(L-R) Member for Schubert Ashton Hurn, Nuriootpa Traders director Michael Chard, Barossa Council Mayor Bim Lange, Nuriootpa Traders director Jamie Cooper, and Nuriootpa Traders director Jack Cooper. Photo: Jaz Grazia, Fallon and Co.

The Barossa Valley’s logistical efficiency is set for a major boost as construction starts on locally owned logistics provider, Nuriootpa Traders’ “groundbreaking” new $80 million transport depot, storage, and distribution facility.

A ceremony was held on the 27th of June for the state-of-the-art facility in Nuriootpa, marking a significant milestone in the expansion of infrastructure supporting the region’s wine industry.

Spanning 133,000 square metres, the new facility will include 50,000 square metres of undercover warehousing, 50,000 square metres of concrete hardstand for truck parking, a 700 square metre office space, and a 2,000 square metre workshop, equipped with an automatic truck wash and four maintenance bays.

Strategically located with direct road train and B-Triple access to the major freight route, Nuriootpa Traders director Jamie Cooper said the new facility would be perfectly positioned to handle the needs of the growing wine industry directly from the Barossa.

“Once completed, this new facility will greatly improve the operations for our wine production customers by streamlining storage through to direct transportation to major interstate distribution centres,” said Cooper.

Construction is being driven by Jaytex Construction, with the construction phase expected to generate approximately 60 full-time jobs and over 300 people anticipated to be working on the project throughout its duration.

Once completed, the new facility will see an additional 20 ongoing positions created to enhance operations and accommodate existing staff onsite more effectively.

Environmental sustainability is a key focus of the purpose-built facility, which incorporates extensive solar panels to minimise greenhouse gas emissions and lower operating costs; specialised insulation and roof raiser systems to maintain a high level of thermal efficiency; and stormwater basins.

Nuriootpa Traders director Michael Chard said the new depot addressed a critical gap in the region by bringing large-scale, modern warehousing capabilities to the Barossa, reducing the need to transport products further afield for storage.

“By providing storage solutions closer to their origin, we are able to facilitate reduced customer transportation costs and carbon footprint,” Chard said.

Full Wi-Fi integration will support future upgrades to the automated warehousing systems, including temperature-controlled storage capabilities and other technological advances in their warehousing processes.

The project is expected to be completed in March 2025 with future scope for a second stage should customer demand require additional large-scale warehousing.

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