Image: Domain / Instagram via @jamiedurie/Channel 7
After a decade of hurdles, redesigns and public scrutiny, Jamie Durie’s ambitious Avalon Beach house – the one he once imagined as his family’s “forever home” – is now up for grabs. In a twist some might not have seen coming, the landscape designer has decided to part ways with the dramatic waterfront property after receiving offers too tempting to ignore. “This was to be our forever home, but unexpected door-knocks from potential buyers made us ask where we wanted to be right now,” he told Domain.
Jamie added to the The Daily Telegraph: “We received an unexpected offer in the mid $30 million and are now warming to the idea of spending some time on our hobby farm with the kids while they are young.” The hobby farm being a 30-hectare property in the Byron Bay hinterland.
If the sale lands anywhere near that figure, it will represent a remarkable return. The two-year construction journey was documented on Channel 7’s Growing Home, airing in 2024, with a number of major sponsors signing on to help bring the complex build to life. The property itself – perched high on a coveted Avalon escarpment – was reportedly purchased in 2015 for $2.275 million, with the couple said to have contributed just $3 million of their own funds to the project, a surprisingly lean outlay given its size and engineering demands.
Sustainability sits at the core of the concept by Durie Design, with architecture by Silvester Fuller, from the top-tier eco-friendly materials used throughout to the intricate off-grid renewable energy system powering the home. Add to that Jamie’s landscaping flourish: a soaring vertical “Jurassic garden” planted with mature trees craned in from off-site, and greenery integrated through the building.
Jamie, his partner – singer-songwriter Ameka Jane – and their two children, daughter Beau, 4, and son Nash, 2, had only recently settled into the completed home, with the final furnishings installed and glossy magazine shoots wrapped, when the decision to sell was made. The property has now been listed with a guide of $33 million.
But the mega-mansion’s journey has been anything but smooth. Jamie’s early plans to bulldoze the original 1960s cottage and replace it with an expansive eco-home sparked fierce backlash among locals. Northern Beaches Council reportedly fielded more than 50 objections, prompting revised plans that reduced the number of trees to be removed from 17 to 11. Approval finally came through in 2022. As Durie told The Daily Telegraph at the time: “I can tell you right now, if you want to lodge a DA in Avalon it will be the most harrowing thing you have done in your life.”
Now, after years of controversy, construction and anticipation, the house that survived it all may soon be one of the Northern Beaches’ biggest sales of the year. Keep an eye on the Belah House real-estate listing with James Baker from McGrath Pittwater-Avalon for updates.
Once the house is sold, don’t expect a quiet retirement from the gardening guru. Jamie and his family are heading to the country, but he’s far from finished with luxury eco-homes – he’s already developing a world-first 3D-printed concrete house for Season Two of his series, Future House. Hopefully this one comes with a little less backlash along the way.
