There is a lot you miss when you drive straight through a regional town, which is why I have been deliberately getting off the highway, exploring roads I have not travelled before, walking main streets, buying from independent businesses and sitting down with people to hear what they are working on.
The Sea to Valley Startups road trips have taken me across the Barossa Valley, Kapunda, Mallala, Two Wells, Port Pirie and other parts of regional South Australia, with visits to farms, wineries, cafés, shops, tourism operators and emerging experience-based businesses. Not every stop has been part of one continuous trip, and there are many more places still to visit, but the purpose remains the same: to meet people where they are, understand their ideas and challenges, make useful introductions and uncover opportunities that are difficult to see from behind a laptop.
What I have discovered is a diverse regional business ecosystem that can be viewed from the sky, experienced along the street and properly understood through conversations across the café table.
Starting with local conversations in Kapunda
In Kapunda, I hosted Local Tea with Wendy, an informal gathering designed to encourage practical conversations between business owners and people developing new ideas. These sessions are not about collecting business cards or sitting through presentations; they create space for people to discuss their customers, marketing, products, services and immediate priorities while identifying connections that could help them move forward.
I have also been photographing the independent shops, cafés, restaurants and businesses I find along the way because they collectively give each town its character and economic resilience. A strong regional economy is rarely built around a single business or project; it is created by many small businesses employing local people, serving their communities, attracting visitors and supporting one another.
Gilberdale Farm: quality produce and a shorter supply chain
One of the standout discoveries was Gilberdale Farm(opens in new tab), a family business producing Australian White lamb using regenerative agricultural practices and a conscientious paddock-to-plate approach. The business is preparing to expand into beef, while developing direct-to-customer products that include lamb, mince, sausages and mixed boxes.
I can personally recommend the sausages, which were amazing, but there is a much bigger business story behind the taste. Gilberdale is adding value to what it produces, shortening the distance between the farm and the customer, and keeping more economic activity within the local farming and business community.
For anyone developing an agribusiness or regional food idea, Gilberdale raises useful questions about where value can be added, what customers might buy directly and how collaboration with other producers could expand the range without requiring one farm to produce everything itself.
Belivnu Equestrian: validating an experience before scaling it
On another trip, I visited Allie at Belivnu Equestrian near Peep Hill, where she is exploring and validating experiences involving horses, Brumbies and a little pony for children. The property is remarkable, but what interested me from a startup perspective was seeing a new business concept while it was still being tested and refined.
People sometimes believe that every element of an idea must be perfectly packaged before customers can experience it, when early validation is often far more valuable. By inviting people in, observing what captures their attention and asking what they enjoyed, remembered and might pay for, a business owner can shape an experience around real customer responses rather than assumptions.
For a regional experience business, the product is not simply the horse, farm, vineyard or beautiful property. The real product is the complete experience that encourages someone to travel, participate, share photographs, tell other people and perhaps return with family or friends.
Yoga, wellbeing and Barossa tourism
At Peter Lehmann Wines, I visited Leah Cooper and learned more about her yoga and wellbeing offering based around Ki. This is another example of the possibilities created when regional businesses and experiences intersect, connecting a beautiful wine-region setting with yoga, movement, wellbeing, food, accommodation and tourism.
Visitors do not necessarily think about these as separate industries; they are more likely to ask what they can do during a day, weekend or regional escape. That distinction matters because businesses that understand the complete visitor experience can identify partnerships and packages that would be difficult to create alone.
Seeing the Barossa business ecosystem from the sky
One of the most memorable perspectives came from Barossa Helicopters(opens in new tab). I had wanted to take a scenic helicopter flight for some time, but I was interested in seeing much more than the vineyards from above. I wanted to understand the broader business ecosystem of farms, wineries, food producers, accommodation providers, tourism experiences, pubs, shops and main streets that collectively make the Barossa work.
What particularly impressed me was the Barossa Helicopters partnership model. The business is not simply selling seats in a helicopter; it is connecting customers with a wider regional experience through collaborations with wineries, food producers, accommodation providers and tourism businesses.
Its experience partners have included St Hugo, Artisans of Barossa, Barossa Valley Chocolate Company, Pindarie Wines, Seppeltsfield, Kies Family Wines and Barossa Pavilions/The Glasshouse. Customised experiences can also involve Paulmara Estates and private picnics overlooking the surrounding vineyards, while premium accommodation partnerships with Kingsford The Barossa and The Louise create further opportunities for transfers and exclusive packages.
The multiplier effect is significant because someone who initially books a helicopter flight may also visit a winery, enjoy lunch, purchase local produce, stay overnight and book another experience. One customer can therefore generate value for several regional businesses, while the combined experience gives that customer more reasons to visit, stay longer and recommend the destination.
You do not need a helicopter to apply this model. One of the most useful questions any regional business can ask is: Who serves the same customer as I do but offers something different?
Getting Stuff Done in Mallala
At Mallala, we ran a Get Stuff Done: Building a Stronger Business day, based on the understanding that small business owners do not always need another presentation about what they should be doing. Sometimes they need protected time, practical guidance and someone knowledgeable nearby while they open the laptop and tackle the task that has remained on their list for months.
Participants could work on a business plan, improve an offer, write an important email, sort out marketing content, address something on their website or talk through a business problem. This practical approach is becoming increasingly important across Sea to Valley Startups activities because a focused couple of hours can give someone the momentum to complete something they have struggled to begin alone.
Two Wells: understanding what regional growth means for business
The Two Wells event provided another perspective by combining business succession, economic development and future regional growth. Adelaide Plains Council shared information about population growth, development and emerging economic opportunities, helping local businesses understand what is changing and what those changes could mean for them.
Tony and Nev Smith shared the Rawnsley Park Station story, covering succession, diversification and leadership transition as the family developed a working sheep station into one of South Australia’s best-known regional tourism businesses while maintaining its connection with the pastoral property.
The event also looked towards future growth through representatives connected with Dublin Green, the Northern Adelaide Plains Food Cluster and Alinta Energy’s Reeves Plains Energy Hub. Bringing those perspectives together created a valuable conversation about food production, energy, investment, workforce requirements, local supply chains and the opportunities that major developments could generate for smaller businesses.
The most useful question is not simply whether a region is growing, but what residents, workers, visitors and larger businesses will need because of that growth. More people require trades, food, health services, childcare, retail, hospitality, professional services and recreation, while major projects require workers, suppliers, accommodation and local capability. Growth creates gaps, and those gaps can become business opportunities for people who identify and prepare for them early.
Port Pirie: practical support across the café table
Port Pirie has been another recurring stop, where I have met clients in local cafés, explored independent businesses and caught up over lunch at Sporty’s with someone developing a gardening business. These conversations reinforce why Sea to Valley Startups needs to be visible and accessible across the regions.
Business support does not always require a boardroom, formal agenda or PowerPoint presentation. Some of the most productive discussions happen across a café table when someone has the time to explain what is working, what is getting in the way, which decision they are struggling with and what they want to achieve next.
A conversation over coffee or lunch can result in practical advice, a useful introduction, a clearer offer or one achievable action for the coming week. It also supports the café, pub or hospitality business providing the place for that conversation, adding another small but important connection within the local business ecosystem.
Next stop: a working lunch in Wallaroo
The next practical stop is the Back of the Napkin Working Lunch at Anglers Inn in Wallaroo on Tuesday 22 September 2026, from 12.00 to 2.00 pm.
This is not an event where participants will spend two hours listening to presentations. Instead, people are invited to bring a laptop or another device, choose something that has been sitting on their to-do list and use the time to make genuine progress with expert assistance nearby.
The task could be an emerging business idea, an unfinished plan, an important email, a new offer, website content, a marketing activity or a business problem that would benefit from another perspective. Three experienced facilitators will help people work on their business plans, access practical advice or simply get something done, with food and drinks provided and complimentary tickets available.
Book a complimentary place at the Back of the Napkin Working Lunch(opens in new tab)
Even if you cannot attend, please share the invitation with someone in your network who has an idea, a side hustle, an existing business they want to grow or a task they have been putting off. It may be exactly the encouragement and practical support they need.
What the road trips have revealed
Regional South Australia does not lack ideas, capable people or interesting businesses. I have found them on farms, amongst vineyards, alongside horses and Brumbies, in helicopters, throughout independent shops and across tables in cafés and pubs.
The real opportunity emerges when more of those people, ideas and businesses are connected. A farm can transform its produce into a direct-to-customer brand, a property can become a visitor experience, yoga can complement wine tourism, and a helicopter operator can connect accommodation, food, wine and attractions into a memorable regional package. Population growth can generate new customers and supply-chain opportunities, while a conversation over coffee can lead to an introduction that changes the direction of a business.
That is why I will keep travelling the kilometres, visiting businesses and listening to the people behind them.
Where should the Sea to Valley Startups road trip stop next, and which regional South Australian business do more people need to discover?