Turn off Springwood Road, pass through the gate and follow the private driveway as it bends downhill, crosses a small bridge and disappears into the trees.
At the end sits the house Anne spent almost a year searching for — before realising she would have to design it herself.
“I’d always been used to big spaces,” she said.
“My dad always said space was becoming a rare commodity. Blocks were getting smaller and smaller, with the eaves basically touching your neighbour.
“When I found this block, I thought I just had to have it. It was really quite special.”
The three-bedroom house at 426 Springwood Road is hidden on 2001sq m, surrounded by gardens, bushland and a seasonal watercourse.
The secluded site made conventional building designs difficult, so Anne worked with an architect to create a house specifically for the land.
“I said, ‘I want to bring the outside in. I want to have the bush all around me’,” she said.
The result was a one-off house with a butterfly roofline, polished hardwood floors and large windows capturing garden and bush views.
Sliding doors open onto a broad timber deck where Anne spends much of the year.
“Everyone who comes down here says, ‘We didn’t know this existed’,” she said.
The single-level house was also designed for Anne’s future, with level entry and open showers with accessibility in mind.
Two secondary bedrooms and their bathroom sit in a separate wing that can be closed when not needed.
“If it’s just a couple, you can live in half the house,” she said.
Personal details are built into the walls.
A stained-glass window in the main bedroom depicts birds, plants and a pond, replacing what would otherwise have been a view of the driveway.
A Malaysian batik artwork of koi fish, bought during Anne’s travels, was installed between wall studs and illuminated from behind.
“Unfortunately, I can’t take it with me,” she said.
“It’s part of the house.”
Beyond the deck, steps descend into a landscaped gully containing palms, a firepit and a seasonal stream.
When a tree fell during Cyclone Alfred, Anne and her partner planed its trunk smooth and transformed it into a footbridge.
The gardens have also become a refuge for wallabies, king parrots, kookaburras, water dragons and echidnas.
“I’ve had echidnas in the backyard, wallabies are always around and the king parrots come in to be fed,” Anne said.
“It’s quite beautiful.”
Anne expected the purpose-built retreat to remain her house for life, but is now moving closer to her children and grandchildren.
“I never thought I’d leave this place because it was built for me,” she said.
“It’s going to be a really sad day.”
She hopes the next owner feels the same sense of escape she found at the bottom of the driveway.
“It’s so close to everything, yet you could be anywhere,” Anne said.
“It’s tucked away — just a beautiful little piece of serenity.”
For Anne, leaving also means beginning another garden and another chapter.
“That’s another adventure for me,” she said.
The property is being marketed by Johnson Teo and Joel Butler of Ray White Springwood and Shailer Park.
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