They’re local legends for saying no to developers – but now the internet has turned on them for something no one expected
The Zammit family were once hailed as folk heroes for holding out against Sydney’s relentless march of urban sprawl, now find themselves at the centre of a very different storm.
For decades, the Quakers Hill family’s five-acre block in the city’s north-west has been a striking anomaly – a vivid square of open green set against tightly packed houses in nearby housing estate, The Ponds.
Developers circled year after year, their offers ballooning from $50 million to whispers of $60 million, but the Zammits held firm.
In a city where many Sydneysiders can barely scrape together a house deposit, their defiance became something of a legend, a rare rejection of money, conformity, and progress.
But admiration is starting to waver.
This time, the debate isn’t about selling – it’s about what the Zammits have done, or rather not done, with their land.
The issue? Trees. Or more precisely, the lack of them.
Aussies online have zeroed in on the property’s expanse of bare grass, describing the block as soulless.
The Zammit family home, surrounded by urban sprawl in Quakers Hill in Sydney’s north-west
‘And not a tree in sight. What a dystopian idea of a garden,’ one wrote.
Another added: ‘Happy for them but their property would be much more beautiful with some trees and bushes.’
A third wrote: ‘Do they not know how to garden?’
‘Does anyone find it strange that there is not one tree on their property? I would have planted a forest around the house for privacy.’
Others were more blunt.
‘Too bad they don’t plant trees on it. I would rather have woods than a big lawn,’ one Aussie commented.
Another added: ‘Why are they not thinking of planting trees? That forest can come in handy in a few years.’
But not everyone agreed with the criticism. Many defended the Zammits’ right to use the land as they please.
The Zammit family have become local legends after refusing to sell their home (pictured)
‘Why are they stubborn? It’s their land and money. Let them do what they want,’ one supporter said.
‘All houses have no trees. Shame on the developers and councils. Greed,’ another argued.
‘They shouldn’t have to sell their land. It’s theirs.’
The dispute comes as concern grows over the lack of tree canopy across Western Sydney, particularly in new housing estates like The Ponds.
The area is notorious for what planners call the ‘urban heat island’ effect, where a shortage of greenery and shade drives up local temperatures.
In 2023, a group of doctors issued a stark warning about the health risks of western Sydney’s disappearing trees.
On a sweltering summer’s day, they compared two parallel streets in Toongabbie. Bulli Road, almost treeless, hit a blistering 49C.
Just 100 metres away, Favell Road, lined with mature shady trees, was much cooler at 29C.
The family has refused to sell to developers, with the land estimated to be worth $50million
‘Trees can be the difference between life and death,’ Dr Cybele Dey told Nine News at the time.
But for now, the Zammits appear to be staying put, despite the area being unrecognisable from when they first moved in.
‘It used to be farmland dotted with little red brick homes and cottages,” Diane Zammit told Daily Mail in 2023.
‘Every home was unique, and there was so much space – but not any more. It’s just not the same.’
