A TikTok star has praised a family for refusing to sell their multimillion-dollar land to developers to turn into rows and rows of boring, nearly identical houses.
The Zammit family made headlines around the world after images emerged of their sprawling lawn property in Quakers Hill in Sydney’s west, surrounded by newly built homes.
Interest in the area skyrocketed in the 2000s, leading developers to purchase tracts of land to develop a suburb now known as The Ponds.
While the 20,000 square meter Zammit estate and Windsor Castle-style home are estimated to be worth around $60 million, the family continues to resist offers from interested investors.
Matt Van Biljon, 19, grew up in the area and remembers when it was all “farmland.”
He described the “rows and rows” of houses that have popped up around Zammit’s property over the past 15 years as “crazy.”
‘I grew up watching this area change. “It’s crazy,” he captioned his tiktok video.
Mr Van Bijon also remembers the smell of “chicken farms and cows” when he drove to school as a child. which quickly disappeared when the remodeling of the area began.
Australian teenager Matt Van Biljon has praised a family who have resisted developers’ offers for the nearly 2-hectare home in western Sydney despite enormous pressure (pictured).
“I think a lot of the original population doesn’t even live there anymore,” he said. news.com.au.
“I left that school and didn’t go around that area much; occasionally I would drive by and every time I couldn’t believe (the changes), it was crazy.”
The teenager was “sad” about the sudden change to crowded houses at the expense of farmland and that “other people feel the same way I do.”
Van Bijon’s TikTok clip has since gone viral with 4.3 million views.
Many viewers supported the Zammits for not selling out.
“I prefer a house with a square footage of $60 million,” one wrote.
Others criticized the surrounding new houses as “so messy and identical.”
“$60 million, tell them they’re dreaming,” one wrote.
Another added: “If they can keep the house until the kids grow up, the house could be worth 120 million in the long run.”
With an estimated 50 homes could be built on Zammit’s property, developers have bombarded the family with sales requests reportedly worth $50 million.
The Zammit family reportedly turned down offers of up to $40 million for their home after developers bought up nearby areas to build an area known as The Ponds.
Business cards from potential agents and buyers were seen strewn around the front door, with handwritten pleas begging the family to get in touch when Daily Mail Australia recently visited the home.
Among them was local estate agency Cutcliffe, who confirmed they had not yet spoken to the Zammits, but were interested in discussing a possible sale.
Residents of the close-knit community said the family was quiet and mostly reserved, and was rarely seen enjoying their enormous property beyond keeping the acres of lawn neatly trimmed.
But neighbors who live next door to the Zammits said they had no problem with the family refusing to sell.
“It doesn’t really bother us,” said one neighbor.
“It’s their land, they can do with it whatever they want.”
A woman who lives on the other side agreed.
“If I had that property, I would do the same thing,” he said.
‘I’m with them!’