Levi Caravan Park: Vale House B & B

There was a time when this portion of the Torrens River Valley reverberated not to the sounds of the Obahn but to the thundering hooves of the hunt. During the earliest days of the colony, Vale House provided the ideal setting for a day out with Adelaide's gentry gathering here for their regular fox hunts. The fig tree is almost as old as the house and it was used mainly by the Adelaide Hunt Club as a starting point for their fox hunts, which they had along the Torrens because they were a fair way from the city. It was like a country jaunt in a sense. Believed to have been built in 1840, Vale House stood as one of the earliest riverfront homes. It's occupants reading like a who's who of early colonial life. For much of the 1840's, it was the home of Captain Edward Frome, the colonial engineer who succeeded Colonel William Light as the Surveyor General of South Australia. Frome was one of the colony's most noted explorers, with his expeditions taking him into the far north of South Australia, including the salt lake which now bears his name.

A keen artist, Frome's paintings remind us of how isolated Vale House was from the emerging town of Adelaide during the colony's earliest days. In 1856, it was purchased by Philip Levi, an influential business man and pastoralist who owned stations throughout South Australia. In fact he rivalled Elders at that time - there was Levis and there was Elders. But in the 1880's, with the slump in cotton prices because of the American Civil War and the great South Australian drought he lost his wealth. He spent the rest of his life paying off his debts - which he did. Vale House remained in the Levi family for 96 years until it was bequeathed to the Walkerville Council in 1948. Over the years the building fell on hard times serving as a boarding house, kiosk and the manager's residence for the surrounding Levi Caravan Park. Now Vale House is undergoing a quarter of a million dollar refurbishment as the managers of the Levi Caravan Park along with the Walkerville Council convert this symbol of early colonial opulence into a Bed and Breakfast accommodation.

It's a little less elitist now. A double room costs $80 a night during off peak periods and rises to $100 during school holidays. Booking can be made through Murray and Jennifer Baum on 8344 2209. Enter Levi Caravan Park off Harris Road at Vale Park. For more information you can email goodwin@arcom.com.au