Just you and your feathered friends: A house made for birdwatching hits the market

You don’t often hear of homes built for birdwatching and while this South Australian one-bedder was initially intended for a different path, it’s now perfect for the avian enthusiast.

The building itself started life as a design studio, built for a landscape architecture practice in inner Adelaide.

After five years it’s been retired from its workplace duty and relocated to perch on the edge of a bird sanctuary on a 1032-square-metre block.

For maximum observation and relaxation convenience, it’s kitted out with a deck made from recycled jetty timber.

And not only are there uninterrupted views to the west, north and south, it’s also just a short walk to the beach.

Vendor Andrew Pole said the property, which had been a holiday home, would be perfect for buyers keen on the hobby.

“Thompson Beach is a pretty sleepy little place,” said Mr Pole. “It’s high on the birdwatchers’ list.”

“People will come from all over the place to have a look – there’s birds that fly from Siberia and Russia via China to Adelaide, on their way to Antarctica.”

He said he hadn’t initially set up the property with migratory birds in mind, but that it had been “a bit of an evolving process”.

Most of the interest had been coming from people in Adelaide looking for a getaway pad, and while it was presently a one-bedroom there was scope to expand it to be a full-time residence.

“It’s perfect as a rental, an Airbnb, something like that, essentially it’s just one open room,” he said.

The Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary National Park is at the end of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, which means more than five million birds stop off on their way to and from various far-flung parts of the world.

It helps protect threatened bird species like the Curlew sandpiper, the Eastern Curlew and the Ruddy Turnstone.

There has only been a handful of sales in Thompson Beach this year, with records showing the most expensive property so far as 75 The Esplanade, which sold for $358,000 via private treaty in July.

For those without wings, the home at 1 The Esplanade – open to expressions of interest – is less than an hour’s drive from Adelaide.