Iconic southern winery Arrugius – part of the original winery Horndale – hits the market
AJ Kevern outside his historic Happy Valley winery. Picture: Sarah Reed
A piece of southern history could be yours as part of the original Horndale winery in Happy Valley hits the market.
Established in 1896 as the Vales Wine District, and currently run as wine storage facility Arrugius by owner Anthony (AJ) Kevern, 62, the property at 49 Frasers Ave offers buyers the opportunity to write the exciting next chapter of one of the south’s most prominent buildings.
Mr Kevern bought the property in 2005, but his ties to the property go back decades – he started working there seasonally when he was 12.
49 Fraser Ave, Happy Valley. Supplied
49 Fraser Ave, Happy Valley. Supplied
49 Fraser Ave, Happy Valley. Supplied
“I’ve been associated with it for most of my life, and when I bought it it was a logical step because it felt like a second home,” Mr Kevern said.
“I was looking to grow my wine storage business but most of all, because I’m a keen bass player, I wanted a band room – that was probably the biggest driving factor.
“I was having trouble with my neighbours because the bass booms a bit, so I thought a room in the middle of the winery wouldn’t bother anyone.”
The winery has 954,449L of wine storage tanks, a 23,760-bottle select wine cellar, and a wide range of plant equipment.
49 Fraser Ave, Happy Valley. Supplied
49 Fraser Ave, Happy Valley. Supplied
AJ Kevern in his historic Happy Valley winery. Picture: Sarah Reed
49 Fraser Ave, Happy Valley. Supplied
The property also has a renovated home with a pug-style roof and timber features handcrafted from wood salvaged from Centennial Hall stage at the Wayville Showgrounds.
Sitting on a 1.14ha allotment, and with an undercover floorplan of 3269sqm, the property also has a range of potential function areas, including space for a barn-like cellar door and function room, a covered marquee with bar and pizza oven, and a separate band room.
“You can make plenty of money running it as a wine business, but to see it become a major tourism and hospitality destination, that would be incredible,” Mr Kevern says.
49 Fraser Ave, Happy Valley. Supplied
49 Fraser Ave, Happy Valley. Supplied
49 Fraser Ave, Happy Valley. Supplied
With Mr Kevern and his wife Christine now looking to pursue other interests, the time has come to sell.
“I am proud of what I’ve done here and proud that I’ve done it.
“But now I want to live having the memory of it, rather than live in the day-to-day running and maintenance of it.
“I’ve been getting up at 3am, 4am, 5am for most of my life to start work and going to bed at around 11 – I want to wake up at 8am.
“I’d like to see it boom, I’ve had my time here and done exactly what I wanted to do here.”
The property has been listed without a price and will be auctioned on Saturday, August 28 through Robyn Coles, Sadie White and Nathan Fox of Smallacombe Real Estate.
Ms Coles said the business and tourism opportunities the property presented were endless and exciting.
