Waverley Ridge Road was a favoured location chosen by wealthy & prominent families of nineteenth century South Australia. ‘Five Oaks’ is thought to have been built prior to1882 & is one of the oldest houses on the Ridge. It was included in the Stirling Heritage Survey & recommended for inclusion in the Local Heritage Register. The original house is built of stone with brick quoins, while the extension built around 1910 consists of several rooms at the rear & side which are built of brick. Some of the rooms were thought to have been added for live-in staff & still contain the original tiled hand-bowls.
The residence is naturally cool in summer with massive stone walls & is beautifully presented throughout reflecting timeless elegance & style with high ceilings, timber floorboards & a wonderful shady verandah.
Generously proportioned the rooms include a formal sitting room with built-in book case, open fireplace with decorative mantle & double doors leading to the sunroom. A spacious formal dining room also has an open fireplace with decorative mantle & access to the sunroom. Conveniently located is the large kitchen which has good quality appliances & an abundance of cupboards & bench space plus a spacious meals area.
There are 3 good size bedrooms, master with ensuite & up-graded main bathroom. An extensive renovation of the residence was carried out by a previous owner, a civil engineer. This included the installation of electrical radiant ceiling heating & a complete upgrade of the bathrooms & kitchen, as well as complete re-wiring. The house has been owned variously by a journalist, gentleman, farmer & a pastoralist.
Situated in an ultimate romantic garden setting of approx. 3323sqm (3/4 acre) filled with many huge shady trees, including English oaks, an American scarlet oak, Atlantic cedar, amelanchier, maple & liquid amber. Other plants include wisteria, hydrangeas, rhododendons, azaleas, camellias, crabapple, mulberry, persimmon, raspberries, red currants, lemon trees, bluebells, daffo