The Festival of the Lamb is an event sponsored by the Mintaro Progress Association designed to honour the role sheep have played in the history of South Australia’s mid-north. The event will run for a week from Wednesday 15th September to Tuesday 22nd September – the Spring Equinox.

Special events will be run at two major historical sheep grazing homesteads – Bungaree Station and Martindale Hall. There is a woolen products exhibition being held on Sunday 19th in Auburn.

The Watervale Hotel has two events. The first is a Sunday ‘Political Roast’ on the 20th were a whole lamb will be roasted with Nicola Palmer and her team serving the beast nose to tail for guests. The lamb will not be the only one roasted. The event will also be a political roast featuring Federal Senators from both sides of politics, but three things in common – love of wine, the Clare Valley, and tourism. The event will feature wines from Shadow Tourism Minister Don Farrell and Kirrihill Wines Chaired by former Liberal Senator Sean Edwards. COVID-19 restrictions permitting, the event will be MC’d by another Clare boy, Rob Geddes, Master of Wine.

On Tuesday 22nd September, Penobscot Farm will host a Farm Tour and permaculture discussion before a Spring Equinox Degustation feast at the Watervale Hotel matched to Kilikanoon Wines. Kilikanoon will celebrate its relationship with the Watervale sub-appellation and demonstrate the evolution of wine style, showing Riesling, Grenache, Shiraz, and Cabernet from Watervale which includes museum wines, trophy winners and a couple of wines yet to be released.

Importantly lambs for both roasts will be supplied by Martindale Farm, selected for ethical farming practices through processing at Menzels Meats of Kapunda, and traced for delivery to the Hotel kitchen.

Tickets are available for each event by visiting the Watervale Hotel ‘experiences’ page on