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20 Years of Sunnyside Instant Lawn

2006 – Where it all began
In 2026, Sunnyside Instant Lawn proudly celebrates 20 years as a family-owned business. What started as a simple idea has grown into a respected operation, shaping landscapes across South Australia and Western Victoria.

The journey began in 2006 under the name Rowett’s Turf. Andrew and Sheridan Rowett, alongside Brendan & Marg Rowett saw an opportunity to supply locally grown turf to their community rather than relying on external sources. With a single Ryan pedestrian turf cutter, shared resources, and a willingness to take a risk, they laid the foundations of what would become Sunnyside Instant Lawn.

In the early days, only two varieties were available – RTF Fescue and Santa Ana Couch. Every roll was cut and stacked by hand, making the process labour-intensive and time-consuming. Turf production was entirely hands-on, a stark contrast to today’s advanced technology and autonomous machinery used on the farm.

In 2013, Rowett’s Turf was selected as one of just 40 farms to join the exclusive Lawn Solutions Australia network. This opened the door to premium turf varieties including Eureka Kikuyu, Sir Walter DNA Certified Buffalo, and Nullarbor Couch, with TifTuf Bermuda and Sir Grange Zoysia introduced in later years.

2013 – A new name and expansion
In 2013, the business underwent a major milestone, rebranding from Rowett’s Turf to Sunnyside Instant Lawn – named after the newly purchased ‘Sunnyside’ farm. This marked a significant period of growth, with production expanding from 15 to 110 acres and establishing what is now the main farm and office.

As the business grew, logistics networks were established, allowing turf to be delivered across a wide region – from Horsham to Port Lincoln & servicing customers throughout South Australia and Western Victoria.

2015 – Entering the Bunnings market
In 2015, Sunnyside began supplying turf to Bunnings Warehouse, bringing the product to a broader retail audience. Turf became available weekly across 15 stores throughout South Australia.

2019 – Expansion
By 2019, expansion continued with the addition of a third farm on Meatworks Road. This increased the total farm size from 127 to 256 acres and included the installation of two additional pivots.

2021 – The new Sunnyside Office

By 2021, the office team had outgrown the original Atco hut in Mundulla. A new, larger office space was constructed – featuring a dedicated office, computer room and smoko area. Built as an extension to the existing shed, this development established Sunnyside as the central hub for both operations and administration.

That same year marked a major step toward automation with the introduction of a Firefly automatic harvester. This innovation transformed production efficiency, reducing pallet stacking from four labourers to just two. A second Firefly was added to the fleet soon after, further enhancing productivity.

Major projects and industry impact
Over the years, Sunnyside has proudly supplied turf to a range of high-profile projects. Andrew Rowett’s passion for sustainable turf solutions has driven the introduction of TifTuf Bermuda across parklands and ovals throughout South Australia.

In 2024, the first TifTuf oval was completed in Roseworthy, followed shortly by Lyndoch Oval at Barossa Park. In 2025, during the AFL Gather Round, the first AFL game was played on TifTuf – an incredibly rewarding milestone for the entire team.

The Cliffs Golf Course was also completed in 2025, an 18 hole TifTuf Golf course supplied by Sunnyside.

Today and beyond
From a small team of four to a workforce of 20, Sunnyside Instant Lawn has grown from a simple idea into one of South Australia’s leading turf producers. We look forward to the next 20 years of growth, innovation, and continuing to create beautiful, sustainable landscapes for our communities.

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