We’re thrilled to see the very first home being built in Newenham – an exciting development and the beginning of our growing Newenham community. Owners Debra and Philip Cox tell us about their journey, what it’s like to be the first to turn the earth in the village and what they’re looking forward to.
Originally from South Australia, retired couple Debra and Philip have lived most of their lives in bustling Melbourne. After returning to Adelaide for a visit in 2016, the pair decided moving home was the right decision, and they could not think of a better place to settle than the Adelaide Hills.
“We’d spent a bit of time up around the Hills because friends of ours live near Blackwood. They were always taking us to wineries and local delights up in the Hills, so we thought it would be rather a nice place to live,” Debra says.
After arranging to make their move, the pair began investigating homes and land estates to build their dream home, deciding on a Metricon home which led them to Newenham. “We had fallen in love with a particular Metricon home, and it was their sales representative who put us on to Newenham – we didn’t know anything about Newenham at the time,” Debra says.
While they had been looking at several other estates within the Hills, the couple were guided towards Newenham, with Metricon assuring them it was the only estate of its kind in the Hills that would suit the home they wanted and the lifestyle they were looking for.
“A lot of the blocks around Mount Barker are very steep and not conducive to a single level home, which we wanted. Most of the Newenham blocks are large blocks with wide frontages so you can easily have two rooms and a double garage across the front. The wider blocks also have greater street appeal, and they have good depth so we can build deep into the block and still have a spacious garden area out the back,” Debra says.
All the facts and figures stacked up for the couple, but it was their visit to Newenham that really sealed the deal.
“There were virtually no roads when we went to visit last year, and we had to go out in a 4-wheel drive in the paddock to have a look, but we fell in love with the environment. It’s an absolutely beautiful piece of land with lovely views and we resolved to live there, there and then. That same week, we were signing the papers,” Debra says.
But it wasn’t just the block size and pristine natural surroundings that had the pair so excited to make Newenham their home, it was meeting the team behind the project and learning of the holistic approach to housing and village lifestyle.
“It was quite obvious from the first people we spoke to at Newenham that they had a real passion for the project – it wasn’t just about trying to sell us the block of land. There was a lot of discussion about the whole philosophy behind it that we really loved,” Debra says. “Being retired and having lived so long away from South Australia, it also seemed to have that opportunity for a real community that we were looking for.”
Debra says it is this community and village lifestyle that herself and Philip are most looking forward to – meeting the neighbours and seeing more homes and more community spaces pop up over the next few years. “Newenham are really focusing on owner-occupiers rather than investors, so we can really focus on the community as it grows.”
They’re looking forward to getting to know their neighbours better, having met several already at the Newenham community events. “The official residents’ opening gathering was terrific – we even met our actual neighbours. It was really nice to be able to get to know who is going to live next to us. We’ve already had contact with them regarding fencing too, and having already met them makes that processes so much easier,” Philip says.
Being the first to turn the earth, first to lay their slab and now the first to have their house frame up, Debra and Philip could not be more excited to start their lives in the Newenham community. “We are very excited,” Philip says. “We’re hoping to be moved in by late Spring.”
The home the pair have chosen is focused on open-plan living, making the most of the move from busy city-living in Melbourne to their spacious Adelaide Hills lifestyle. “We like the flow of the home we’ve chosen, and we’ve put stacker doors in so you get that beautiful indoor outdoor feel to the home,” Debra says.
She says this use of alfresco space and making the most of the views was a must with their new home. “At Newenham, the retention of a lot of the major gum trees as well as the creeks that run through the estate, is amazing. We look out onto all that, and we won’t have any housing in front of us. That was really appealing to us going from a suburban street where you look out onto lots of traffic and other people’s homes – it’s got that really spacious, country feel about it.”
She says they will not only make the most of the views but the quick and easy access to the natural surrounds, trails and Hills attractions. “We cross the road and we’re on the Newenham linear park which has a creek running through it and it’s only 2km into Mount Barker!” Debra says.
The linear park will have a shared walk and bike path, which will make it easy for residents to walk right into the centre of Mount Barker simply by following the creekside path. “There’s a whole lifestyle here which is really appealing, particularly being retired – we’re home a lot so we can make full use of that country outlook and all the benefits that go with it,” she says.
“We’ve been walking around a lot already and getting to know the area – we’re really enjoying discovering all the other little surrounding towns,” Philip says. “And we’re looking forward to going to all the wineries around here too!” Philip says. The great outdoors, country lifestyle and fabulous local wine – we couldn’t think of a better mix.
If you’d like to know more about securing your future at Newenham, simply call our Sales Consultant, Ben Walker on 0429 107 497 or visit the Sales & Information Centre, open every day from 12 – 5pm at 164 Flaxley Road, Mount Barker.
We look forward to welcoming you to Newenham soon.
