Gutsy on KI promises a bold, brave, food-filled long weekend away
Fewer than 5000 people live permanently on Kangaroo Island – but those who do can claim to be ‘gutsy’. It’s the idea behind the island’s annual winter food and wine gathering on the June long weekend.
False Cape Wines owner Julie Helyar is someone used to a more challenging workday, having lived on the Kangaroo Island for decades.
“It’s not the easiest place to run a business – everything has to go over and back on the ferry and obviously, living in a pristine place, we’ve got a lot of wildlife,” Julie says.
“As far as our vineyard goes, we’ve had to fence the wildlife out, while the birds love to come in and eat our grapes and vines.
“The fantastic people we have living here, they [operate businesses] not so much for the money, but for the lifestyle on Kangaroo Island.”
On the upcoming June long weekend, False Cape Wines will be one of the venues hosting events during Gutsy Kangaroo Island.
Gutsy explains itself: “Kangaroo Island’s bold, brave and gritty celebration of wine, spirits, beer, cider and food culture is built on guts and determination”.
Across the Friday, Saturday and Sunday there will be plenty to tempt visitors, from a refreshing dip in the Kingscote Tidal Pool at sunrise, to acoustic music in the oyster sheds, to the nightly after party at the Penneshaw Pub.
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Local produce is highlighted at Gutsy Kangaroo Island
People keen for the weekend away should register for tickets and to be notified about new additions to the program.
Julie plans to share the authentic Kangaroo Island with visitors – that means a wine shed dressed in hessian and fairy lights, people huddling round campfires with locals keen for a night out, and meats cooked over coals.
The winery’s previous event was hugely successful with “mainlanders” and the neighbours.
“We get a lot of local support from around our area, [locals] who just always want to come out for a party, especially when you get a band,” Julie says.
With fewer visitors mid-year, those who do travel are rewarded with unhurried chats with the producers and owners across the island, as well as lesser seen landscapes.
“Winter is beautiful on Kangaroo Island, it’s so green on green and the wildlife comes out more in the wintertime […] and the stars at night are just amazing at that time of year,” Julie says.
While there are days where storms pound the beaches and spectacular conservation parks, the island’s maritime climate delivers nights that are generally mild and days hovering around 17 degrees.
Hang out with the locals at Gutsy Kangaroo Island
A recent exit survey found 96 per cent of visitors would recommend Kangaroo Island to others as a holiday destination; it is probable those withholding their endorsement arrived when the rains were beating down and the winds howling.
Like the other islanders, Julie and her husband Jamie take their roles as producers seriously; he is a third-generation sheep farmer from the island’s MacGillivray area.
They embrace sustainable practices in their dry-grown vineyards where cooling evening breezes in the summer help to slow the ripening of fruit and make the flavours and colours more intense.
Their sheep keep weeds between the vines in check, while wild turkeys devour any snails and pests.
“At sunset, they go back to roost up in the Wilson River, up in the creek line at nighttime, but otherwise they just roam free,” Julie shares.
The mob numbers around 200, with healthy chick numbers this year thanks to a program to eradicate feral cats on the eastern end of the island, and visitors can see them on the drive to the cellar door.
As a child, Julie used to stay in a shack at Vivonne Bay with her family every May during school holidays, and her parents have since moved there permanently.
She met Jamie 37 years ago, when she travelled from the mainland to teach at one of the area schools, and she’s now a local.
For her, Gutsy is about “mainlanders” getting to spend a fabulous foodie weekend away and connect with the resilient, hard-working people of Kangaroo Island, but she does have one piece of advice.
“People, it’s winter, so bring your jackets!”
Gutsy Kangaroo Island runs Friday, 6 June – Sunday, 8 June 2025. More info at the website.