Location is king on the Coast

The views of the city and rolling surf from this home built among the tree-tops on Currumbin Hill are hard to beat, writes Lisa Hughes

Joe Corrigan wakes up every day and pinches himself. Why? Because he can’t believe he lives in what for many would be a dream holiday home. The seven-bedroom property spread over four storeys at 23 Katta Ave is in an idyllic location, nestled deep among the leafy tree-tops on Currumbin Hill.

From an expansive balcony on the upper level you can take in uninterrupted views that stretch from bush to creek to beach to city, punctuated on a good day by a glimpse of South Stradbroke Island.

Its rare hillside position was what drew Joe and his wife Emma to the house three years ago.

“I hadn’t seen a better one in all my time living on the Coast. It’s surrounded by amazing Crown bushland in a secluded and private street which, I’ll argue with anyone, is the Gold Coast’s best,” Joe said.

The home was built in the 1970s – one of only two located in this quiet section of the Katta Ave cul de sac.

“The previous owner carried out a staged renovation over many years, adding three further levels,” Joe said.

“It was all done very sympathetically to the surrounds, which means big windows for cross-ventilation and hardwood floors that flow from the inside out to the amazing protected bushland, which can never be built out.

“The kids have a private street outside to play on and there is a path through the trees, to reach the village, Currumbin Creek and beaches below.

“The house was constructed by a world-renowned engineering company, with the steel frame pinned into the bedrock. Only quality materials have been used throughout, so it’s solid.”

Joe said the open-plan entertaining area on the top floor is particularly spectacular, with huge gabled ceilings and floor-to-ceiling glass doors that open, turning the level into what feels like one seamless huge deck.

“The layout of the house is wonderfully considered, and when we had two children it was brilliant. We all had our own rooms on one level, with four bedrooms on the levels below with their own access; great for when you have guests,” he says.

Despite being a perfect haven for the Corrigan family of four, the unexpected addition of their, now 18-month-old daughter, had them rethinking the layout to suit a family with young children.

Plans for a renovation were drawn up with the intention of work to be started.

“A container pool on stilts in the ‘jungle’ and an extra bedroom on the second level was what we were planning to do,” Joe said, but fate intervened.

“While I was away working I happened to come across a listing for another property, just around the corner. The house had everything we needed and all at the stroke on a pen, which meant we wouldn’t have the stress of being displaced during renovations.

“It still wasn’t an easy decision to make. We are quite emotionally attached to our house and it will be a real wrench to leave.

“The convenience of being so close to the beach and the village, without being in the throng of it, is lovely. It is a true sanctuary.”