Some 16 years ago, Marty Haynes, a much loved local builder who still lives here, had a young growing family and chose to build a home to suit their needs right on this incredible, east facing piece of land. Only a builder well accustomed to building on difficult sites on Tamborine Mountain could have seen and realised the full potential of this unusual ¼ acre block which offered a flat area of land along the street side of the block and then abruptly changed to a rising rocky outcrop completely covered in natural rainforest further into the land. The back boundary adjoins Council owned parkland which continues further up the hill and is also covered in the same rainforest. No wonder then, that this home can have the very rare pleasure of our wonderful Albert Lyre Birds performing in the rear garden. If you have ever been privy to a dusk display of song and dance by one of these incredible male birds, you will remember being riveted to the spot in absolute silence for some 15 to 20 minutes of non-stop activity. That Lyre Bird display almost almost caused this writer to get locked into Fleay’s Fauna on the Gold Coast for the night as a result of determination to stay there until the performance finished!

The 30 square (279 square metre approx.) home has been set to the rear of the flat land to allow almost all of that part of the block to be used as open front garden with flat land and lawns for kids to play. Marty chose to use a pole platform style of building and then stepped the house into different levels to follow the natural contours of the land and to minimise removal of vegetation. Where opportunities for decks occurred he built them, even building around very tall Piccabean Palms festooned with staghorn and elkhorn ferns as he went. He oriented the kitchen and ensuite bathroom towards the north and graced them with superb windows that rise up to ceiling level and then further up to form part of the roof so that the sun flows in and you can see the stars at night. He put a huge floor length window in the master suite that looks directly out into the rocky rainforest at the rear of the house. He wrapped the family living, dining and formal lounge around a recessed area under the roofline and tiled its floor to match the interior tiling so that the family had a great, protected outdoor living area that could be opened up to allow for big free flowing indoor / outdoor parties.

Extra care and love went into creating this magical rainforest living environment and you feel it as soon as you step into the home. The home simply radiates with creative thinking and a genuine understanding of the qualities of the position. It is full of wonderful surprises and glass doors opening out to magical hideaway decks. Some decks are drenched in sunshine, while others are cool and shady. There is even an alcynite roof over the deck adjoining the laundry and a pull-up clothes line there so you washing can dry, even in wet weather. The kitchen is large and really practical with all mod. cons. including a new dishwasher as well as a pantry and breakfast bar and there is tons of storage everywhere. Not too many homes have both a linen closet and a broom closet as well as 5 built-in wardrobes!

The front garden level contains the 2 garages plus a roomy home office that can also be used as a workshop, studio or storage space plus plenty of off-street parking. Here there are attractive, more conventional gardens that are pretty, yet ever so easy to maintain. The areas of lawn are flat, so mowing is a cinch. The balance of the land simply requires no attention as nature is its gardener. Sun streams down between the trees and waving palms and there is never, ever a westerly or south-westerly wind in spring that can reach into this hidden protected spot. There are some vignette views of the Gold Coast from decks and these views become quite stunning at night when you can see the Gold Coast lights quite clearly.

The young Haynes family spent quite a few years here before moving to acreage and now the current owner’s lifestyle suggests selling, but one part of her is torn by the knowledge that this property is truly unique and irreplaceable. We can understand how she feels! It took imagination, hard work and love to create this unique nature lovers’ dream home where a family can grow up with wonderful memories that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. So, take this opportunity to buy a quiet and beautiful piece of Paradise on Tamborine Mountain.