Taking care of an icon
In 1840, when William Jacob settled on a small piece of land next to an unnamed creek, he would have never dreamed that it would one day become an icon of premium wine, known around the world. Jacob’s Creek, as it is now famously known, is still flowing and is an important part of our heritage as winemakers.
In the late 1990’s we took the initiative to reverse some of the most significant environmental impacts on the natural environment of Jacob’s Creek and its surrounding areas. With the help of other landowners and the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges NRM Board, we started tackling the weed infestation of the creek and flood plains. Our main focus was the removal of introduced plants that had, over the years, crowded out native plants, damaging the habitat and food resources for our native animals.
In less than 20 years, the transformation here has been extraordinary. Remnant patches of scrub and riparian plant communities are now healthier and due to our replanting efforts swathes of native plant and trees are thriving.
If you look closely, you may be lucky enough to see Superb Fairy Wrens, one of the many small bird species that are enjoying the shrubs and understorey that is now established. A variety of reptiles, including the famed Sleepy Lizards make the litter layer and undergrowth their home and the creek positively teems with life.
In 2009, we also began a large revegetation project in an area within the Jacob’s Creek catchment known as ‘Menge’s Island’. This is a once in a generation opportunity to return a significant amount of land to native vegetation and improve biodiversity. This has included making good use of seeds from the local grasses, shrubs and trees of Jacob’s Creek. It is our hope that this new island of biodiversity, along with the nearby parcel of land at Centenary Hill, will help reconnect previously stranded patches of vegetation, creating a wildlife corridor for our local plants and animals.
 Along with our other environmental efforts we are committed to ensuring that these improvements are maintained, and the survival of some of the most fragile native animals and plants is secured. This is an on-going project, which relies on many hours of hard work and dedication from our employees and the support of the local community.
