Property developer Neil Hipwell and his wife, former model Krystal, are building a Byron Bay dream home
Former Big Brother star turned luxury property tycoon Krystal Hipwell and her builder husband Neil have hit back at online scrutiny over their lavish Byron Bay mega-mansion, insisting their success “didn’t just land in our laps”.
First shooting to fame at 19 years old when she entered the Big Brother house in 2006 with her mother, Karen – the mother-daughter duo had matching breast implants — Hipwell parlayed her reality TV stint into a prolific modelling career.
She graced the covers of more than 20 editions of now-defunct lads’ mags, including Zoo Weekly, FHM, and Ralph, before marrying the Futureflip founder in 2014.
The couple is nearing completion of their new home at Ewingsdale
Features include a concrete spiral staircase and bathtub weighing 500kg
After a nearly three-year hiatus from social media, the 39-year-old mother-of-three recently returned to Instagram to showcase the near-complete dream home she is building with her husband.
But while feedback from her 155,000 followers was mostly positive, some slammed their spectacular eight-months-in-the-making project, which includes a statement concrete spiral staircase and round bathtub weighing 500kg.
One critic labelled the build an “overscaled farshion [sic] statement” of “excess concrete that’s blatantly insensitive”, adding: “It may be well built but it is fugly as”.
Krystal and her mother Karen were housemates in series six of Big Brother in 2006
She was a popular men’s magazine model
Another admitted they were “jealous”, joking the property’s bath probably cost more than their entire swimming pool.
Addressing the backlash, Hipwell shared a personal post detailing a gruelling 15-year journey to build their multimillion dollar empire, which includes the high-end Byron Bay boutique accommodation business, Bunker Byron.
“Lately we’ve felt scrutiny around reaching this milestone, so we thought we’d share what isn’t always visible,” Hipwell wrote.
“We definitely didn’t arrive at this point in our lives by just manifesting … it came from years of commitment.”
The couple purchased this site in 2025. Picture: realestate.com.au
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She revealed they had lived in 15 different houses in 15 years and took massive financial risks buying properties sight-unseen online, also noting the struggles of solo parenting while her husband “built an empire” after dropping out of high school at just 14 to start an apprenticeship.
“The constant stress and pressure of running your own businesses… the sleepless nights, early starts, long days and never being able to fully switch off.
“People see where you are today, but not what it took to get there.”
They have lived in 15 homes in 15 years
The couple’s Byron Bay forever home, now just one month from completion, is the crown jewel in an impressive real estate portfolio. They bought the 4,093 sqm Ewingsdale block for $1.1m in February 2025.
They are also still searching for a buyer for their luxury Snowy Mountains retreat, ‘Jimmy Doo Farm’, a sprawling 110-hectare lifestyle property listed late last year.
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