BYRON HINTERLAND TROPHY HOME WITH STAR POWER RETURNS TO MARKET

A Byron Bay hinterland trophy home that once starred on Love Island Australia has resurfaced for sale after making a brief appearance on the market last year.

Amileka in Federal, 24kms from the famous shores of Byron Bay, was listed for a short time in July with a guide of more than $8m, but is now asking $7m to $7.7m with Sotheby’s agent Will Phillips via an expressions of interest campaign, closing on March 12, at 5pm.

The contemporary homestead on 10ha last sold for $9.5 million during the regional post-pandemic boom in 2022. Since then, the iconic house has been earning its owners thousands of dollars a night as a glamorous short term rental.

Built in 2008, Amileka took home the Australian Institute of Architects (NSW country division) Architecture Award in the same year. The minimalist design on secluded Blackbean Lane was crafted by architect owner Sharon Fraser and her husband, Steve Esson.

Tom Lane, of the Oroton fashion family empire and his stylist wife Emma, then bought Amileka for $4 million in 2011. They sold up in 2015 for $3.5 million to the Johnson family, who offered up the compound to feature as the Love Island home for the Channel 9 dating show’s third season in 2017.

Later, in 2022, the remote residence was snapped up by Mikaela Lancaster, Spotify Australia managing director, and her husband Mark Britt, founder of video-streaming platform Iflix. Lancaster and Britt are now seeking Amileka’s next custodians.

The main home has a large sunken lounge room and a spacious dining zone seamlessly connected to the gourmet kitchen and multiple outdoor terraces. In the designer gas kitchen there are stone surfaces including a big island bench, and a discreet but large butler’s pantry.

Created for grand scale outdoor entertaining, Amileka’s alfresco options include a central courtyard, level lawns with rolling district views punctuated by ancient Black Bean, fig and pandanus trees, plus an 18m by 5m pool and a fire pit.

Internally, the house features a stately formal entry, honed concrete floors with solar hydronic heating, bespoke cabinetry, walls of windows to capture the leafy outlook, a dedicated media room, and five bedrooms.

Off the primary suite there is a large walk-in wardrobe, an ensuite with bidet and a private hot tub, plus the house has two more family-friendly bathrooms.

Additionally, the estate also has a three-bedroom caretaker’s cottage with its own swimming pool.

Famous for its legendary lush vistas, untouched rainforest and waterfalls, the Byron Hinterland is also known for picturesque sleepy villages such as Bangalow and eclectic fine dining options.

Federal is home to a small general store, the popular Doma Cafe, and is approximately a 25-minute drive from Byron Bay, 35 minutes to Ballina Airport and 50 minutes to Coolangatta International Airport.

Amileka in the Byron Bay hinterland is for sale with Sotheby’s International Realty via an expressions of interest campaign, closing on March 12, 5pm.

A Sydney couple has paid $15.5 million for the Grand Penthouse at Marquee’s $285 million La Belle Residences beachfront development which is nearing completion at Palm Beach, eclipsing the record for an off-the-plan apartment sale on the southern Gold Coast.

The sprawling single level 640 sqm beachfront residence, with sweeping views of the Gold Coast north and south, beats the previous record of $14.6 million, set at the Sur Kirra Beach penthouse in Coolangatta in December 2025, and comes in 70 per cent above Palm Beach’s apartment suburb record of $9.1 million.

The buyer plans to make it their permanent home as they relocate to the Gold Coast. The result marks a turning point for Palm Beach. The suburb was once a quiet stretch of beach between Burleigh Heads and Currumbin and now ranks among the country’s most sought-after coastal addresses.

The sale also shows how the top of the market is changing, according to Jacques Winterburn of Marquee, one of Southeast Queensland’s most active private developers.

“For a long time the southern Gold Coast was where people came for holidays. Wealthy interstate buyers are no longer just buying holiday homes here, they are relocating,” Mr Winterburn said.

“These are people who live on Sydney Harbour. They had already decided to relocate to the Gold Coast, and what took the time was finding the right property in the right location. They chose the northern end of Palm Beach. The comparison has changed. They’re weighing Point Piper and Bondi against the premium end of Palm Beach. Absolute beachfront, genuinely quiet, Tallebudgera Inlet a short walk away and Burleigh minutes up the road without the noise and busyness that comes with living there. On space, beach access and lifestyle, this wins.”

The Grand Penthouse is built on the scale of a large house. It has 510 sqm of internal living space and a 130 sqm balcony, five bedrooms each with its own ensuite, a private cinema, an executive office, a wine display and multiple living areas. The hallways are two metres wide, which is almost unheard of in an apartment design.

The building sits on over 40 metres of absolute beach frontage. The penthouse itself runs 34 metres along the beachfront, one of the widest new apartments on the Gold Coast, and occupies a single level, so there are no stairs. Its 270-degree views run uninterrupted from Burleigh Headland and the Surfers Paradise skyline south to Currumbin and Snapper Rocks.

The couple moved quickly, committing within about a month after inspecting completed Marquee buildings across the Gold Coast and bringing friends along for a second opinion.

“They did their homework, but once they had seen the finished buildings the decision came easily,” sales and marketing spokesman Azura Griffen said. “At this price level, buyers wanted to walk through projects we had completed years ago, not look at renders. Track record and trust in delivery are the whole conversation.”

What took longer was the residence itself. Over the following months the couple worked with Marquee to customise the penthouse, reworking the layout so that every key living space looks out over the ocean.

“They knew exactly what they wanted. The ocean had to be in every room, the kitchen, the dining room, the master bedroom, the office,” Ms Griffen said. “Because Marquee is both the developer and the builder, we could work through those changes with them.”

Ms Griffen said the building being close to completion has given buyers confidence.

“Buying off the plan at this level is about trust. Buyers can now walk the site, see the finishes and stand on the balconies. Once they’ve done that, the decision usually makes itself.”

La Belle Palm Beach is due for completion by Christmas 2026. Marquee has already secured its next absolute beachfront site, in the same pocket at the northern end of Palm Beach, with a launch planned for early next year.

“We have a number of buyers who love the northern end of Palm Beach for the same reasons, a quiet serene beach, close to thetranquil waters of Tallebudgera, yet minutes from the restaurants of Burleigh Heads,” Ms Griffen said. “That feedback is why we secured our next site in the same pocket.”

“It will be more boutique, with larger apartments of 190 to 300 sqm and the same world-class amenity. It will be our best beachfront building yet.”

“We are already taking enquiry and pre-registrations, much of it from buyers who missed out at La Belle and want to make sure they do not miss the next one.”

BYRON HINTERLAND TROPHY HOME WITH STAR POWER RETURNS TO MARKET

Award-winning Byron hinterland estate Amileka returns to market, blending architectural pedigree, celebrity history and lucrative luxury retreat appeal.