Few Australian inventions have achieved what the humble goon bag has.
The Victa lawn mower had a good run.
The Hills Hoist clothesline became a backyard icon.
But the goon bag?
It somehow became a national personality trait.
Whether you know it as a wine cask, goon sack, silver pillow or that thing your mate brought camping because it was “economical”, almost every Australian and every visitor to Australia has crossed paths with one. If you’re new to Australia, chances are you’ll come across one sooner or later. At a barbecue., around a campfire, at a backpacker hostel… maybe even swinging from a Hills Hoist clothesline in somebody’s backyard!
Love it or hate it, the goon bag has become one of Australia’s most recognisable cultural icons, but what many people don’t know is that it all started right here in South Australia, in the Riverland!
Back in 1965, Renmark winemaker Thomas Angove was trying to solve a problem. Glass bottles were expensive, heavy and difficult to transport.
His solution was simple… put wine in a plastic bag and place it inside a cardboard box!
Not exactly glamorous we know, in fact, the original version didn’t even have a tap! You had to cut the corner off the bag and seal it with a peg when you were done!
Imagine trying to sell that idea today…. “Trust me, mate. It’s wine in a bag” LOL Yet somehow it worked, like really worked.
The invention spread across Australia and eventually around the world. Along the way, Australians did what Aussies do best, they gave it a nickname and turned it into part of the culture.
What Happened to Angove’s?
The story doesn’t end with the invention of the wine cask.
More than 60 years later, Angove Family Winemakers is still operating from the Riverland and remains one of Australia’s largest family-owned wineries.
The company produces wines that are enjoyed across Australia and exported around the world, with vineyards stretching across some of South Australia’s most recognised wine-growing regions.
Not many businesses can say they’ve helped change an entire industry while still remaining family-owned generations later.
For a company that started in Renmark, that’s an achievement worth raising a glass to.
Today, the goon bag is as Australian as arguing about State of Origin, claiming you’ll only stay for one beer, or insisting the weather will “cool down later”.
And it all traces back to a practical solution developed by a humble Riverland winemaker.
Not bad for a cardboard box and a plastic bag.
Cheers to that.
