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The 68 hectare wilderness property is in a biodiversity hotspot in northern NSW. Picture: realestate.com.au\/buy<\/p>\n
Held by owners Adrienne and Erwin Weber for 46 years, the property has been reluctantly put up for sale as the couple, who are now in their mid-70s, look to downsize.<\/p>\n
They have dedicated more than four decades to rewilding the sprawling property, which now serves as a valuable wildlife corridor and a haven for threatened plants and animals.<\/p>\n
The couple, who met when studying and working in architecture and interior design in Sydney, were drawn to the property through their passion for the environment and conservation.<\/p>\n
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The property includes an appoximately 2km stretch of the Rous River. Picture: realestate.com.au\/buy<\/p>\n
After an exhaustive search for a piece of land that met their 10 essential criteria for building a passive solar home \u2013 a list that included river frontage, north-facing potential homesites, and \u201csomething that was good enough to paint\u201d \u2013 the couple purchased the site in 1980.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we’d totally given up, we came across this property and it met all the things on the list,\u201d Adrienne told realestate.com.au.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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The river features multiple secluded swimming holes and a local platypus population. Picture: realestate.com.au\/buy<\/p>\n
However, the condition it was in at the time was a far cry from its pristine state today, setting off a laborious process of rehabilitation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt had been logged many times, and was an ex-banana and cattle property,\u201d Adrienne said.<\/p>\n
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The former banana plantation includes several cleared paddocks. Picture: realestate.com.au\/buy<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were over 100 acres of weeds, the understory was all choked,\u201d Erwin added. \u201cYou had to cut tunnels through the lantana to get anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
They soon got to work building their first home on the block \u2013 an open-plan circular house, made from recycled materials and stone and timber gathered from the land.<\/p>\n
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The first house built on the block was made from mud bricks and recycled materials, as well as stones and timber collected from the land. Picture: realestate.com.au\/buy<\/p>\n
Resembling an enchanted cottage straight out of a fairytale, the one-of-a-kind home known as the River House is surrounded by ferns and palms and features an enormous stone hearth, soaring ceilings and a loft space tucked up in the natural rafters.<\/p>\n
It became their home for 10 years while they planned a larger dwelling on the property, which also served as a model for architecture students studying passive solar design – a building method that uses the sun\u2019s energy and natural airflow to heat and cool a home.<\/p>\n
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The cosy interior features an open hearth and soaring ceilings. Picture: realestate.com.au\/buy<\/p>\n
They lived in that home for the next 35 years, which included raising two children who carried on their passion for ecology \u2013 their daughter who went on to become an environmental scientist, and their son who is now a botanist.<\/p>\n
Much of that time was spent regenerating bushland, reintroducing endemic plant species and improving the health of the river, which has encouraged wildlife to return.<\/p>\n
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The rustic home is completely surrounded by rainforest. Picture: realestate.com.au\/buy<\/p>\n
But last year, disaster struck. The off-grid home sadly burnt down in a fire caused by the lithium batteries that powered the house, and the couple relocated back to the River House.<\/p>\n
The now-cleared slab provides a blank canvas for the next custodians to build a dream home capturing the sweeping mountain views that drew them to the property.<\/p>\n
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The site of the couple’s former home has been cleared and is ideally situated for potential new owners to rebuild another passive solar home. Picture: realestate.com.au\/buy<\/p>\n
The property also includes a mudbrick studio with huge glass windows framing bushland views that serves as a secondary dwelling or retreat.<\/p>\n
Beyond the quirky dwellings, the land itself is truly special and has been identified for its exceptional natural heritage values, with about 40 hectares protected under a nature conservancy covenant.<\/p>\n
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All that remains of the main house that was destroyed by fire is the timber entry ramp. Picture: realestate.com.au\/buy<\/p>\n
In addition to many rare and vulnerable plant species thriving in the rainforest setting, the property is filled with native wildlife.<\/p>\n
Echidnas, bandicoots, koalas, bats, platypuses and quolls are among the countless creatures recorded on the property, in addition to more than 90 species of birds including the eastern whipbird, for which the estate is named.<\/p>\n
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A secondary dwelling serves as a studio or retreat. Picture: realestate.com.au\/buy<\/p>\n
The property is also planted with bush tucker, including mature bunya pines that were gifted to the couple by renowned environmentalist John Sinclair decades ago, as well as Davidson’s plums, macadamias and even a mango orchard.<\/p>\n