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Purchasing this sprawling acreage halfway between the Gold Coast and Byron Bay marked a homecoming for owners Lisa Wickbold and Paul Piticco.
As the director of Secret Sounds, Dew Process, Live Nation Australasia and DAP & Co, Paul’s career in the music industry has taken the couple all over the world — having managed legendary band Powderfinger and promoted festivals like Splendour in the Grass.
In fact, it was right after the launch of Splendour when they found themselves falling in love with the unbridled beauty of the Northern Rivers.
‘After living in city after city and touring constantly, putting down roots was really important to us. We wanted to slow things down, breathe fresh air and settle in a community that was welcoming and great for bringing up kids,’ Paul says.
‘We purchased the spectacular 98-acre property in 2003 and spent the next several years planning and building our dream home whilst living in Los Angeles.’
Subdivided from an even larger parcel of land once zoned for an eco-tourism venture — which never came to pass — the Mount Warning block is surrounded by unspoilt rainforest, nestled beside Tweed River frontage.
‘Being so close to the things we needed (airports, schools, town), but being able to completely retreat and live adjacent to Wollumbin (a World Heritage Listed National Park) and all that that offered was a no-brainer.’
They built the property from the ground up, working with Kylie Forbes of Blueprint Architects and Ron Sutton Builders, before moving in around 2008.
‘It was inspired by our love of mid-century Los Angeles architecture, particularly Richard Neutra, and the connection of the house to the land. We wanted to feel like you were part of the mountain, open to the sky,’ Lisa says.
Now known as Tallowwood, the six-bedroom residence is spread across two levels. The nearest neighbour is about a kilometre away, making it the perfect place to enjoy solitude or entertain 150 people — something the family has done often over the years!
‘We added a pool house to accommodate our late night music and cocktail making sessions, and a gym and sauna to counteract the late nights,’ Lisa says.
‘The party area of the pool house means kids can sleep when adults stay up late, and the opposite. As the teenagers grow, they can make all the noise they want and we could sleep easy.’
While the original earthy material palette of timber, glass, and concrete has beautifully ‘stood the test of time’, the striking kitchen and elevated living room were both recently renovated by Darren James Interiors and Wayne John Constructions.
Every window looks out to the landscape, framing mountain views or the lush surroundings shared with native koalas, wallabies, birdlife and platypus in the river!
After two decades of making memories in the home, the couple have listed the Mount Warning property for sale in order to downsize. But they won’t be going far, noting the region is an ‘unbeatable place to live’.
147 Mount Warning Road, Mount Warning NSW 2484 is listed for private sale with Denzil Lloyd from Sotheby’s International Realty Byron Bay. Expressions of interest close October 16.
