Your Domain: Inside a tightly-held $20 million Palm Beach dream holiday house

Palm Beach’s Ocean Road plays host to some of Australia’s finest and most exclusive homes, with five-bedroom showpiece Melaleuca no exception.

On offer for the first time in 26 years, the property has been passed down through generations.

It’s not hard to see why it has been so tightly held. The large, sloping 2564 square metre allotment has north-eastern views of the ocean on one side and borders Wiltshire Park Nature Reserve on another.

Architect Susan Rothwell has made the most of the home’s sprawling space and has blurred the boundaries between inside and out. The outside is invited in through bifold doors and pavilion-like structures. The lush Australian native gardens that envelop the property can be appreciated through the home’s wall-height windows.

Forget what you know about beach homes – this one combines the best of a tropical resort as well as a forest lodge. Cedar shutters, a rustic, raw timber fireplace, and wood panelling that dresses the walls and ceilings create a warm and cosy retreat during the cooler months.

A retractable roof panel creates an observation deck for hard-to-beat views of the holiday-famous suburb. Despite the views, there’s privacy here, too. The principal residence is set back from the beach by manicured gardens to ensure it lives up to its holiday retreat status.

The house wraps around a central courtyard with a pool and heated spa, which can be seen from almost every room.

Al fresco entertaining areas define the entire structure of the home. The north-east facing pavilion soars over a deck perfect for open-air dining or drinks, primed to take in the views over the ocean.

An internal lift, self-contained one-bedroom apartment, two-way linen press, double pantry, external inclinator and poolside change room all add to the luxe-factor.

The property is listed with Desiree Hough and Geoff Smith at Ray White Lower North Shore with a minimum buyer’s guide of $20 million.