Property of the week: 33 Hilltop Rd, Avalon Beach
3 min
There are no points for guessing why Peter Stutchbury labelled his Avalon Beach creation Treetop House as the elevated home sits seemingly suspended over the leafy peninsula suburb.
With mature spotted gums and casuarinas as a permanent backdrop framing Pittwater in the distance, the three-bedroom residence is a perfectly preserved early career example of the Australian Institute of Architects Gold Medal award-winner.
Finished in 1993, Treetop House was built just below an ancient ridge-line above picturesque Pittwater playing homage to its raw bushland setting and water views. The property has earned its architectural stripes, having appeared in various design publications including Architectural Digest celebrating Stutchbury for his visionary use of industrial materials, all while maintaining a deep connection to the landscape.
Vendors Ben and Kirsten Welsh, who work in the advertising and film industries, bought the Avalon home in 2018 after already experiencing life in a starchitect’s design.
“We used to live in a Bill Lucas house in Castlecrag and through being there, we really discovered how living in a home designed by a really good architect was something you had to experience. So when the kids grew up and moved out, we found ourselves looking at houses around Pittwater by Peter Stutchbury, Glenn Murcutt and Richard Leplastrier,” Ben said.
“It’s a magical house. One of the most amazing things is that you feel as if the rest of the world doesn’t exist once you’re in it, because you’re higher up than you would normally be. You’re up in the tree canopy on a hill so you get terrific views and a sense of isolation, but at the same time you can just walk to the shops.”
Despite having fallen in love with the neighbourhood, the Welshes are leaving Sydney to be closer to family in Victoria. They have, however, found one savvy way to keep the memory of their preferred Northern Beaches suburb alive by recently launching their own drop, Avalon Wine Company.
Treetop House is anchored by a 6m vertical blockwork tower acting as a structural core grounding the entire property. Above this, a cantilevered timber platform forms the top floor main living level housing the everyday family zone opening to balconies on both sides and the lush treetops.
“The house is a lesson in architecture. What’s incredible about a great building is not looking at it from outside, but looking at the world from within. That’s when you can really appreciate great architecture. Anyone can do an interesting design and stick it somewhere nice but with this place, because there are a lot of windows, every angle has something to look at that’s quite remarkable,” Ben says, adding that although the couple had done little to the Stutchbury design during their residency, they had introduced more than 1000 plants to the 1071sq m block.
“There’s a kind of tamed wildness to the planting and the environment, with big rocks and trees that are not all the same. We’ve been very careful not to create anything too formal.”
The material palette of Treetop House also includes interiors styled to suit the surrounding landscape including oiled tallowwood floors, polished plywood joinery and a Jarrah staircase.
In addition to the primary living space, kitchen and dining area, the upper level is also home to two bedrooms with a shared walk-in wardrobe and a full spa bathroom. On the middle level a separated main bedroom suite has an ensuite and built-ins while the lower level has a bonus multipurpose family room or home office with ensuite. All three floors are accessible by lift.
The house is close to Clarevill Beach, Long Beach, Taylors Point Wharf and Avalon Sailing Club as well as Angophora Reserve.
Treetop House has a price guide of $4.5 million and is on the market via private treaty through LJ Hooker Avalon Beach agents Thomas Mackay on 0429 236 879
As housing drives wealth and policy debate, the real risk is an economy hooked on growth without productivity to sustain it.
Limited to 630 units, Lamborghini’s latest Urus Capsule pushes personalisation further than ever, blending hybrid performance with over 70 bespoke design combinations.
A design-led hinterland escape near Byron Bay blends luxury accommodation with serious income potential, as The Brooklet hits the market with a $20 million price guide.
2 min
An exclusive slice of Byron Bay’s hinterland hospitality has entered the property chat.
The Brooklet is a boutique adults-only retreat hidden in the hills around 20 minutes’ drive west of the iconic beach town.
As a getaway, each of The Brooklet’s luxury cabins earns between $800 and $2000 a night, but as a prestige asset, the 47ha estate is expected to fetch more than $20 million through selling agents Kim and Angus Jones of Kim Jones & Co Real Estate.
With a stellar reputation as one of the region’s premier design-led accommodation venues, coupled with its enviable location just outside of Newrybar, the expansive retreat has been turning heads since it opened about three years ago.
Time Out Sydney recently gave The Brooklet a full five-star rating, describing it as a “ridiculously heavenly idyll”. Across all booking platforms, the rural escape has earned an impressive 9.6 out of 10 rating.
Elevated above the surrounding countryside and just down the road from the late Olivia Newton-John’s former retreat, Gaia, this one-time macadamia farm has sweeping panoramic views, total seclusion from neighbours, and a sophisticated level of finishes throughout the personal and communal spaces.
The architect-designed accommodation includes six black-clad self-contained villas alongside two standalone three-bedroom residences, each with its own private pool; The Farmhouse and a reimagined dairy known as The Bails. There is the potential for the next owners to expand upon the existing accommodation offerings, with DA approval for two more villas and an additional recreational space.
Additional wellness perks in The Barn include an infrared sauna, an ice bath, a mineral hot tub, a fully equipped gym, and a full tennis court. There is also a treatment room and meeting space.
The Brooklet Bar is set up for wine tasting with another warming fireplace for intimate gatherings.
Walking trails weave through the property, and organic gardens provide herbs, flowers, and produce for guests to take back to their accommodations.
Bonus infrastructure with the property includes a private helipad, EV charging capability, 270,000L tank water storage and a bore supply for self-sufficiency.
The Brooklet is approximately five minutes from Newrybar with its general store and cafe, eclectic boutiques and future new dining precinct. It is also eight minutes to Bangalow and about 20 minutes to central Byron Bay, its world-famous beaches and lighthouse, plus the Ballina-Byron Gateway Airport.
The Brooklet at 841 Fernleigh Rd, Brooklet is listed with Kim Jones & Co Real Estate with a price guide in the vicinity of $20 million.
An opulent Ryde home, packed with cinema, pool, sauna and more, is hitting the auction block with a $1 reserve.
Chinese carmaker GAC will expand its Australian electric vehicle line-up with the city-focused AION UT hatchback.
