News Corp Australia
First published 20 Mar 2025, 5:00am
Can’t escape the rat race to fulfil your dreams to grow your own food and perhaps tend to some farm animals?
Try this four-bedroom Aldinga home that allows you to indulge in an idyllic country lifestyle when time permits but lets others step in during busy work periods.
Living in the Aldinga Arts Eco Village has been a dream come true for real estate agent Jamie Hershman, his wife Holly and two young sons, who have embraced the on-site farm, extensive orchard and veggie plots.
When time has allowed, the Hershmans have tended the chickens, worked in the gardens and baked up a storm with produce picked from an impressive variety of fruit trees.
But when work demands take priority, Mr Hershman said the family could rest easy knowing others within the 180-home community, including a full-time village caretaker, would do whatever was needed.
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4 Olearia Walk, located in Aldinga Arts Eco Village, is offering buyers a rare chance to join a commune.
The property’s backyard view.
A birds-eye view of the village.
“It is pretty idyllic,’’ said Mr Hershman, director of Agency Matters, who is selling his home at 4 Olearia Walk.
“Officially, we have (own a house on) a 450sqm block.
“So the beauty of the village is we have a manageable lot size but, when time and inclination is there, we have the farm (to work in), we have the chooks and the veggies (to tend) and the big sheds (to use) – there’s plenty of people that build all sorts of wonderful things in those sheds.
“We get the enjoyment of the facilities and the environment and the people and the community when we want it – without the pressure and the obligation.
“It’s all a voluntary thing – you have complete control or agency (over the amount of work you contribute to the village).
“Not everyone is able-bodied and a 25-year-old young buck so if you are old (or have mobility limitations or are less inclined to contribute), you do less – or none.’’
The eco village was established in 2002.
More than half the property is community-owned space and, with no solid fencing permitted – residents can use trellises, shrubs or mesh to mark their property boundaries – there is a strong sense of community.
The home has been updated throughout.
The main living area.
One of the bedrooms.
Mr Hershman said his sons enjoyed plenty of weekends checking out the goats on the farm (there are plans to introduce llamas to the farm later this year) and playing with other children from the village.
“They have the childhood that generations ago enjoyed – if they have nothing to do, they don’t sit in front of the (television) box, they get on their bikes and they go find a friend,’’ he said.
“It’s totally unstructured (play). There’s no planning and arranging with other parents. They just go and build forts and do all the holistic stuff that we all yearn for from previous generations.’’
Having purchased the property only a year ago, Mr Hershman said his family were sad to be leaving the village but were selling to raise capital to expand his real estate business.
Recently renovated, the home features beautiful rammed earth walls and vaulted ceilings.
An open-plan living area opens seamlessly to a stunning landscaped rear yard and outdoor entertaining area, while the main bedroom has its own private deck.
“It was never meant to be a flip (renovation specifically for reselling),’’ Mr Hershman said.
“We did all this work with a view of it being for our family, as opposed to cutting some corners to just sell it next week.
“It really is a beautiful home.’’
He said the home, which has a price guide of $950,000 to $1m, was an exceptionally rare offering, with most properties in the village selling off market.
English (US) · 