Barossa Council, SA
The Big Project
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The Project
The Big Project is the Barossa region’s largest and most ambitious community infrastructure project. It provides a blueprint for our investment in recreation, culture and social infrastructure over a 35-year horizon.
Our vision is to deliver health and wellbeing outcomes and sustainable jobs and growth that genuinely transform the Barossa, an engine room of SA’s economy. Infrastructure upgrades valued at $29.3M are currently funded through The Big Project, including $8.6M Commonwealth and State grant funding.
The project is transformational because it leverages and value-adds to the internationally-recognised regional attributes of “Brand Barossa” – wine, food and tourism. We have partnered with Cricket Australia, SA Cricket Association (SACA) and South Australian National Football League (SANFL) to create “the best sports tourism events destination outside Adelaide” (Source: joint Memorandum of Understanding). We are attracting national and state elite sporting events to build our events profile; boost intra-state and interstate visitation; diversify the regional economy and build economic resilience at a time when our traditional commodity and export markets (wine, food, tourism) are in decline due to Covid-19, Chinese tariffs and drought.
We are upgrading our sports and recreation precincts (new change rooms, clubrooms, lighting, cricket nets, ovals) and building State award-winning social and play spaces (accessible and inter-generational inclusion playgrounds and open space precincts). This is delivering vibrant and inclusive multi-use community hubs, especially in growth areas where open space is at a premium and participation rates are declining. Our multi-layered, intergenerational response to infrastructure investment, achieved with ongoing community consultation, is transforming how our community comes together, contributing to improved liveability; active recreation outcomes; and greater community connection across all sporting codes, grades and genders.
Our use of local and SA contractors during master planning, detailed design and construction phases ensures we are building local capability and creating sustainable jobs beyond the life of individual projects to further strengthen investment and development opportunities.
The Big Project is supported by community, business, industry and arts sectors at local, regional and peak body level. The comparatively high level of public sector investment in a regional Council validates both our methodology and track record of project delivery.