Twenty-four years ago, the first allotments in Blackwood Park entered the market. Blackwood Park development manager Tom Simpson wasn’t part of the sales team, but he knows the stories of people camping overnight near the sales office to secure their patch of paradise.

“It was an alternative to living on the Adelaide plains, with that hills lifestyle that appealed to the buyers,” Simpson said of the early frenzy.

“Plus, there are all these national parks surrounding the land that are shored up for the long term and won’t ever be developed.”

Since then, Blackwood Park has become synonymous with a highly sought-after, premium hills lifestyle. Adding to the tree change appeal, has been the preservation of over 60 per cent of the original Craigburn Farm as open space with the natural ecosystems preserved and actively regenerated.

“How those stages were designed gives you that sense of living in an established neighbourhood, even though it’s a new development. And I think the retained trees play a significant role in that,” he said.

The estate’s undulations have also been embraced.

“The fact that we worked to existing land contours – and encouraged people to build with splits or two stories and minimise the amount of cut in the natural ground – it really kept that hills feel to the neighbourhood.”

“It’s a great feeling to see they have adopted and ran with that. When you drive through, it just feels natural. It doesn’t feel so engineered.”

10 of the 33 allotments, ranging from 401 to 2,928 square metres, are now available in The Nursery release at Blackwood Park

Over the years, Blackwood Park’s developer the Adelaide Development Company has won multiple awards for the estate and set the standard with its urban design guidelines, which now include a minimum 7-star energy rating.

The estate was the first in South Australia to receive EnviroDevelopment accreditation for its sustainability ethos and outcomes.

“Another of the real positives of the development is that, from the early purchases through to the current purchases, the quality of the estate has really driven up house price values.

“It’s given people the confidence to build a home that has a lot of architectural merit. Homeowners can build something custom to really suit what they want and their needs.

“What’s been achieved here definitely makes me proud.”

The last piece of land to be developed is at the former site of one of Craigburn Farm’s original cottages and, more recently, the location of Minda Inc’s plant nursery, which has relocated to Brighton.

Only thirty-three allotments are in this, The Nursery stage, and Simpson said it encapsulates all that is special about the wider estate.

“The Nursery sits on gently sloping land adjacent a tree-lined gully with a stunning outlook over the Sturt Gorge Recreation Park,” he said.

“There are allotment sizes from 401 square metres right up to an incredible 2,928 square metre site.”

The first release, comprising 10 allotments, is being sold through an expressions of interest process running until Friday November 11, with further releases in 2023.

“They’re opposite the Sturt Gorge Recreation Park with views across bushland and instant access to the park’s fantastic walking and mountain bike trail network.

“This entire stage is only a 5-minute walk to Craigburn Lake.”

Simpson said there is significant pent-up demand for the final 33 allotments. It has been a year since The Circuit release adjacent to Coromandel Parade and two years since the completion of The Meridien precinct.

“I encourage anyone who has dreams of building in Blackwood Park to go to our website and register on our database, so they don’t miss out.”