Inside the stunning Love Island Australia villa in Byron Bay
Love Island Australia contestants will be locked down in the Byron Bay hinterland this year after overseas travel remains off the cards. Take a look inside the stunning property.
As east coast Australia prepares for ‘freedom day’, a bunch of beautiful singles are ready to get locked down for love in a luxury villa, as the latest instalment of Love Island Australia starts filming in northern NSW.
And what better place for Gen Y glamazons to gather than celebrity-central - also known as Byron Bay.
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In previous years the sexy reality TV series was filmed in Spain and Fiji, but due to border restrictions the program will spend its 2021 season down under.
Love Island is always filmed in a highly Instagrammable love nest, usually located in a stunning holiday setting.
This year, the Byron Bay hinterland village of Federal was actually second choice for production company ITV, after Queensland Premier Anastasia Palaszczuk’s strict border restrictions poured water on original Port Douglas shooting plans.
The successful runner up is Amileka, a secluded contemporary dream house no doubt selected thanks to its sprawling 10ha estate-like grounds and wow factor architecture.
Last sold in 2015 for $3.5 million, Amileka was a steal for current owners Sarah and Andrew Johnson, who managed to pick up the designer digs for half a million dollars less than it previously sold for four years prior.
That price looks like a relative bargain now, that would unlikely be seen again given the astronomical rise across the greater Byron region over the past 12 months.
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Other homes in Federal, with only a fraction of the land of Amileka, have recently sold for close to $3 million. The hinterland record of $11 million was set in late 2020 with the sale of Hillstone Farm, a 24ha estate in Bangalow.
In 2011 entrepreneurs Tom and Emma Lane, the masterminds behind Byron-based agro-business collective The Farm, bought Amileka for $4 million from its original owner and architect Sharon Fraser.
The bespoke building won the 2008 architecture award from the Australian Institute of Architects NSW Country Division, as well as the Best Property Australia in the 2009 CNBC International Property Awards.
In addition to an award-winning five-bedroom house, the property features unique sculptures by Melbourne artist Peter McLisky and a separate artist’s studio.
It has a substantial veggie patch plus a chicken coop, and as a working farm is also home to cattle and goats.
An in-demand choice on the short term rental market, Amileka reportedly costs up to $4000 a night, however some of the 20-something contestants could struggle to hire out the pad for a post-production reunion with a subtle note on the website attempting to deter younger guests.
“This property is not suitable for persons under 25 years of age without prior approval. Schoolies will not be accepted, please do not ask.”
In recent weeks, construction has been ongoing to get Amileka show-ready. Although marketing material claims the five-bedroom home sleeps up to 10, the global dating show format traditionally sees participants spending their nights in dorm-like sleeping quarters.
Tucked away from Byron’s famous beaches, Amileka is approximately 30 minutes from the holiday hotspot.
But the singles will have space to mingle around the 18m in-ground swimming pool and the all-important fire pit for eliminations.
But before contestants can pop the Prosecco, Love Island Australia might have hit another shooting snag with recent news that Byron Bay Shire Council is seeking to shut down filming after a Covid case was linked to another reality show also being filmed in Byron by ITV.
Due to go to air in early to mid-October, the future of the show could be in doubt and along with it the multimillion-dollar production that was set to inject $5 million into the local economy.
The council’s change of heart comes after an I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Outta Here crew member tested positive to Covid and plunged the Northern Rivers region into a seven-day lockdown.
Byron Shire mayor Michael Lyon said he had lost faith in ITV Studio’s ability to follow Covid-safe rules.
“I am looking into our options this morning to rescind council approval for the Love Island production, from the same studios that brought I’m a Celebrity, and Covid, to the region,” he wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday.
“We take our CovidSAFE plan extremely seriously. The health, safety and welfare of the community, as well as our cast and crew, is our number one priority,” ITV said in a statement.
The Covid breach isn’t even the first hiccup the production has encountered with the LGA. Construction at the property was already briefly shut down in early September following a failure of producers to submit a COVID safety plan.
https://www.realestate.com.au/lifestyle/coast-meets-country-in-byron-hinterland-home/
https://www.realestate.com.au/lifestyle/my-getaway-to-a-battery-powered-byron-bay-oasis/
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