When Anna and Frank Silcock first saw the house that would become their home at 33 Martin Crescent, Coconut Grove, they were captivated.
Words: Sam McCue I Photos: Jacqui Smith
Even now, having lived there since October 2022 with their five children and two dogs, the teacher and landscape gardener talk about the house as though it’s an old friend: with great affection and pleasure that remain undiminished by the changes it’s undergone.
“Before we moved in,” says Anna, “it had that feel of the Swiss Family Robinson. It felt like an adventure – definitely playful.”
What hasn’t changed is the connectedness within the home or the relationship between the home and its coastal environment.
“It’s a nice place to be and to be still,” says Anna. “There’s a nice connectivity. That’s probably my favourite thing. It has multiple levels – lots of places to be, lots of nooks, but it’s open and connected. It’s a big home, but there’s always that sense of connection.”
Frank also loves the home’s proximity to the ocean: “My favourite thing about the house is what we call the look-out room, which gives magnificent sea views over to East Point across the Beagle Gulf. Can’t beat a dry season morning in our home or a wet season storm.
“It has a very bohemian feel about it, not too serious,” he adds. “There’s a lovely blend of Troppo architecture with a colonial feel that creates a sense of being on holiday in a faraway place. I love it that when you step inside you are separated from the world and can just relax with no sensory overload.”
The nearby beach and adjacent mangrove forest give Anna and Frank an additional perspective on their unique home.
Weekends will often find them walking their cavoodles Ruby and Pippi along the coastline.
“Depending on the tides, we might wake up and say, ‘hey, let’s go for a mangrove walk’,” says Anna. “What’s cool is when we go to the beach and we look back – we can see the look-out room of our house. It’s like a beacon.”
From the street, the house is a striking assemblage of varied roof lines, slatted panels and louvred windows. Inside, it’s airy and light thanks to high vaulted ceilings, and filled with charming details: an original stained glass window featuring a snake watches over the kitchen, cypress pine floors are complemented with quirky patterned tiles, and every bedroom has its own veranda.
The uppermost room, accessed via internal timber stairs, contains a void that allows rising heat to escape. It’s a multi-functional space for meditation, creative pursuits and soaking in views of the nearby sea.
Originally a 1920s workers cottage purchased for $450 and moved to Coconut Grove by Troppo Architects founders Phil Harris and Adrian Welke in 1981, the house evolved and expanded in line with the architects’ design principles and the needs of the two families living there.
The house came to exemplify the Troppo style, with multiple levels, voids and verandas to catch breezes, ensure ventilation and protect walls and openings from heat. A separate donga was later added, surrounded like the main building by broad verandas. Other Troppo houses were built nearby, earning this part of Coconut Grove the nickname Troppoville.
For Anna and Frank and their kids, aged 2 to 16, living comfortably in this home would require some adjustment.
“The house was built for the times; it was very experimental,” says Frank. “It’s just that we wanted to live in it differently,” adds Anna.
They added an en suite, replaced several of the voids with windows, lined the roof, added flyscreens, installed air-conditioning, updated the kitchen and bathrooms, and replaced some of the glass louvres with aluminium to improve privacy. The garden, which had been ravaged by Cyclone Marcus in 2018, received the Frank touch – perhaps most notably the sculptural pandanus surrounded by “Cousin It” casuarina plants spilling over a Corten steel edged garden bed at the front of the house.
“And we kept a couple of the coconut trees,” says Frank.
Originally built circa 1923 as a classic railway cottage at 11 Kellaway Street, this charming home was relocated to Martin Crescent in 1981 which was then extended and built to what stands today, with an upper level added in 1983. Situated at the end of a quiet court, it offers a striking presence surrounded by manicured garden beds and lush tropical foliage, creating an inviting space to explore.
This property recently sold at Auction. If you would like further details on this property please contact Ray White Darwin Selling Principal Andrew Harding 0408 108 698 or Evie Radonich 0439 497 199 at any time.
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