Luxury Cape Jervis farm-stay could be yours
Set on 40 hectares at the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula, luxury farm-stay accommodation Saltbush Farm is surrounded by native bushland and ocean views of Kangaroo Island, offering an ultimate retreat that could be yours.
When Gabrielle and James Bungey drove up the driveway of 241 Fishery Beach Road, Cape Jervis, for the first time around three years ago, they were instantly wooed by the stunning scenery.
“Driving up to the front of the house, you get a whole view of Kangaroo Island … we weren’t expecting to buy it, but once we got here, we were like, ‘yes, this is it’,” says Gabrielle.
“A lot of people have said to us, ‘it’s just as beautiful as Kangaroo Island, but you don’t have to go across the ocean to experience it’.”
James adds: “What attracted me to the property is that it’s remote enough to give that sense of seclusion, but Victor Harbor and even Adelaide aren’t that far away.”
Built in 2016 by Victorian construction firm Prebuilt, the four-bedroom, two-bathroom home is constructed around a rammed earth wall skeleton and sits on 40 hectares comprising farmland and native scrub.
Gabrielle and James run luxury farm-stay experience Saltbush Farm on the property, offering guests a chance to “disconnect from the bright city lights” and to “immerse yourself in the simplicity of country living”.
"You can have a fire outside, look at the stars, and it’s just so peaceful"
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Saltbush Farm won the Absolute Best Luxury Experience category of the 2024 SALIFE Awards.
James says there’s the potential for a new owner to run the property as an accommodation business, as they have.
“It’s an attraction for someone who may purchase it. It shows what can be done with the property,” he says.
Since purchasing the property in early 2023, the couple has added numerous upgrades such as installing solar power and heating, as well as drought-proofing the property for the dry season.
Gabrielle has also put her own touch on the interiors, with an Australiana theme featuring Australian animals, bush flowers and gum trees.
Outdoors, most of the upkeep is done by James, including grading the roads with a tractor, while other parts, such as the saltbush, grass trees and the 12 hectares of native bush, require minimal maintenance.
Gabrielle and James say the property attracts plenty of wildlife, including the striking yellow-tailed black cockatoo, which migrates to Cape Jervis from Kangaroo Island and back.
“We have an abundance of wildlife with hundreds of kangaroos that roam the property, and there are a few echidnas up in the bush,” says Gabrielle.
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“I think that’s what attracts a lot of people who come and stay here, because you can be sitting in the house and you wake up in your bed and there are kangaroos coming up to the window to nibble on the fresh grass.”
Gabrielle says her favourite part of the property is a “beautiful old gum tree” at the front of the house, which is “the best spot to get a photo at sunset”.
“Often, the only noise you hear is the birds or – in winter – the rain.”
“You can watch whales passing in the distance in Backstairs Passage, dolphins closer in and the yellow-tailed black cockatoos that come over from Kangaroo Island – there’s a sanctuary here,” adds James.
James says he will miss the wide open spaces, the views and a sense of freedom.
“You look from the master bedroom, to gum trees, the rolling hills and then the ocean ,” he says.
Gabrielle says they were planning to expand Saltbush Farm, but after having two babies within 13 months, the couple has decided they needed a change of pace.
“You can have a fire outside, look at the stars, and it’s just so peaceful – it’s the best life experience we’ve ever had, and we don’t want to leave, but we need to.”
The sale of 241 Fishery Beach Road, Cape Jervis, is being handled by Kate Hill of Harris Real Estate.
