Minjerribah is a pure island
We respectfully acknowledge the traditional and continuing custodians of Minjerribah, the Quandamooka people, on whose lands we work and live. We pay our respects to their Elders, past, present and future.
Nudging north into the Coral Sea in Queensland are the world's great sand islands. Minjerribah, or North Stradbroke Island, is a crown jewel.
It's an exquisite place of crystal clear waters, sacred sand forests and an ancient/modern, gentle way of life.
Three tiny townships, white sand beaches as far as you can see, the ebb and flow of tides telling the time. It is the perfect place to kick back, wind down and chill out.
It is home to Suzi Aboud and Sean Hogben, who left Bondi for Point Lookout 22 years ago, to grow two sons lean and strong as saplings in the warm sun.
They built Cypress House, a simple, carefree but clever bush abode that turns the outside in. Sean brought his traditional timber boat building skills and Suzi her artistic flair to create a house where everyone feels at home.
when they first met 30 years ago, it soon emerged north stradbroke was their favourite place
It doesn’t take long for two strangers to discover just how few degrees separate their life courses. Nearly 100 years ago, Sean and Suzi’s dads grew up in the same street.
Suzi and Sean both loved old English vehicles, surfing, Latin music and a certain island in the sun. Sean had visited first after five years of freezing English winters. Three years later, Suzi came to Minjerribah to live for two years. Three years on, they met in their hometown of Sydney. Their island journey together then began.
Before they were a month old, each son was plunged into the island’s sparkling sea. Ten years later, they were local grommets, fixtures in Point Lookout’s waves. Wherever life takes them, those days will remain an indelible part.
For this family, first came the land, a bush block below a protective tree line offering precious shade. They came and went from busy city lives before taking the plunge and moving north. It was to be a short experiment of design and build that turned into a lasting one.
Over the next years, many moves, adventures and career pivots, a house became a home, then one to share.