Heritage winery to be revived

The company behind Dome cafes is planning to redevelop one of Perth’s oldest wineries in tandem with a state government upgrade of the surrounding parkland.

Be Our Guest Holdings Pty Ltd will convert the old Luisini Winery in suburban Kingsley into a community café, adding to the range of hospitality projects undertaken by the Perth company.

The redevelopment was announced yesterday by premier Roger Cook, who said the government would deliver on an election commitment to spend $8.5 million building a nature play area and boardwalk in Yellagonga regional park.

The Luisini Winery operated from the 1920s to the 1980s, when the site was purchased by the state government.

The property has been managed since then by the National Trust of WA, which conducted an expression of interest for a redevelopment of the heritage buildings.

Be Our Guest Holdings, led by Nigel Oakey, plans to utilise most of the concrete wine barrels, limestone walls, wooden eaves and steel doors at the site.

It is expected that the development will be complete in 18 months.

It adds to heritage projects the company has undertaken, including at the Premier Mill Hotel in Katanning and the Farmers’ Home Hotel in Northam.

Mr Cook said the redevelopment will provide a southern entry statement to Yellagonga regional park.

“It will complement our $8.5 million commitment to help create a Kings Park of the north by including an all-abilities nature playground on the banks of Lake Goollelal, with signage in Aboriginal, English and Italian,” he said.

“I know the local community has been looking forward to seeing a sympathetic development here at Luisini Winery, and while it may have been a hidden secret up until now, it won’t be for much longer.”