Aldgate: the beautiful Adelaide Hills village that's kept its country charm intact

When Todd Langley and business partner Aaron Bond opened Fred Eatery in 2015, they didn’t know they would be leading a changing of the guard in Aldgate.

Over the next few years, bike store Ride Union Bike Co. would replace the florist shop, Japanese restaurant Yuki in the Hills would replace StyleHouse, and last year Langley and Bond branched out into homewares with the opening of Fred Living, after the owner of women’s clothing store Bedazzled Boutique retired.

Most recently, baby and children’s boutique Deti Studios has moved into the former Greenhills toy and hobby shop following another retirement.

Fresh faces

“There’s been a lot of regeneration in Aldgate,” says Langley.

“We were the first to come in after there hadn’t been any movement in traders for about 10 years. We discovered that the locals wanted change, and they’ve really embraced it.”

At Fred Eatery, that change has translated into a contemporary take on brunch and lunch with crowd-pleasers such as breakfast gnocchi and Malaysian bang bang on the menu.

Fred’s has become a firm favourite with both locals and day-trippers, particularly those on foot.

“We have a lot of walkers coming through; there are a lot of walking trails around here,” says Langley.

The best-known walking route is the Aldgate Valley Nature Walk, a 6.8-kilometre signposted trail taking in parkland, bush reserves and quiet country lanes on the way to Mylor.

“Aldgate is incredibly pretty and quite untouched, so it still has that quaint country charm,” says Langley, who adds that the town reaps a two-fold benefit from all the amenity of neighbouring Stirling, just two kilometres north-west along the main road.

Aldgate residents can access everything they need in the way of services and shops while enjoying the peace and serenity in their smaller village.

“Stirling is delightful, but there’s quite a bit of commerce there,” says Langley.

“If you look at all the places through the Hills, Aldgate is the place that’s still rocking yesteryear.”

Easy city commute

Williams Real Estate agent Stephanie Williams says buyer groups include families and retirees, with a notable increase in interest from interstate buyers.

“They’re always quite astonished that you can be in the country one minute, surrounded by forests and acreages, then jump in your car, and you’re in the CBD in 10 minutes,” she says.

“You just don’t get that in other capital cities. We’ve also got easy access to good schools, so the position here is highly regarded.”

Williams says the fresh air and beautiful gardens are key drawcards.

“You feel like you’re in a botanical park here. In a world where people are being more mindful of nature and wellbeing, why wouldn’t you go to the Hills?”

One to watch

Built by a German master builder, Chateau Avalon is attracting interest from as far afield as San Francisco, London and Vancouver.

Offering an impressive 1450 square metres of living and entertaining areas across six connecting towers, the unique property is on more than a hectare of English-style gardens.

Williams Real Estate’s Stephanie Williams is taking expressions of interest with a guide of $5.85 million-$5.95 million.

SOLD - $5,655,000

178-180 Old Mount Barker Road, Aldgate SA 5154

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