Fleurieu lifestyle property offers the ultimate sea change
This Inman Valley address stands out with its unique architecture, prime location and breathtaking views. After nearly 10 years of calling the property home, its owners have decided to downsize and are looking to pass the keys on to a new family.
For Ann-Marie and her husband Tom, it was the quirkiness and location of their Lower Inman Valley home that first attracted them to the property.
The couple lived in Adelaide at the time but were familiar with the area from frequent visits to their holiday home, located in the nearby Encounter Bay.
After seeing 61 Stock Road, Inman Valley, advertised for several months, they decided on a sea change. They purchased the property, and moved in with their children around 2016.
“It isn’t your standard three- to four-bedroomed house. We like houses with a wee bit of point of difference and this one has a lot of those points of difference,” says Ann-Marie.
Built in 2006 by the previous owners, the house was designed with a triad of unique gabled roofs featuring versatile mezzanine spaces with high ceilings.
The architecture is likened to a New York loft or a Scandinavian-style dwelling, although Ann-Marie prefers to think of it as a big converted barn.
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Another major drawcard is the spaciousness of the property, which sits on 18,370 square metres.
“We love the space because we came from Northern Ireland, being brought up in terraced houses,” says Ann-Marie.
“Coming to Australia, the space is phenomenal and this here is just another step up from that because of the mezzanine lofts in the house, which are multi-purpose and that’s what we love about it.”
Ann-Marie says that while just a short drive to amenities in Victor Harbor, where she enjoys taking long walks on the beach, Inman Valley feels as though it’s in the middle of the countryside.
“You are so close to town yet you wouldn’t think it because it’s so quiet and peaceful,” says Ann-Marie.
During their time living in the home, Ann-Marie and Tom have mainly carried out cosmetic upgrades to the property to make it their own.
“You really don’t know what to do until you actually come to live in a house,” says Ann-Marie.
Throughout the years, they have upgraded the pool house, put in new carpet and window shutters, renovated the kitchen with wooden benchtops, added balustrades to the stairwell, and installed an induction wood heater, while a fresh lick of paint added warmer tones to create a “modern country” feel.
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Ann-Marie credits the previous owners for creating the lush garden, although they have removed plants around the pool to free up an unimpeded view of the surrounding nature.
“One of the features that I love about the house is the fact that you can sit and enjoy a wine looking out at night over the pool lit up with all the greenery of the paddock in the background,” she says.
“In the winter when the wood burners are going, and you’re studying and you’ve got the pool lights on looking out to the open paddock, it’s just heaven on earth for me. It’s the most beautiful spot and it’s so quiet and serene. It’s just like having a little resort of your own.”
But after nearly 10 years of calling Inman Valley home, Ann-Marie and Tom are now looking to downsize.
“I had a little health scare earlier this year and it sort of just prompted me to push things, to do this now moving forward, because once you have to put your life on hold, it sort of makes you realise, hold on a wee minute, what do you want to achieve in the next 10 years,” says Ann-Marie.
“So, it’s the fact that we want to simplify our lives a little bit and try to get out travelling more. I want to see a lot more of Australia, and with my elderly parents overseas I try to go there as often as I can.”
When asked what she will miss most, Ann-Marie says everything.
“If I could create a tinier version of this little piece of paradise, I would be happy for the rest of my life because it’s everything that I’ve ever dreamt of,” she says.
“It’s a very versatile house for a family, so I’m hoping that a big, beautiful, wonderful family gets to enjoy it.”
The sale of 61 Stock Road, Lower Inman Valley is being handled by Adele Newton from Netwon & Co.
