1565 Old Princes Highway

Kanmantoo SA 5252

Paradise Regained in your own private valley: the fruit of a 20 year revegetation project

Neither passion nor perspiration has been spared in bringing this beautiful valley back to its natural-bush best over twenty years of devoted effort. Land stripped almost bare is now a wonderland of mature revegetation, abundant birdlife, rolling hills and nature as was: the perfect complement to majestic views over its own idyllic expanse and back to the broader Bremer Valley. The fifty or so acres of remaining cropping and grazing land now assume a proper scale amongst this backdrop, a near-perfect balance between beauty and utility.

All but enclosed, the very private, hill bounded valley is bisected by a Heritage winter creek, now well on the path to rehabilitation after colonial clearing and erosion. Along the creek lie re-emerging natural springs bristling with native reeds, a home to frogs and visitors from the tens of species of birds that frequent this newly attractive property. A specific area of remnant Acacia for Firetail Finches - which live and breed in the same territory year by year - makes their scarlet flashes a common sight around the creek. This watercourse is also a good indicator of the deep topsoils that enrich the valley.

When the owner shows you an aerial photograph of the land's former state - stripped to just a handful of ancient red gums - you realise not only what a mammoth undertaking it was, but also what this eastern Adelaide Hills region once looked like.

High on the Old Princes Highway side of the almost square property (bluegum country) is a number of sites perfect for a residence to capture the wide views of redgum country below and the thickly revegetated range that marks the opposite boundary, most of which is heritage listed. Here you will find serene seclusion and the benefit of "The Milang Doctor": the cool evening breeze that tempers the hottest summer days. With today's advanced and affordable off-grid energy technologies, ready construction access and almost flat ground to work on, landing your dream country retreat might be a breeze too.

The 'nursery' base for two decades of concentrated plant propagation land revitalisation includes a concrete floored and lined shed, with several other garages, workshop spaces, toolsheds and shelters nearby to support further work. There are sufficient creature comforts - 31,000 litre rainwater storage plus a 20,000 litre fire fighting tank, potbelly stove etc - for easy overnight camps. A 2kw solar array (with battery storage) provides for essential power needs. This area of around one hectare is an oasis in its own right, with significant ornamental plantings, many productive (and some quite exotic) fruit trees, raised vegetable beds, and an arboretum devoted to specimen native trees and shrubs grown from seed and cuttings from around Australia.

Tanks on the outbuildings have capacity for another approximately 31,500 litres and water can be drawn from the winter creek (when flows allow) - notably for stock use- with water being pumped to a hilltop tank of some 30,000 litres capacity.

Paddocks are well fenced, with troughs and a loading ramp for stock. Infrastructure once developed for fallow deer still remains and suitable fencing in three paddocks could well be brought back to standard, with yards being useful to a variety of stock.

One might well call this wonderful property Shangri-La, or Paradise Regained, such is its convincing proof that nature in its almost native state and human endeavour can co-exist successfully. For those who have a vision for reclaiming and rehabilitating rural land, the truth of the rule that the best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago is borne out here, with someone else having done exactly that.
 
• 209 acre, square allotment with two access points to main road
• Extensively revegetated and restored
• Some flood mitigation works completed
• c50acres cropping/grazing retained in bushland setting
• Heritage winter creek with extraction pipeline to hilltop 30,000 litre tank
• 1 hectare "nursery" with substantial sheds (one fully weather-proof, lined, floor), 30,000 litre rainwater storage, 20,000 litre fire fighting tank, 2kw solar PV with battery storage, garages, workshop, tool sheds and shelters
• Forty plus fruit trees (owner can provide list)
• Native arboretum under ongoing plantings
• Fallow deer infrastructure - three deer paddocks, yards
• Paddocks well fenced with loading ramp