Inside Zac Efron’s unusual $2.7 million Australian dream home

Zac Efron looks set to move Down Under after a development application for an environmentally friendly house was approved by the local council.

The Baywatch actor lodged the application in August 2023 with the help of his friend, Joost Bakker, who is also an environmental activist.

Zac’s new abode will sit in Tomewin, New South Wales, which is an hour away from Byron Bay, where he previously settled during the pandemic to be closer to his then-girlfriend.

This marks a new chapter for the star, who has expressed his love for the Australian lifestyle in the past. 

The home, nicknamed the ‘Futurecave’, will be zero-waste and features six bedrooms, setting Zac back around $2.685 million, according to The Daily Telegraph. 

What makes the “carbon-sequestering, habitat-creating” home special is the environmentally friendly design, consisting of hemp pods connected by a walkway. 

© Joe Scarnici

According to the application, “Pods are dispersed on the site to celebrate the landscape, reduce building bulk, encourage connection to outdoors and frame key views.” 

Zac’s home was designed by Frank Burridge and will reduce the level of carbon dioxide in the air around it. 

Of course, the space boasts a gym and a green roof, which will attract butterflies and add to its natural beauty. 

© Instagram

The High School Musical star lived in Byron Bay, Australia, during the COVID-19 pandemic, where he met Vanessa Valladares, a local waitress.

The pair went on to date for ten months before calling it quits; at the time, he was renting a $22 million mansion in the coastal town. 

It was then that he bought the land for the Futurecave, worth $2 million and boasting 128 hectares. 

© Alamy Stock Photo

The 37-year-old also filmed his hit show, Down To Earth With Zac Efron, in Australia, where he explored all corners of the southern country.  

His love of Australia didn’t stop there; he spent time Down Under filming Gold in 2021, and again in 2023 for Ricky Stanicky. 

“What I love about Australia, which is what we don’t have in California, is there are so many wide-open beaches where no one is at,” he said at the premiere of his 2012 film, The Lucky One.

© Instagram

The news of his new project comes just months after Zac suffered a health scare in Ibiza after diving headfirst into a pool and taking in too much water. 

A representative for the star told People that he had been involved in a “minor swimming incident” and that he was taken to hospital as a “precautionary measure” following the accident.

He assured fans of his recovery with an Instagram post of the actor working out, captioning it, “Happy and healthy- thanks for the well wishes.”