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Fast forward 12 years to 2005 and Tom\u2019s parents had called a meeting to discuss the future of the family property, Wilkadene. \u201cThey had decided to put the place up for sale,\u201d Tom says. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to see that happen, because of all the fond memories we had here, so I thought I\u2019d come back and give it a crack.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The journey to success has not been without its challenges. \u201cAs we were one of the first craft breweries in the state, there wasn\u2019t much of a precedent for councils to work with in terms of brewery instalments and requirements,\u201d Tom explains. \u201cSo there was a real feeling of being passed around between different government departments for a long while without much progress being made. Also, due to our location on the riverbank, we had significant issues with the EPA [Environment Protection Australia] and the Department of Environment and Native Title, to name just a few. After a year of negotiations and with help from planners at our local council, we were permitted to start brewing in July 2009. However, we only officially opened to the public in 2013 once we had finished our new toilet block.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Located at Murtho, about 20 kilometres from Renmark, on the banks of the Murray River, the first cottage on the historic property was built in 1859 from locally quarried limestone. The property has since had three owners, including a family who drowned, on separate occasions, in the river. (The bodies of the father, son and two daughters, all of whom were taken by the mighty Murray, rest in the cemetery adjacent to the property.) Tom\u2019s parents bought Wilkadene in 1988, when he was just 10. There they raised sheep for wool, cropped wheat, farmed almonds and rented out houseboats to tourists. When Tom took over the property in 2005, he knew the business strategy had to change quite drastically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Something's](\"https:\/\/www.australiancountry.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/2-5.png\")
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\u201cIt was during the big millennial drought, so it was a really stressed economic time in the area,\u201d he explains. \u201cMy parents and two older brothers had all moved away, and at the time we were still involved in the farming side of the business, mainly the almonds, the irrigated farming. The drought made us realise that our reliance on the Murray was a bit of a problem. I\u2019d always had this idea of doing something with this part of the old shearing shed, and I\u2019d been inspired by a brewery pub I had visited in England. Everyone said I was mad, but I thought now\u2019s the time to take a chance and do something crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.australiancountry.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/7-5.png\")
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Twenty years later, that \u201ccrazy\u201d idea has blossomed into a successful business, Woolshed Brewery, which Tom operates with his wife Sarah, head brewer Jack Beavis and a team of six full-time staff, two permanent part-timers and about 10 or so casuals for weekends and peak periods. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Something's](\"https:\/\/www.australiancountry.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/6-5.png\")
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Today, they brew and serve a range of craft beers, including lagers, ales, stouts and kettle sours, most of which have won them awards. They also make seltzers, ciders and hard lemonades under the Utopia label. Tom\u2019s current favourite brew is called the Big Orange, which is a kettle sour beer mixed with local fresh orange juice. Like most good things, Tom says \u201cit\u2019s a bit divisive. You either love it or you hate it\u201d. To reduce the reliance on the Murray for water, they use only rainwater for the brewing process, which Tom says in a low-rainfall region can be challenging at times. Although they don\u2019t have a kitchen on-site, they do offer a range of local produce, such as cheeses and olives. They also have a rotation of caterers each weekend, serving everything from fish and chips to wood-fired pizzas and Thai food. But the brewery\u2019s biggest attraction is its position on the Murray. Customers can park their vehicles, whether houseboats, tinnies or jet skis, right out front. \u201cWe\u2019re quite unique because we\u2019re right on the river,\u201d Tom says. \u201cSo just today [3pm on a weekday], we\u2019ve already had four or five houseboats pull through.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Something's](\"https:\/\/www.australiancountry.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5-5.png\")
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