Woolshed Brewery at Wilkadene Station is absolutely a hot ticket at the moment. They brew an amazing range of beers and make some seriously drinkable hard lemonades. Situated in the sunny locale of Murtho, 20 kilometres north of Renmark, this shady property is perched high on the tall banks of a beautiful backwater of the Murray River. You can get there in around 20 minutes by car from Renmark, or you can moor your fishing boat, ski boat, or house boat on the river right below the deck.
They’ve been brewing for more than ten years but lately they’ve become a bit of a South Australian tourism sensation and local hotspot. The grounds of the brewery are set in and among the 100 year old woolsheds. It’s had a long history. Tall trees shade the original sheds, the wide deck, and the spacious lawn area. The original sheds are packed with history and art treasures and are worth spending some time just browsing to learn more about Wilkadene Station life.
We arrived around 4 pm on our houseboat from River Murray Houseboats. Even though the brewery closes at 5, the place was pumping. Jugs of Rude Ruby (a hard grapefuit and wine based drink) were obviously super popular with the locals. It’s interesting to watch the crowd disperse – half of them head off on the road, the other half jump into their boats on the river.
We got two paddles of four schooners each. We went right from the lighter River Time Ale through to the strong Firehouse Coffee Stout on the first paddle and then tried the cider, Utopia Hard Lemonade and the Rude Ruby. They’ve got so many of their best drops on tap and you can’t beat the freshness of a tap-poured beer or cider.
A few words of advice to help you plan your visit – if you’re arriving by river, there’s only so much mooring space. I’m not sure what we would have done if it had been too busy. Parking a houseboat is not like parking a car. They don’t have a kitchen at the brewery but they do offer a ‘build your own’ platter selection and host local food trucks on weekends.
They’re open Wednesday to Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm.
Don’t forget to grab some brews to take away in stubbies or cans. Soft drinks are also available.
Check out their website here for details.
