A stubborn family who have refused to sell their land for new-build homes are now living directly in the middle of a sprawling housing estate.
In scenes reminiscent of the Pixar film Up, the Zammit family house in Sydney sticks out from the crowd with its sprawling unspoiled 200m lawn and huge exterior, as row upon row of identical houses line up around it.
Developers are queueing up with huge cash offers to tempt the owners of the spectacular home to move out and let the bulldozers in – but they refuse to budge.
The imposing mansion in The Ponds, in Sydney’s north-west sits on highly sought after land and could make millionaires out of the owners if they finally give in.
Experts put the price tag on the land at anywhere up to a breathtaking $60million (£30m) in ‘s booming property market, but the defiant family refuses to sell.
The Windsor Castle-style driveway is 200m long, while the home also has a huge barn out the back and a triple-car garage.
It also boasts views across to the scenic Blue Mountains and is about a 40-minute drive to Sydney’s central business district.
The Zammits have already turned down offers from developers that are reportedly as high as $40million (£20m) – and every day brings new requests from real estate agents asking the family to call them in their relentless pursuit of the property.
When visited the home this week, business cards from prospective agents and buyers could be seen littering the front door, with handwritten pleas begging the family to get in touch.
Among them was local real estate agency Cutcliffe who confirmed they were yet to speak to the Zammit’s but were keen to discuss a potential sale.
Aerial photographs show how the area around the home – once green fields on the city’s extremity – has now been swallowed up by housing.
Developers have simply built around them, and scores of families with barely enough space to kick a football now share a boundary fence with the massive block of land.
But the neighbours living next door to the Zammits said they had no issue with the family refusing to sell.
‘It doesn’t really bother us,’ one father said.
‘It’s their land, they can do what they want with it.’
Another woman living over the other side had a similar opinion.
‘If I had that property, I would do the same thing,’ the mother said.
‘I’m with them!’
The intensely private family have shrugged off all interest in their land, and mother Diane Zammit declined to speak when we visited her at home this week.
Residents of the tight-knit community said the family were quiet and mostly kept to themselves, rarely seen enjoying their huge property beyond keeping the acres of lawn perfectly trimmed.
Despite the massive valuation now put on the home, less than ten years ago it briefly popped up on the market for a bargain basement price.
Neighbouring blocks of land sold for up to $239/sqm in 2012 – which would have valued the Zammits’ 20,000sqm property at around $4.78million 10 years ago.
But for seven days in November 2015, it was suddenly offered for sale with a price guide of just $858,000 to $945,000, real estate records on RP Data show.
In February, 2016, the house went up for sale again for the same price guide, but was taken off the market once more after just one week again.
It hasn’t been listed again.
The Zammits have previously admitted the land is unrecognisable from when they moved in 16 years ago.
Ms Zammit told Daily Mail two years ago: ‘It used to be farmland dotted with little red brick homes and cottages.
‘Every home was unique, and there was so much space – but not any more. It’s just not the same.’
Other homes in the neighbouring development are selling for around $1.5million.
The Zammit’s property is believed to have more than five bedrooms and boasts a large garage for the family’s cars – including a classic Ford Falcon XR6 – alongside a makeshift basketball court.
A small enclosure for their two pet dogs could also be seen, but despite the vast amount of land, the property doesn’t have luxuries like a pool or tennis court, or even a single tree or bush.
Its massive but neatly-trimmed lawn takes around two-and-a-half-hours to mow, with the couple’s young son regularly tasked with the epic job, say neighbours.
The home is surrounded by around 750m of fencing to hold back the burgeoning and ongoing construction work erupting around them.
There is no clear indication of why the family have so far refused all offers to sell – but every day they hold out, the price tag increases.
‘The land is probably worth around $60million if it was developed now,’ said one local property analyst, who estimated 40 new homes could fit on the block.
‘Even if someone paid them $40million for it, the developer stands to make at least $20million.
‘And given the way Sydney home prices continue to soar, even a price tag of $60million would return the developer a substantial profit by the time the homes were finally approved, constructed and sold.
‘They must really love that home to ignore that kind of money.’