Discover Penola

Penola can be explored for trip planning through two themes: the history of the town and its districts, and nature and walking destinations in town and the surrounding area. To decide whether Penola fits the focus of your trip, it is worth looking at both. The cultural attractions range from exhibitions about specific historical figures to a protected building and neighboring heritage precincts. Outdoors, an arboretum trail, the Coonawarra Rail Trail and the landscapes of the nearby Conservation Park offer distinct experiences.

Exhibitions and local history

At the Interpretive Centre of the Mary MacKillop Penola Centre, exhibitions focus on Mary MacKillop’s years in Penola and Julian Tenison Woods’s time in the Penola district. The themes share a regional context but have different focuses: MacKillop’s years in Penola take centre stage, while Woods’s time in the district is the focus of the other exhibitions. This gives you a clear point of reference when you want to understand specific historical connections to the town.

The John Riddoch Centre offers another perspective. It is located in the Penola Mechanics Institute and Public Library. The building is protected as State Heritage and was originally built in 1869. The local history exhibition invites you to trace the history of the people who lived and worked in the Penola area and its various districts from the 1850s onwards. Its historical scope therefore extends beyond the building’s construction history, focusing on the people and their work in the region. The Centre also includes the Penola and Coonawarra Information Centre.

The Penola State Heritage Area connects the two adjoining heritage precincts of Petticoat Lane and Woods MacKillop Schoolhouse. Alongside the exhibitions and historic building, these two neighboring precincts are also linked. This spatial perspective helps you consider the individual attractions and the connection between the precincts as distinct aspects of Penola’s heritage.

Landscapes and trails around Penola

In the area around Penola, visitors can discover wetlands, woodland and open heathland in Penola Conservation Park. These three landscape types give the park a different focus from the exhibitions and buildings in town: here, the emphasis is on a range of natural environments. When planning your trip, it is helpful to distinguish destinations in Penola from the nearby park if you want to organize culture and landscape as separate themes.

The Greenrise Arboretum Trail in Penola features 6,000 trees, 1,200 metres of trails and 110 tree species. These figures describe different aspects of the destination: the number of trees, the variety of species and the total length of the trails. This means you can get a sense of the trail both from its trees and their diversity, and from its network of paths.

The Coonawarra Rail Trail runs from the historic town of Penola through the Coonawarra wine region. The Penola–Coonawarra Railway Siding section begins in the south-western district of Penola; access is also available at the Robe Road and Jessie Street crossings. There are two aspects to distinguish: the route of the entire trail describes the connection from Penola through the wine region, while the crossings mentioned provide access to a specific section. This gives you both an overview of the route and practical guidance for this part of the trail.

Discover more destinations: Beachport, Millicent, Southend, Coonawarra.

For the broader travel overview: Wattle Range Council.