The Vineyard

       The Gunbarrel Grapes vineyard is located 12.5km east of Wiluna on the western end of the Gunbarrel Highway. Map co-ordinates are 26 degrees 36'S and 120 degrees 20' E. It is 180 km east of Meekatharra, 550 km north of Kalgoorlie and 1200 km from Perth.
   The vineyard is situated on Packsaddle Farm, originally a 'Miner's Homestead Lease' one of several excised from Millbillillie Station to provide the Wiluna population of around 9,000 with fresh meat and produce in the early 1900s. The lease is now a Special Horticultural Lease.
       Gunbarrel Grapes is the registered name of the business which originally had eight partners. They brought with them to the Partnership a variety of skills in horticulture and agriculture, administration, planning and business experience. All of the partners had spent many years in the outback of WA and were familiar with the problems associated with harsh climatic conditions and isolation.
   A feasibility study lasting nine months was undertaken in 1994-95, to assess the profitability of the proposed venture. Professional soil and water analyses were undertaken to determine their suitability for table grape production. The detailed study concluded that a commercially viable table grape vineyard could be established in the Wiluna region. The establishment of a successful venture could encourage other parties to invest in similar viticultural enterprises in the area, thus encouraging regional diversification and development.
   The area for planting was cleared and the trellising and irrigation system was constructed in May 1995. One of the partners, Simon Thomas, was appointed Resident Manager, Vineyard Operations.

The Grapes

    The table grape project commenced in May, 1995, with a five hectare planting of Red Globe, (2.5 ha), Dawn Seedless, (1.0 ha) and Flame Seedless, (1.5 ha). These varieties at the time seemed the most suitable as recommended by Agriculture WA. After the second harvest in 1998, it was becoming apparent that the climate and soil conditions were not conducive to the colouring of the 4 ha of red grape varieties. The two underlying reasons for this seemed to be:

1. For uniform berry colour the vines need cool nights, (ie < 21° C) during this period, when the night temperatures in Wiluna are seldom less than 25°C
2. The native vegetation is mulga which is leguminous and therefore nitrogen-fixing, making the soil and water high in nitrates which inhibits the deep red berry colour which the market demands.

    It also became clear that the 2.5 ha of Red Globe were not ready for harvest pre-Christmas and coincided with the greater production from the Swan Valley in early January, bringing reduced prices and profitability for the enterprise.
    After persevering for three years, the decision was made at the end of harvest in January 1999, to convert the entire vineyard to white seedless varieties. This factor immediately resolved the problem of berry colour and enabled the production of those grape varieties which meet the high market demand for white seedless varieties in Perth pre-Christmas.
    Consequently, in January, 1999 all of the red Flame Seedless vines were grafted over to either Dawn Seedless or Sultana varieties. In September that year grafting of the Red Globe vines to Dawn Seedless and Sultana was undertaken.
    A further 5 ha of another white seedless variety was planted in 2000, and harvested in 2002 and 2003 under the name 'Menindie' which gave promising results.
    This new planting brought the total area of the vineyard under production to 10 ha with a total of 12,000 vines. These early maturing grapes together with the existing Dawn Seedless and Sultana varieties ensured a four week harvest period from early December of white seedless grapes.

Mission Statement

Gunbarrel Grapes Partnership is dedicated to profitable, innovative and sustainable practice, producing table grapes in accordance with Hazard Analysis at Critical Control Point (HACCP) Certification.
Objectives:

1. To maximise profits through sound business practice.
2. To maintain best practice in the table grape industry through the adoption of current technologies and research findings.
3. To minimize the use of chemicals in the production of table grapes.
4. To encourage local expansion of the industry in the Wiluna region.

Conclusion

Gunbarrel Grapes Partnership's table grape project was designed to benefit the local economy through the creation of a new industry, increasing employment opportunities in the Wiluna district. The vineyard, during its ten years of production, proved that an alternative to traditional pastoral endeavours could be achieved. However, increased costs of fuel, chemicals, packaging and labour have not been matched by grape sale prices. The decision to cease production of table grapes was reluctantly made in 2008.