy Agricultural College which was the first of its kind in Australia and now a major contributor to agricultural teaching and research as part of the University of Adelaide.
SEPPELTSFIELD
Seppeltsfield is home to the best of the Barossa Valley hosting world-class and award-winning wineries, accommodation and distilleries stretching along the road to Marananga.
Seppeltsfield is famous for… a 5km trail of 2,000+ Canary Island Date Palms called the Avenue of Palms and one of Australia’s most visually spectacular stretches of road.
LIGHT COUNTRY HISTORY.
The rich land we call home is our lifeblood. It has been this way since the beginning. And always will be.
Light Regional Council acknowledges that Light Country’s economic wellbeing is built upon the traditional lands of the Ngadjuri and Kaurna Traditional Owners. Council respects their spiritual relationship with their country and acknowledges that as traditional custodians, their cultural and heritage beliefs are still as important to the Traditional Owners of today.
Light Regional Council is named after the River Light because the south bank of the river forms much of the Council area’s north-west border. The river itself is named after Colonel William Light: the first surveyor-general of South Australia.
Colonel Light played a significant part in the early development, and success, of British settlement in South Australia.
Following British settlement, Light Country’s economy was driven by agriculture and mining. The first commercial copper mine in Australia started in Kapunda.
Agriculture, including viticulture, remains an important industry with value adding manufacturing industries and tourism providing many jobs.
