News Corp Australia
First published 15 Oct 2025, 5:00am
A unique coastal sanctuary at Sellicks Hill looks set to become a luxury eco-resort.
Two tourist operators are vying to purchase Songlines Station, a 271.14ha grazing property distinguished by rugged red cliffs, native grasslands and ancient inland gullies and gum forests.
The identities of the interested parties remain secret but selling agent Sylvia Jemson-Ledger, of Elders Real Estate – Strathalbyn, confirmed they were South Australian businesses with established eco-resorts overseas.
Both were shoring up plans for their respective ventures – which included discussions with various levels of government – and the first to present their proposal to Songline Station’s owner would likely emerge as the successful buyer, Ms Jemson-Ledger said.
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11 Cactus Canyon Rd, Sellicks Hill.
11 Cactus Canyon Rd, Sellicks Hill.
11 Cactus Canyon Rd, Sellicks Hill.
“We are negotiating with two separate people and it’s probably first-in, best-dressed,’’ she said.
“It might be another month (before the buyer is announced). These things can take time … so we have just got to wait with bated breath.
“But it will be beautiful to have an eco-hotel there and it’s going to be top-of-the-range, five-star.’’
Ms Jemson-Ledger said Sellicks Hill would be the first Australian eco-tourism venture for both interested parties.
A price guide for Songlines Station has not been released.
The property, owned by an unnamed award-winning author who splits her time between Australia and the US, boasts uninterrupted views over Aldinga Bay.
Its rich ecology includes 300-year-old melaleucas, along with 30,000 indigenous species planted during the last 12 years to revegetate land that had been decimated by previous owners through more than a century of heavy grazing.
Now teeming with wildlife, including kangaroos, echidnas, eagles, rosellas and cockatoos, the property embraced sustainable grazing practices, with an emphasis on maintaining the integrity and biodiversity of the land, Ms Jemson-Ledger said.
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11 Cactus Canyon Rd, Sellicks Hill.
11 Cactus Canyon Rd, Sellicks Hill.
11 Cactus Canyon Rd, Sellicks Hill.
The stunning landscape was showcased in the films The Water Diviner and Gallipoli, although the current owner had retained the property for her personal use and it had never been opened to the public, Ms Jemson-Ledger said.
“She (the owner) is very private – even people who have made inquiries (to purchase Songlines Station) are not allowed to come through (to inspect it) until she makes sure they’re the right person (to continue regenerating the land),’’ she said.
“But the people that have been looking to buy it are wanting to share it with the rest of the world.
“`It’s a pretty stunning property. You wouldn’t see anything else like it.
“It feels like you are far away from everything but you can still see the lights of Adelaide and then you also see the eagles going back and forth over their nests, which you don’t see in the city.
“Being in a place like this is like you are up in the middle of Australia, miles from anywhere, but, really, you’re not.’’
The property has several dwellings, including a four-bedroom main house, two self-contained guest units and a hillside cabin, that Ms Jemson-Ledger expected would be converted to worker accommodation under the eco-resort proposals.
– by Lauren Ahwan
English (US) · 