Fresh blow for stubborn Aus neighbours

The Zammit family of Quakers Hill, long held up as folk heroes for standing firm against Sydney’s relentless urban sprawl, have found themselves at the centre of a very different storm – one that cuts to the heart of modern suburbia’s values.

Their five-acre block, a vivid green square swallowed by the grey density of The Ponds, has become something of a local landmark.

For decades, the family has refused to sell, thumbing their nose at developers even as offers ballooned from $50 million to whispers of $60 million.

In an age where most people can’t even scrape together a deposit, the Zammits’ resistance has been celebrated as a rare act of defiance against money, progress and homogeny.

But now, that admiration is cracking. The reason? Not property prices, not planning policy, not even neighbour envy. Trees. Or rather, the total lack of them.

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The family’s manicured expanse of lawn has sparked outrage online, with critics branding it sterile and barren.

“And not a tree in sight. What a dystopian idea of a garden,” one Facebook user lamented, capturing a sentiment shared by many who view the treeless expanse as an aesthetic anomaly in a suburban landscape.

Another, more pointedly, declared: “And the Zammit’s haven’t planted a single tree on their land? Wankers.”

This vitriol highlights a cultural shift: private landowners are no longer judged solely on how fiercely they defend their turf, but on whether they’re seen to contribute to the broader ‘green good’ of the community.

In a suburb choking on heat and sameness, shade and biodiversity are fast becoming moral imperatives.

Yet the Zammits still have their defenders — and they’re just as blunt.

“I went to school with a Joe Zammit… great guy,” one supporter posted.

“They have every right to keep their land. Mow the grass n pay the rates. Childrens’ legacy. Trees not needed as there are no birds in the monoculture suburbs, and the insects left years ago.”

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The clash is brutal, and symbolic. Is the family’s bare block an act of defiance – a middle finger to developers and green crusaders alike – or is it an outdated relic, an emerald paddock that has failed to evolve with its community’s values?

What began as a story of a family saying no to developers is now a lightning rod for a bigger question: in a city suffocating under density and climate change, is private land truly private anymore?

Stubborn family holds firm

In Quaker’s Hill the development – now known as The Ponds – has gone ahead all around the Zammits while their property remained intact.

However that hasn’t deterred some developers who continue to reach out to the family with offers reportedly to now be close to $60m, meaning the family have possibly earned another $10m or 20 per cent over the past year.

However, future price hikes are unlikely.

Latest PropTrack data shows house values in neighbourhood have dropped by 2.5 per cent over the past year, meaning its not just Ponds locals that could be copping a hit when looking to sell – but the Zammits.

Then again, there’s been no indication that the family has plans to move in the immediate future, or do they?

In 2023, one of the property’s owners, Diane Zammit, told news.com.au, that the neighbourhood used to be “farmland dotted with little red brick homes and cottages” where space was aplenty.

“Every home was unique and there was so much space – but not any more. It’s just not the same,” she said.

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