Aussie reality star builds $25 million business after quitting Instagram

Former Big Brother star Krystal Hipwell (née Forscutt) surprised her fans in December 2021 when she announced she would be quitting Instagram to focus on her family and work instead of “feeling the need to capture every moment”.

In the two years since then, the retired influencer and mum-of-three has quietly focused on building a brand of luxury getaways across Australia with her husband Neil, which now boasts a property portfolio worth an estimated $25 million.

Krystal and Neil, who works as a property developer, first purchased a plot of land overlooking Werri Beach in Gerringong, New South Wales for $1.7 million in May 2019 to build their “dream holiday home”.

After spending $500,000 constructing a three-level luxury mansion, which sleeps 16 people, the couple decided to re-brand it as 'Bunker House’ and turn it into a high-end rental in June 2021.

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As Bunker House was inundated with bookings, Krystal and Neil purchased a 270-acre farm in Crackenback, NSW, just outside of the Perisher Valley ski village, in May 2021 and started work on their second project – which is when Krystal announced she was quitting Instagram.

The couple spent the following 12 months building the “ultimate ski lodge” on the vast plot of land, which sleeps 22 adults and 8 children, and opened it to the public in June 2022 under the name 'Jimmy Doo' as part of their new brand, Bunker Escapes.

At the beginning of 2023, the couple then started their most ambitious – and expensive – project to date after buying a 1012 square metre plot of land in Byron Bay for just $4.75 million.

They demolished the rundown 1960s-built four-bedroom property that was previously on the vast plot and are now building two back-to-back mansions that will become arguably the tourist town's most high-end rentals once complete.

Since construction started, Krystal, Neil and their three children have been living in a “tiny house” cabin on the plot of land while overseeing construction each day.

The properties are both set to be completed by September 2024, with the couple posting regular updates for their 8,600 followers on Bunker Byron’s Instagram.

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