The couple selling their home with 270-degree sea views on Queensland's Lamb Island

• Owners: Anna and Andrew Swain
• Address: 3 Pacific Street, Lamb Island, Queensland
• Type of property: Relocated Queenslander with 270-degree sea views

“Where else can you buy half an acre facing north on an island on the outskirts of a city?” asks Anna Swain, 54, a designer whose heart skips a beat every time she arrives at Seabird, a house she lovingly restored after it was relocated to Queensland’s Lamb Island. 

“No-one seems to have heard of Lamb Island,” says Swain of the second smallest of four residential islands nestled between Brisbane’s Redland Bay and North Stradbroke Island. “But there’s a magic there. No matter what state you arrive in, by the next morning, you’re on island time.” 

Anna and her husband, Andrew Swain, discovered Lamb Island’s magic almost 20 years ago when they escaped with their then-small children to a fisherman’s shack on the two-square-kilometre island. The moment Anna saw the block located right on the northern tip of the island, she knew she’d found a special place for a more substantial home. “It’s the highest and most spectacular block on the island,” she says. 

Lamb Island resident and sales agent for Seabird Kat Gawlik agrees. “The position of the property is very special,” she says. “It’s 14 metres above sea level with 270-degree water views, yet the block is flat at the house site.”

That flatness made it possible for Anna and Andrew to transport an original Queenslander to the island by truck, then barge. This was no mean feat. “The move could only happen on a high-tide night at full moon when police were available to provide escort, all during COVID border issue times,” recalls Swain. Once the house was in situ though, all challenges fell away. “It’s like the house has been there forever; it sits perfectly,” she says.

Andrew and Anna, who have undertaken 11 house projects during their 30-year marriage, including their Greek villa-style home in Brunswick Heads, combined his building expertise and her design skills to bring Seabird to life. 

New wiring and plumbing have strengthened the home’s good bones, but many original features have been retained. “We’ve restrained ourselves with the renovations to keep the home’s original charm,” says Swain. “For example, the 6-inch hoop pine floorboards have been scrubbed but otherwise left.” 

“This home won’t suit someone who likes everything pristine or immaculate,” Gawlik says. “The whole house is like a photography set. I can see an artist, writer or other creative person living there.” 

Any additions have been meticulously selected by Anna. “There are 120-year-old Egyptian tiles in the bathroom, solid timber fans and claw-foot baths,” she says. The home can be sold fully furnished, making it ideal for a holiday home or for someone who’s keen to move in and immediately focus on the hard work of watching the tide roll in.

Any discussion about Seabird quickly circles back to the views, which can be enjoyed from any of the home’s three verandahs. “Sunsets are magnificent – some afternoons the entire house glows – and moonrises are also stunning,” says Swain, who chose the house’s name after identifying 41 different species of bird. “There’s time on Lamb Island to sit with binoculars,” she says.

Life at Seabird might seem far removed from city life but Brisbane is not far away. Passenger ferries take less than 25 minutes to travel to Brisbane’s Redland Bay, or you can book onto the car barge. 

There’s also an inter-island ferry for when Lamb Island’s small store isn’t enough, taking you to Russell Island, which boasts a primary school, cafes, medical centre, post office and hairdressers. “I take my granny-trolley over and shop there,” says Gawlik. “Lamb Island also has good internet and parcel delivery.”

SOLD - $1,350,000

3 Pacific St, Lamb Island QLD 4184

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Gawlik loves living on Lamb Island. “There’s a tight-knit community who look out for each other,” she says. “But it’s at that sweet spot where you don’t know everyone and can hide out if you want to.” 

For Anna and Andrew, leaving their beloved Seabird is only emotionally possible because a new island adventure awaits. “Life has pulled us in different directions, including having adult children who have moved overseas,” Swain says. “So, we’re looking for a new home on a Greek Island!”