Investing in a New Region is Easier When You Know the Right People
We are those people.
Navigating seven councils, multiple government departments, planning approvals, site identification, workforce intelligence and stakeholder relationships takes time and local knowledge most investors can’t access from the outside.
We’ve been working across this region for years. We know which doors to knock on, which conversations to have first, and how to move things forward without the delays that kill regional investment decisions.
And we work with both sides of the investment equation – helping new investors find their footing in this region, and helping established regional businesses find new growth opportunities and access new markets.
A Message from our Chair
[PLACEHOLDER – Chair message to be supplied by RDA AHFKI board. Approximately 100-150 words. Tone: warm, authoritative, personally committed to the region’s investment future. Should name one or two specific recent investment wins the Chair has been involved in or witnessed.]
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What We Do For Investors
From first conversation to long-term success.
Our investment support services cover every stage of the investment journey. Some are included as part of our role. Others – marked below – involve a fee-for-service or cost-sharing arrangement depending on the scope of work.
Access to our regional Investment Portal connecting investors with opportunities, projects and businesses in the Adelaide Hills, Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island. The portal brings together development-ready projects, current investment activity and the intelligence needed to assess opportunities quickly.
Direct introductions to the people who matter: investors, Members of Parliament, local government decision-makers, collaborators and community leaders. One conversation with the right person at the right time changes everything.
We manage your relationships with local and state government – cutting through the complexity of dealing with multiple councils and departments so you’re always talking to the right person at the right time.
Independent socio-economic impact modelling that demonstrates the regional value of your project – whether you need to strengthen a grant application, support a planning application, or make the case for government co-investment.
Access a comprehensive, actively maintained database of grants and funding programs through the Hills & Coast grant Finder. Find, save, receive alerts, and manage grant applications.
We are grant experts. We can support you to identify grants, assess your eligibility, getting your pitch right, connecting you with grant writers, reviewing your grant applications, and providing grant supports including letters of support and economic impact modelling.
New to the region? Lets discuss your opportunity and from there we can get out into the region with you so you’re better informed.
Economic impact analysis for tourism, hospitality and event-based investments, demonstrating visitor spend, employment and broader regional benefit.
We draw on our knowledge of the region, its industries and our relationships with commercial land agents and developers – to connect you with site opportunities.
We help you build the business case that gets your project funded, approved and supported – drawing on regional economic data, stakeholder intelligence and our relationships with decision-makers.
We can connect you with professional planning services who know the region’s nuances, know the council planning teams, and can guide your application through the planning system.
We want to hear your challenges. We advocate to government at all levels when challenges and barriers are limiting regional investment.
We love to see projects launched. We can help promote your launch and also attend in an official or unofficial capacity – connecting your business to the regional community and networks from day one.
Bespoke research into economic conditions, demographic profiles, workforce availability and market dynamics specific to your investment or growth opportunity.
We connect you to the broader ecosystem of investment support including InvestSA, the Department of State Development, the Entrepreneur Program, and Austrade.
The Region In Numbers
The fundamentals that underpin every investment decision here.
$b
Gross Regional Product (2025)
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GRP growth 2024 to 2025
Estimated Residential Population (ERP), 2025
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Annual regional exports (2025)
Investments We’ve Supported
A track record across sectors and sub-regions.
Hills & Coast Business Grant 2024
See how successful applicants for the 2024 Hills & Coast Business Grant used their funding to improve their manufacturing businesses.
Hills & Coast Business Grant 2023
Find out which local businesses benefitted from the Hills & Coast Business Grant 2023, and read the case study of one successful applicant.
Hills & Coast Business Grant 2022
Discover how the Hills & Coast Business Grant helped local manufacturing businesses level up their businesses. Read their case studies here.
The Cliffs Kangaroo Island
The Cliffs Kangaroo Island is a significant golf and accommodation development. RDA AHFKI coordinated stakeholders, developed a business plan and undertook a cost-benefit analysis to support SA Water’s commitment and government investment in a new desalination plant forward by 10 years. The estimated $147m investment was an enabler for The Cliffs investment, which has the potential to draw 20,000 new visitors to the island annually.
The Break
The Break is a $123m project developing the state’s first surf and lifestyle destination drawing visitors from across Australia. RDA AHFKI provided The Break with multiple supports including general advice and regional intelligence, warm introductions to state government (Department of State Development – Invest SA, and Renewal SA), provided support for a state government loan application, provided an introduction to a First Nations representative, provided introductions to investors and the wider state business community, provided advocacy with local government and other key stakeholders, and arranged inclusion of the project in a ministerial investment prospectus for overseas investors (via Austrade).
Fleurieu Milk Company
Fleurieu Milk Company is a South Australian icon, providing fresh milk, yogurt and other dairy goods. RDA AHFKI supported the company in their expansion plans, providing a range of supports including, co-funding an independent business case, organising site visits with Federal and State Members of Parliament, connections with regional stakeholders including Fleurieu Peninsula Tourism, supports for grant applications, and provision of socio-economic impact studies.
Hills and Coast Business Grant – Manufacturing
RDA AHFKI’s own grant program has supported 30 manufacturers with grant funding to grow their business. Focusing on productivity improvements. The combined investment of over $1.2m with recipients has proven that relatively small but targeted investments can result in impactful gains across production speed and volume, quality, labour, productions losses, new product development, sales and safety. RDA AHFKI thanks its corporate partners for their support of the program: Thomas Foods International, Neutrog Biological Fertilisers, Fleurieu Milk Company and Community Bank Fleurieu.
Hotel Elliot
Hotel Elliot on the Fleurieu Peninsula had ambitions to develop an extension – creating Salt at the Elliot – a $1.7m project to create a premium wine and tapas bar, built-for-purpose event space, and three state-of-the-art kitchens. RDA AHFKI supported the development through provision of advice, regional connections, socio-economic impact study, grant funding advice, and grant application support. The business was successful in winning a $500,000 from the Tourism Industry Development fund.
The Elson Hotel
The Elson hotel is a contemporary redevelopment of the Kangaroo Island Seaview Motel which has operated since 1924. The significant redevelopment including 49 rooms and restaurant, was supported by RDA AHFKI through provision of socio-economic impact modelling, connection with professional investment advisor, support for increased property valuation to support debt finance, and varied supports for a successful $1m grant submission to the Economic Recovery Fund.
Langhorne Creek Accommodation
RDA AHFKI identified a gap in regional visitor accommodation at Langhorne Creek on the Fleurieu Peninsula. RDA AHFKI worked with industry specialists to develop a business case including a full financial assessment. To promote the opportunity to investors, RDA AHFKI developed a short-form prospectus and engaged with industry stakeholders including potential investors to seek interest. The wine region now has two projects at different stages of development – a greenfield opportunity on an identified site seeking investors, and a brown-field wellness centre and accommodation development that is funded and underway.
What Investors Say
More Support Available
Beyond RDA, there are additional programs and organisations to support your investment in this region.
InvestSA
The South Australian Government’s investment attraction agency. If your project is investment-ready, InvestSA provides a platform to connect with investors and government support across the state.
Entrepreneur Program
The Australian Government’s flagship business support program for growth-ready businesses and investors.
Do Business with Australia
Austrade’s platform connecting international investors and businesses with Australian opportunities.
Department of State Development
The SA Government’s economic development agency, with a dedicated Manufacturing Unit providing sector-specific support for industrial and advanced manufacturing investment.
Ready To Talk?
Tell us about your project and we’ll tell you what we can do to help it move forward. A confidential conversation costs nothing and usually reveals more than months of independent research.