From a weekend venture for self-professed hobby winemakers, Brokenwood Wines evolved into one of Australia’s most reputable wine labels.

At Brokenwood, they are dedicated to creating excellent wines and an even better visitor experience. Taste a drop of their award winning Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz or beloved Cricket Pitch range while you dine at their modern Australian The Wood Restaurant or Terrace Wine Bar.

Formerly a passion project, Brokenwood Wines was formed in 1970 by a trio of Sydney-based solicitors, Tony Albert, John Beeston and James Halliday, in the foothills of the Brokenback Ranges. Now a leading 5-star winery icon of the Hunter Valley, Brokenwood Wines and Vineyard is a certified member of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia with a strong and extensive commitment to improving their sustainability efforts. This commitment was their main motivation for undertaking the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard, delivered in partnership with Destination NSW.

“We saw the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard as an opportunity to inform our potential guests and industry peers about what we are doing here at Brokenwood Wines in regard to sustainability,” said Laboratory Supervisor & Sustainability Manager, Lorrae St Vincent.

“For us it’s all about developing continuous improvement practices across all areas of the business that promote sustainable environmental and social outcomes, so it was a good way to benchmark our current practices and identify some of these areas we need to improve on moving forward,” she continued.

After completing the Scorecard, Brokenwood Wines received a detailed feedback report with acknowledgements and recommendations against each of the 50 criteria. This was helpful in setting a pathway for further improvement.

“It is good to get a different perspective on the systems you have in place and whether they are in fact adequate or require further development in the short and long term sustainability strategies of the business. Our next steps involve formulating a plan of attack to address those key areas where we need to put better systems in place, and incorporate them into everyday business practice,” said Lorrae.

But the Scorecard is not just about how you can improve, it is also an opportunity to proudly demonstrate your existing sustainability achievements to guests.

“The Scorecard program is a great opportunity to showcase the achievements we’ve made across the business in terms of sustainability management and highlight the areas where we need to improve for the benefit of our customers and the broader community.”

And Brokenwood have accrued many shining achievements over their 10-year sustainability journey.

As well as adopting the Australian Grape & Wine sector’s Emissions Reduction Roadmap with the aim to reduce carbon emissions throughout their production chain by 42 percent by 2030, they are also a signatory to the Australian Packaging Covenant and are committed to achieving the 2025 National Packaging Targets. Their Graveyard Vineyard is one of four demonstration sites selected to be part of the National Ecovineyards Program in the Hunter Valley region with a Biodiversity Action Plan to enhance soil health and oversee the planting of native insectary corridors.

For the business’ next steps, they will be using the assessment feedback to guide their future action.

“Now we have identified where we need to improve, we will aim to put systems in place that will help our business achieve a higher score on the Scorecard next time around.”

Brokenwood Wines’ Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard is available on the Sustainability section of their website so that guests and peers can follow along with their sustainability journey. You can view their sustainability page here: https://www.brokenwood.com.au/About/Sustainability

Brokenwood Wines completed their Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard on 9 October 2023 and is a snapshot of their current sustainability practices. The scorecard is not a certification and is valid for 12 months upon completion.

• Introduce a balanced structure of member-elected Directors (maximum 5) and Board-appointed Directors (maximum 4)
• Update Director terms from 2 years to 3 years, with a maximum of two terms (6 years total)
• Meet current regulatory requirements for a Company Limited by Guarantee
• Be modernised and contemporary to meet Ecotourism Australia’s strategic imperatives and our objectives
• Provide a streamlined and concise governance framework.

Tribal Warrior is a not-for-profit organisation started in 1998 when a group of Redfern residents passionate about their heritage came together with the vision of revitalising Aboriginal culture through economic and social stability.

Seeking to offer local men the opportunity of cultural engagement while finding employment the founders began the venture with maritime training. From their starting philosophy, Tribal Warrior has now expanded into a successful social enterprise to grow employment, wealth generation opportunities and strong cultural bonds for their community.

With a desire to proudly share their unique cultural heritage and the wealth of knowledge held by their Elders and community with the world, Tribal Warrior began their transition to the tourism industry. ECO Certification was one of the first accreditations the company applied for after beginning their tourism venture.

“ECO Certification made sense for us to be associated with as it was an organisation that promoted and endorsed nature-based tourism. As an Aboriginal owned and operated business, our core beliefs really align with Ecotourism Australia – connecting to culture and connecting to country is what we provide,” said Marie Hiles, Operations Manager at Tribal Warrior.

For their business, they have seen the positive benefit that ECO Certification can bring to their visitor experience.

“ECO Certification provides a benchmark for our business to provide high quality experiences for the market it has opened our doors to. During our 10 years of membership, we have seen a marginal increase in our business.”

To complement their ECO Certification and receive recognition for their commitment to authentic Aboriginal tourism they have also achieved Respecting Our Culture (ROC) Certification with Ecotourism Australia. Tribal Warrior actively engages with their local community through programs like their Clean Slate Without Prejudice initiative which supports Indigenous youth in the community to learn and practice culture, routine, discipline, and respect through mentoring and group activities.

“Tribal Warrior Aboriginal Cultural Cruises are most proud of our socio-economic sustainability over many years. Through our tourism product, we have provided our Aboriginal community with employment opportunities they may never have imagined being involved in,” said Marie.

“Most importantly though is the sharing of our beautiful culture to the younger generations. This has kept our long-lived culture alive and provided job opportunities as Cultural Educators and performers.”

Through the transition to tourism and commitment to best practice sustainability and cultural respect, they have witnessed the strengthening of their community as well as the growing interest of visitors in cultural tourism.

“Tribal Warrior Aboriginal Cultural Cruises keeps our culture and history of Sydney Harbour alive, along with the deep connection we hold to country. Our tourism product gives back to the community of Redfern through revenue streams that keep grass roots programs running in the area,” shared Marie.

“Our cruises are informative and transformative for the passengers that come onboard to see and hear the stories of the oldest continuous living culture in the world.”

For the past 10 years, Tribal Warrior has continuously invested in best-practice sustainability for their visitor experiences that addresses the four pillars of sustainability: environmental, socio-economic, cultural and sustainable management. Having achieved a decade of ECO Certification, the company was appointed as a Green Travel Leader in 2023.

Check out Tribal Warrior’s Cultural Cruise on the Green Travel Guide: https://greentravelguide.org/listing/tribal-warrior

• Introduce a balanced structure of member-elected Directors (maximum 5) and Board-appointed Directors (maximum 4)
• Update Director terms from 2 years to 3 years, with a maximum of two terms (6 years total)
• Meet current regulatory requirements for a Company Limited by Guarantee
• Be modernised and contemporary to meet Ecotourism Australia’s strategic imperatives and our objectives
• Provide a streamlined and concise governance framework.

Freycinet Experience Walk began as a passion project by Joan Masterman, a former town planner and lover of the Freycinet Peninsula, to protect Tasmania’s wild and vulnerable places.

After previously creating Tasmania’s first guided hut hike along the renowned Overland Track in Cradle Mountain, known as the Cradle Huts Walk, Joan and architect Ken Latona embarked on a new adventure in 1992. Together they founded their second multi-day hiking experience: a four-day coastal adventure centred on a sustainably designed, minimalist, award-winning Friendly Beaches Lodge in Freycinet National Park.

Having turned these eco-dreams into reality, Joan became the sole owner and operator. She has kept the experience as a family affair, involving her grandson Isaac, who started as an experienced nature guide before becoming the Marketing and Sales manager, and his sister, who embarked on her first season as Lodge Host in 2022/23. Their parents, Michael and Holly, have also been actively involved.

Due to their commitment to sustainability, in 2019 Joan was awarded the Order of Australia in recognition of her ‘significant contribution to tourism in Tasmania and to conservation and the environment’.

Their sustainability efforts only grown since the business’ inception and they achieved Advanced Ecotourism Certification with Ecotourism Australia in 2013, to continue on the sustainability pathway to best-practice standards. Now, they are celebrating 10 years of ECO Certification, giving their tourism business a positive spin.

“Certification has immense significance to our business. Our certification from Ecotourism Australia, which we have proudly held for over a decade, is not only an endorsement of our commitment to environmentally sustainable tourism but also a testament to our ongoing dedication in upholding these standards”, said Isaac Hasterman, the Marketing and Sales manager.

The Advanced Ecotourism Certification allows Freycinet Experience Walk to demonstrate their credibility as a result of independent auditing and commitment to involving guests in their sustainability mission.

“We believe it places us as leaders in the field of sustainable tourism, offering assurance to our guests that we not only provide a luxurious experience but one that respects and preserves the natural environment. This certification underlines our ethos – to seamlessly blend with the environment we are fortunate to be a part of and to promote a strong sense of stewardship for these unique landscapes among our visitors”.

Over the years, they have continued to minimise their environmental impact as much as possible, especially with the Friendly Beaches Lodge:

“While we are immensely proud of all our sustainability initiatives, the initiative we are most proud of is the development of our ‘Invisible Lodge.’ Friendly Beaches Lodge, designed under the architectural vision of the late Ken Latona. It truly embodies the philosophy that buildings should ‘touch the earth lightly.’ It was constructed with due consideration to the environment and local conditions, using low-impact materials and conforming to the natural landscape to the point of being virtually unseen”, said Isaac.

Waste generated is also minimised through a comprehensive recycling program, and efforts are always made to prevent degradation and reduce environmental impact in daily activities.

“Our eco-conscious design extends to the use of solar power for lighting, clean rainwater for drinking, and composting toilets. All of these components have resulted in an offering that is not just environmentally friendly, but also harmonious with the surrounding environment, providing a unique and memorable experience for our guests”.

Learn more about the Freycinet Experience Walk and this rare wilderness escape opportunity:

www.greentravelguide.org/listing/freycinet-experience-walk