The story goes something like this
Four farming families - families with a knack for spotting opportunity and the courage to back themselves - were sitting around a dinner table over a bottle of red wine talking through the challenges of growing cotton in the Riverina. The biggest issue on the table? There was no local cotton gin. Then came the question: Why can’t we just build one ourselves? It was the classic country mindset: if it’s to be, it’s up to me!
They didn’t have a background in cotton ginning - but they had what mattered most: practical know-how, deep roots in agriculture, and a belief in rolling up your sleeves and getting things done. A short time later, Southern Cotton was born - and with it, a world-class ginning facility that underpinned the cotton industry in the Murrumbidgee Valley and transformed opportunities for growers across southern NSW.
That same commitment to doing things properly and doing them together led to their next chapter. In 2019, Southern Cotton partnered with Voyager Craft Malt to support the development of a sustainable small-batch malting facility using locally grown grains - a way to keep value in the region and support Australian brewers, distillers and bakers.
Their next idea? That was to celebrate the region they love.
They envisioned a place where locals and visitors alike could gather to celebrate everything that makes the Riverina exceptional: the cotton, the grain, the food, the wine and whiskey and the people. A place built on the same values that shaped their farms and their friendships: integrity and innovation.
So they built it. That place is the Whitton Malt House.
Set beside the gin, the Whitton Malt House is a unique agri-tourism destination that brings together local food, craft beverages, luxury accommodation, and unforgettable events. Whether it’s a wedding, a whisky tasting, or a weekend away, every experience here is underpinned by the people and the produce that make this region so special.
When these four farming families ask, “why can’t we do that?” - we’re bound to end up with something extraordinary.
The Whitton Malt House
Southern Cotton
Voyager Craft Malt


