Challenge Accepted

The western sun can be brutal in the subtropics. For the summer months particularly, the intensity of heat and glare that besieges the late afternoon is unbearable until sunset. Relief comes when the last rays are extinguished and the cooling north-easterlies draw residual heat from the day. But like anything in life, reward comes with sacrifice and locals have come to appreciate that embracing the western aspect means participating in the most extraordinary time of day.

On a west-facing ridge in the Brisbane suburb of Wooloowin, elevation and aspect make the spectacle of sunset something of the central focus. When Simon and Rachael and their children, Hugo and Lulu and pup, Rocky, moved in a few years ago, the original Queenslander was in good condition but the undercroft, which