Northern Rivers retreat: a tree makeover for a Sydney home

As for the ground, it was overgrown with weeds. One vine even entangled four trees, suffocating them. A team of arborists helped clear the rainforest weeds, and David and Alex had to haul up to four truckloads of green waste to the dump every day.

“We’ve agreed on roles, we have a to-do list to complete each week, (and) we have weekly meetings,” Anthea said.

A year later, and with another $700,000 invested, the property was transformed into a resort called Thinami, which means “strength” in Greek.

“There’s a lot of Greek influence here… We had a very clear vision for what the retreat would be,” she said.

The left side of the road through the property is now a designated orchard with macadamia and pecan trees, while the right side is a citrus and banana plantation with numerous avocado trees scattered throughout.

loading

Beautiful flower beds were restored, and they even discovered a water feature hidden among the lush vegetation.

“We actually took every rock out, cleaned it by hand, and put it back in place,” Anthea said of the rock gardens that line the path.

The pool was green and had boulders blocking the entrance, so the family removed the boulders and adjusted the water’s pH to make it swimmable, then repainted the entire area white.

“It feels very Mediterranean now. We have this beautiful white lounge, which feels really good.”

David often photographs wildlife, including a local koala.

Voula makes its own jams from the abundant fruit trees. Coffee beans are picked from trees on the estate, dried and made into coffee. Exotic varieties such as the soursop, chocolate sapodilla and Brazilian cherry continue to surprise them.

“There’s so much citrus, we can’t pick it all,” Alex said.

The retreat opened in October 2023, when Voula and her two daughters cooked for 25 people in a communal setting.

“It’s been really great. What we wanted to do is bring people together. To have all these people who live here and don’t know each other come together for breakfast and mingle with each other … Everyone said they really enjoyed it,” Vohra said.

Anthea reflects on the transformation the property has gone through.

“Deciding to give up our lives and move eight hours north to start a whole new life was a big deal. None of us knew how to farm or take care of the land,” she said.

“Waking up here every day is like being in paradise. It’s a dream come true.”

As David and Voula look to retire, the family decides to cut back on their expenses.

The property is located in 273 Lindendale Road, Lindendale Currently under contract with McGrath Alstonville, an expression of interest, the starting bid is $3.5 million.

Selling agent Bill Johnston of McGrath Ballina/Lennox Head/Alstonville said the property had rare natural beauty and could accommodate large crowds.

“It’s 18 acres of private land in the heart of the Northern Rivers.”