So unique is Semaphore water tower, vendor Ben Ali has not been able to obtain a valuation for the property. With no remotely comparable sales, two valuers turned him down.

The landmark water tower at 40 Blackler Street, Semaphore, was built in 1880, and provided water to the LeFevre peninsula for 20 years. It was converted to a home in 1972, and now presents what is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Vendor Ben Ali said his grandparents, Manfred and Beverly Stibr, bought the seven-level home in 1974 as a weekender, but loved the property and the beach lifestyle so much they made it their permanent home a few years later.

Agent Nick Psarros told SCHWARTZWILLIAMS that taking the property to auction was the way to go for a property so unique. "Let the market decide," he said.

Psarros said that over the next six weeks he will advise Ali of where price interest lies.

In the mean time, Psarros is fielding enquiries from locals, interstate buyers, and strong interest from the media.

Psarros said investors were showing strong interest, with the property having great appeal as a B&B or for short-term accommodation.

With view from "120 feet (30 metres) in the air" from the mountains to the sea and across the city, it has a "Castle feel", said Psarros, also likening the elegant tower to Paris's Eiffel Tower.

“The sheer space each floor offers, the solid stone walls and soaring ceilings all lend this property to a majestic castle feel,” Psarros said.

“The expansive top floor is like nothing else in Adelaide and takes in 360-degree views over the whole of the city, beach and hills.”

The Semaphore Water Tower is also "perfectly positioned in the heart of cosmopolitan Semaphore", he said.

Mr Stibr was 86 years old and Mrs Stibr was 90 when they passed away, and the family attributes "their longevity and excellent health to the beach lifestyle and climbing those tower stairs well into their 80s."

The family enjoyed many special occasions at the tower, always celebrating birthdays and anniversaries in the spacious rooms and ample gardens. Family also lived in the two flats attached to the tower.

Mr Stibr came to Australia from Czechoslovakia in his early 20s and established a career as a primary school teacher. He eventually ran a successful shoe repair, leather goods and souvenir business, and was well known and liked in the area. He had a keen interest in history and talents for cooking, music, and painting. He made a record of his life story in a mural on the top floor of the tower.

The water-tower home currently has three huge bedrooms and two separate, self-contained units. There is huge potential to add extra rooms, remodel, renovate, or redecorate.

Click here to find out more about the Semaphore water-tower home.

The property will be auctioned on site on 11 November at 1pm.

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