The Story of Murrin Bridge Wines

The Murrin Bridge Vineyard (MBV) arose out of a Community Development and Employment Program (CDEP) project of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) undertaken in 1999 by five members of the Murrin Bridge Aboriginal Community. The five received training for a Diploma in Viticulture from the Technical and Further Education (TAFE) College in Griffith.

The original intention was to grow grapes as the practical component of the TAFE program and sell the grapes to a local winery – in other words, to be a small commodity supplier. This indeed was what occurred: an initial 5 acres was planted with Shiraz grapes in 1999. The potential for the development of a wine-making business was recognised and resulted in the first vineyard to be owned and managed by Aboriginal peoples in Australia.