Before South Australia’s most iconic wine family poured their first glass, they chased a very different dream. It was buried in the dust of Victoria’s goldfields. This is a story few people knew existed. A journey filled with risk, loss and a long walk into the unknown. And now, thanks to fifth-generation winemaker Dr Richard Hamilton, that hidden chapter has been brought to life on screen.
WineLine3 Gold isn’t about vineyards or vintage. It is about survival. The film follows five of Richard Hamilton’s children who packed up their lives in 1852 and left Adelaide during a punishing drought. They took 19 children with them and crossed hundreds of kilometres by foot, bullock and cart.
They went searching for gold. What they found was something else entirely.
The world premiere of WineLine3 Gold was held in May, 2025 at the Capri Theatre. The 55-minute feature marks the third and final chapter in a trilogy of documentaries tracing the legacy of the Richard Hamilton wine dynasty.
Produced and narrated by Dr Richard Hamilton himself, the film turns its lens toward gold rather than grapes, exploring the family’s little-known involvement in the Australian gold rush of the 1850s. No other South Australian wine company has taken such a personal, cinematic approach to documenting its history. Now you can watch on YouTube.
The trilogy was directed by Rick Cavaggion of Adelaide-based Light Image Productions, whose previous work on WineLine 1 and WineLine 2: Odyssey earned international acclaim, with awards from Paris and Cannes film festivals.
“The story of those Hamilton family members and their 19 children trekking across the desert was largely untold,” Dr Hamilton said.
“This film was a great adventure in finally documenting their legacy for all time.”
“They walked the length of the Coorong. They crossed the 90 Mile Desert. They forded the Wimmera River during a hundred-year flood,” added Dr Hamilton.
And eventually, they reached Amherst, a once-thriving gold town near Ballarat. Today, it is little more than silence and ruins.
“There’s a certain soullessness standing in what was once Amherst,” Dr Hamilton said.
“It was originally designed as an English-style town with streets like Queen Street and Albert Street. But there’s nothing there now.”
“You can still feel something in the silence.”
The most moving part of the journey came not in the goldmines but in the cemetery.
“Visiting the Amherst cemetery was the most significant moment for me,” he said.
“There was stillness, tranquillity, and the grave of Sarah. She was mother to eleven children. Her name is there, but the word Hamilton is not. That omission moved me deeply.”
Several young Hamilton descendants died in mine accidents. Others married into the local community and never returned. Their legacy lived on, but their story was nearly lost.
“They didn’t strike it rich, but they achieved something,” Dr Hamilton said.
“They became part of the region’s fabric. I’ve met their descendants and they are remarkable people.”
Back in South Australia, the son who stayed behind took a different path.
Henry Hamilton continued working the family vineyard at Marion. His quiet determination built something lasting.
“Henry had that Hamilton quality of perseverance and ambition,” Dr Hamilton said.
“He stayed, and within two generations those modest vines had grown into Australia’s sixth largest wine company.”
Today, that legacy continues through Richard Hamilton Wines in McLaren Vale and Leconfield in Coonawarra.
Dr Hamilton balances surgery, winemaking and documentary storytelling. All three, he says, are connected by creativity and care.
“I never have any trouble getting up in the morning,” he said.
“Each field is a blend of science and art. The balance is challenging, but I find it eternally appealing.”
The Hamiltons never found their fortune in Victoria. But what they built on South Australian soil has proven to be far more valuable.
WineLine3 Gold
Where: Watch on YouTube.
WineLine – The Hamilton Story
Where: Watch on YouTube.
WineLine2 – Odyssey
Where: Watch on YouTube.
Richard Hamilton Wines
Where: Head Office & McLaren Vale Tasting Room, 439 Main Road McLaren Vale
For more information, click here.
