Making the Hills home…
We were super excited to get the chance to chat with Siobhan about her family’s Aston Hills story. Both from regional NSW, Siobhan and Peter moved to Aston Hills as renters and loved it so much they’ve bought a block and are building their family home…
Siobhan – can you sum up your life at Aston Hills in five words? Quiet, safe, sense of community, outdoorsy, active.
Who do you share your home at Aston Hills with?
My husband Peter, our children Sophia (9) and William (6), our dog Maco and our cat Penny.
What do you love the most about living here? We love how quiet and easy going the estate is. Our neighbours are both friendly yet unintrusive. Our children can safely ride their bikes both on the trail and around the area, and the park is a favoured spot!
How do you guys keep healthy – do you use any of the trails or facilities at Aston Hills to exercise? Our kids love the Aston Hills Park, we have even held a birthday party for my son William there! They love racing each other down the slides and rolling down the hill! Peter and Sophia make great use of the trail bike track and enjoy a ride down by the lake.
Do you guys play at the golf club? Peter and Sophia are both avid but amateur golfers! Peter tries to fit in 18 holes once every few weeks and Sophia has a weekly golf lesson down at the club! It is a beautiful course and we are very lucky!
Do you have any activities at the Summit Sports Park? Both Sophia and William will be playing soccer this season and I believe Mt Barker United Soccer Club will be training at the Sports Park soon, very exciting!
Are you originally from the Adelaide Hills? If not where did you live before and what attracted you to Mount Barker? We are originally from regional NSW, about and 1hr and a half out of Sydney. We made the move 3 years ago for Peter’s career. He has an easy commute to work to Murray Bridge and we liked that Mount Barker was close to enough to his work as well as an easy trip to the city, beaches and the wine regions. We found Mount Barker to be very affordable and offers wonderful public and private school options.
Do you commute to the city much? If so how do you find the drive? We travel down to the city once or twice a fortnight. Coming from NSW where a trip to the city was quite a task we were pleasantly surprised at how easy the drive to the city is, and no tolls! Prior to Covid we both flew regularly and have a large family we often visited so made the trip to the airport quite often which we have always found to be a straight forward drive.
Tell us about your home – how was the selections and build process for you? Did you choose a regular plan or did you make some bespoke additions?
We are currently renting in Aston Hills and we loved the spot so much we bought a block 3 streets over and are about 2 months away from handover! Our non-negotiables were space and storage and we have definitely ended up with ample amounts of both. We designed our own ensuite bathroom to allow for more privacy in the shower and toilet by having them behind our vanity area with their own entry points. We also added a tiled seat the shower which we think is a handy addition!
Would you change anything about your home now? Overall, we are unbelievably happy with our home. In hindsight I would have loved to include a skylight for more natural light in our living space and would have liked to have gone with floor to ceiling tiles however we are more than content with our decisions.
What did you learn about building – any tips for first home builders? We still have a little way to go but from what we have experienced so far I have two pieces of advice. The first would be that no matter how organised you may be almost all aspects of building will take longer and cost more than you expect so be prepared and have this in mind. It is all worth it in the end but patience and good financial management is key! My second would be to find a great broker! From the start our broker has been amazing! We have not had to speak with the bank directly at all and she has been able to answer all our questions and give great advice along the way!
What are the best family friendly destinations in the Hills that you guys love? We have a couple of favourites, especially when it comes to eating out as a family! Our top spots would be The Bridgewater Inn, The Prancing Pony, The Haus, Barristers Block and the Uraidla Hotel, all are great for the kids (and the parents)! Wallis Cinema is another family friendly destination, they often create little events around movie premiers which the kids love, William enjoyed going to see Toy Story 4 and being surprised by the staff dressed up in character costumes! I often attend Ladies Night with a girlfriend and we have a fab time! They also have a wonderful Australia Day free event! We absolutely loved Cleland Wildlife Park, we got very up close and personal with the animals, the keepers were so knowledgeable and friendly, it is defiantly worth a visit!
To find out more about making Aston Hills home – please call Brad on 0452 136 091. You can follow Siobhan and her family’s journey on Instagram at @Meetthrrobertsons_ .