The Jones Family received their first parcel of land in the Jordan Valley in 1818.
Our story
Although the physical location has since changed, the Jones family have maintained their farming origins and, seven generations later, are still successfully farming the region.
After 20 years building a successful travel agency, Andrew and Karen were working hard and enjoying the corporate lifestyle, but something was missing. They started looking for an opportunity to slow down, try something new and slowly ease off the stress of running a large business. Around the same time, Andrew’s parents Sue and Phil were looking to sell the land and retire. A favourite saying in our family ‘life is all about timing’ and it seemed like this timing could not have been more perfect. Not wanting to see the farm leave the family, Andrew and Karen decided to purchase Invercarron and began running sheep and planting crops.
You can take the man out of the business but you can’t take the business out of the man. Andrew, constantly looking to diversify and grow the farm, was looking for a new project – in 2017 Invercarron Wines was born and The Picker’s Hut accommodation added to the farm shortly after.
The hut’s history
The original hut has an incredibly rich history. It was an original hut from the Brighton Army Camp and was built to house Tasmanian soldiers before they departed to fight in World War Two. The huts were also used to house prisoners of war from 1944-1946, immigrants from Europe in the late 1940’s, shelter for victims of the 1967 bushfires and intermittently for camps for army cadets. The camp was decommissioned in 1999 and the huts have been sitting idle ever since. When the opportunity came along to purchase this small slice of history it could not be turned down – what better way to honour the hut’s history than repurposing it and sharing it with guests.
The hut was transported to its current location in 2016. Since then, it has been used as a base for the vineyard workers and fruit pickers to rest and refuel whilst working long days nurturing the vines. Although the external structure has changed, the original foundations and floorboards are the same – and it is important for us to make sure the history of the building is not forgotten.
"...stylish and luxuriously appointed accommodation, fantastic hosts"
- Jim, Air BnB
