The approach to this property in the Daintree Rainforest is along a romantic forest-lined no-through road which rises up at the base of Thornton Peak. The temperature is more pleasant than in the Daintree Lowlands, being about 5 degrees cooler, due to the higher elevation. When you get out of the car at the property the trickle of a stream can be heard 50 meters away at the end of the road as well as the sounds of birds, animals and frogs in the forest. Often in the first hour after sunset the synchronized movement of lights emitted by fireflies is seen at the roadside and next to the house. The house is at the end of a 40-meter driveway made of river stones through the dense rainforest.
Firefly, a solidly built wood and iron roofed pole house deep in the Daintree Forest in north Queensland, Australia, is for sale at $1.35M AUD (approximately $910,000 USD). The 2.15-hectare (5.31 acres) property is in the Upper Cooper Creek Precinct and has boundaries with the Daintree National Park on all sides except for 28 meters of road frontage. The property projects into the national park on the northwestern corner of private land in the region. There are 712 meters of boundaries with the national park of a total of 740-meter boundary, effectively increasing your backyard to include hundreds of acres of the national park and there will never be neighbors adjoining the property. Cassowaries, blue Ulysees butterflies, fireflies, a huge range of rainforest plants and animals and two streams are found on the property which is uncleared apart from the house site footprint which measures 12 X 9 meters.
The property has high environmental value due to the exceptionally high biodiversity on this property. The property is habitat for the endangered Southern Cassowary. Though only 1,200- 1,500 of these large colorful birds remain in the wild in Australia, two cassowaries were seen on the property by the owner who visited the house for short holidays.
The house
The house is on the lower slope of Thornton Peak in a position amongst tall rainforest trees and fan palms, on ground containing large granite boulders to which the house foundations are anchored.
The house is completely off-grid with a 30,000-liter unlined galvanized steel water tank on a high wooden stand, a Hills Solar vacuum tube hot water system, an ecological Biolytix wastewater treatment system and a 4.5kWatt solar power and battery system. There is an AutoStart petrol generator connected to the solar power system which automatically starts during any long periods of low sunlight and then stops when the batteries are recharged.
The house was built in 2010 using termite resistant hardwood timber which was transported from Western Australia rather than using locally sourced timber. The house is supported on 12 very large 400-550 mm wide wandoo wood poles and the frame is made exclusively from jarrah hardwood. The roof of the house and the water tank are made from thick galvanized iron. The water tank has no lining to avoid contamination of the water by plastic materials that could leach into the water. The water inlet pipes to the house rooms are made from copper to avoid contamination from plastic compounds. The full thickness wood floorboards are made from marri and the ceiling boards are made of red cedar. No surfaces in the house have been painted to prevent the release of synthetic volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Also painted surfaces in this location often attract mold growth. The house has been built to strict standards of material use to prevent the release of any toxic chemicals into the surrounding forest. The house has a wide section of brass screen at the top of all the external walls which allows good ventilation at all times, and this minimizes mold development. The owner sincerely hopes that the house is maintained in the future using only natural materials such as natural oils which will not adversely impact the stunning and vibrant ecosystem around the house. The owner will provide all information regarding the use of natural or organic materials and treatments to the next owner.
The solid benches throughout the house are made from 60mm thick slabs of paperbark wood. The benches floors and decking have been oiled using natural oil. The subsequent use of clove oil on the wood surfaces prevents the development of mold. The lights are made from glass and brass rather than having plastic components. Floor to ceiling glass louvre windows in the bedroom allow you to see the beautiful rainforest from the bed and there is a glass skylight above the bed. There are also glass skylights in the bathroom and living area which let natural light into all areas of the house. When the two trifold glass doors on two sides of the living area are opened on to the deck the living area is doubled in size. There is also a bifold glass window and a large paperbark wood breakfast bar providing access between the kitchen and the deck.
The house was built on a footprint determined by a botanist as required by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) of Queensland, to avoid clearing any endangered and vulnerable plants. Four plants were transplanted from the building site. The building site was positioned on an existing driveway of river stones. The Queensland EPA and the Dougal Shire Council has decided that no further clearing or building permits will be granted for properties in the Upper Cooper Creek Precinct due to its biodiversity significance. The Upper Cooper Creek Precinct is one of nine precincts described in the Daintree Futures Study conducted by the Rainforest Cooperative Reasearch Centre for the government of Queensland. The Queensland EPA has assessed the capacity for future settlement in the Upper Cooper Creek precinct is zero. In the Daintree Futures Study, it is stated that the current and proposed settlement rate in the Upper Cooper Creek Precinct is the same, 31% (See attached table of settlement rates in the nine precincts). Therefore, this house can never be replicated in this part of the Daintree rainforest even on existing public or private land. On the contrary the government of Queensland has bought back properties adjacent to lot 221 Turpentine Road and has incorporated them into the certificate of title of the Daintree National Park.
The cost of the building was approximately $600,000 in 2010, which included Town Planning, geophysical engineering and botanical surveys which were required by the Environmental Protection Agency. The land now has high value due to its location being embedded in and surrounded by the Daintree National Park, the extremely low if any availability of a similar block and the inability to obtain a clearing or building permit for land in this precinct determined by the Douglas Shire Council.
Features of the property
The 2.15-hectare property is situated in the Daintree Forest on the very corner of private land projecting to the northwest into the Daintree National Park.
Two properties on one side one on the other side have been bought back by the Queensland government and converted into National Park meaning that there will never be neighbors.
There will not be an opportunity to repeat the building of such a house again in the Upper Cooper Creek Precinct.
The property is habitat for the endangered Southern Cassowary, which have been seen on the property beside the house.
Cassowaries and fireflies live on the property in addition to Ulysees butterflies and countless birds, reptiles and mammals.
The rainforest here is world class ancient complex mesophyll type 3 rainforest, in the oldest rainforest in the world.
Outstanding representation of species of conservation significance is unmatched anywhere in Australia. (Daintree Futures Study, November 2000).
A Nature Refuge Agreement is attached to the property title. The clearing of plants is not permitted according to a Nature Conservation Covenant which is a condition of the building permit obtained from the Queensland government in 2007.
There is a stunning stand of fan palms which extends up to the house.
Located 3 km from Thornton Beach and 60km from Port Douglas.
Significantly lower temperatures than at Port Douglas and Cairns owing to the elevation at the base of Thornton Peak.
Cooper Creek and an excellent restaurant (Heritage lodge) overlooking the river is 200m away at 96 Turpentine Road, Diwan.
There are no crocodiles in the Cooper Creek, 200 meters from the house and upstream as far as Alexandra Falls. Crocodiles do not inhabit the higher sections of Cooper Creek.
Closest private property to Alexandra Falls, about 900m away.
