Named after our family’s ancestor, Christian Auricht.
It is Christian’s original homestead which was built in the 1850’s and has been retained by the family along with the adjacent barn, with great value placed on the heritage significance of the dwelling.
Amongst the Barossa’s First Settlers
Christian Auricht was amongst the first settlers to the Barossa Valley after escaping religious persecution in Hamburg, Germany. After settling in the area he played an integral role in the development of Tanunda township and its surrounding vineyards.
Amongst a number of other settlers, he found the land to be ideal for viticulture and built the foundation for today’s thriving wine industry. Christian purchased many acres of land in the vicinity (including the land where you are now), and in 1843 he planted a 3.5-acre shiraz vineyard that today is believed to be the oldest surviving shiraz vineyard in the world. After just 47 years since first planting vines in this area, the Barossa Valley became one of the largest producers of quality wine in Australia, a title that it still holds today, and something Christian was an integral part of.
A Family Homestead
This homestead hasn’t just been Christian’s home either, it, along with a number of traditions have been kept in the family for many years. Each subsequent generation spoke German at home right up until the mid 1900’s, and grape growing and winemaking has continued with David now being the sixth generation to do so. The homestead was also David’ boyhood home where he grew up with his two brothers. David’s parents lived in the homestead for many years, and his daughters formed many significant childhood memories here with their grandparents.
“Renovating Christian’s Cottage, and helping to share his legacy with others is something I have always wanted to do. It helps his story live on.”
David Braunack
Christian Auricht’s Descendant
Supporting the History & Heritage
The family places great importance on upholding its history and heritage. For this reason, many original features of the homestead are evident throughout.
The first homes built in the Barossa were simply single rooms with their doors opening out onto the back gardens and up the farmyard or field. Later more substantial two-roomed houses like Christian’s Cottage were built with Government roads (as is evident with Langmeil Road running in front of the property).
These two-roomed homes had large entrance halls where you were confronted with a kitchen known as the “Swarze Kuche” or black kitchen. This is where not only meals were cooked but also where other pork products were produced. A vaulted brick flue and chimney vented the whole area allowing the hams to be hung high above the floor for curing in even temperatures of around 20° celsius. As was the case in Christian’s Cottage, and numerous others in the area, the parlour or bedroom fireplace backed up to these flues and, by elaborate smoke vents and traps, hams and sausages were smoked.
In the living room, you will notice black markings along the stone wall. This blackening was a result of cooking in the “Swarze Kuche” or black kitchen.
Bluestone for the home would have come from the surrounding hills, and ironstone (sandstone with an iron rich cement) taken from the slopes of the gentler hills within the Valley. The wooden beams evident in the cellar were also procured from the local area.
The cellar itself was originally used to store and dry food, as well as to produce wine. It was here that Christian also used to make wine from his early shiraz plantings.
Later the second bedroom outside the kitchen was built for a purpose built kitchen.
Where The Winemaking Journey Began
Houses of this time were designed for small-scale food manufacturing. Below the ground level quite extensive cellars were excavated, usually approached from a covered staircase located under outside verandahs. These cellars acted as further smoking rooms or as cool dairies where not only sausages and hams could be safely stored, but where farm cheese and sour cream were also prepared in ideal temperatures.
The use of wine produced and stored in their cellars was one of the things which stood out in sharp contrast with the mode of life of their teetotal, non- conformist settlers from England.