Hardys has a long history in Australian wine and there have been stories aplenty from those early days. One such classic story is that of Thomas Hardy’s “Oomoo”.
“Oomoo” was one of Thomas Hardy’s earliest wine brands dating back to the 1870s. This peculiar word takes its origins from the Central Australian aboriginal tribe, the Dieyerie, to signify anything “good”, “nice” or “pleasing to the eye”, something Thomas Hardy obviously considered apt.
In fact, the Oomoo branded dry red, sweet white table wines and various fortified wines stood the test of time from the 1870s right up until the 1920s when the brand was sadly phased out.
It was not until the 1970s that interest in the Oomoo brand was revived when a magnificent old lithographic print from the 1880s, advertising “Hardy’s Oomoo and other first class Adelaide wines”, was un-earthed in Melbourne by an antique dealer.
And so the Oomoo brand lay dormant until 2003, on the 150th anniversary of Hardys, the decision was made to celebrate this historic occasion by re-launching the historic Oomoo brand.