Zac Efron secretly living in Australia: Hollywood star begins work on $2million 'hemp house'

Zac Efron's ambitious plans for a one-of-a-kind sustainable Australian home are moving full steam ahead.

The High School Musical actor, 38, has been secretly living in the NSW coastal town of Byron Bay as he supervises construction, Daily Mail can reveal.

New images have revealed construction materials and design concepts being developed for the Hollywood star's sprawling New South Wales retreat.

Efron's long-awaited 'Futurecave' project appears to have entered a significant new phase, with environmental designer Joost Bakker recently sharing fresh updates from behind the scenes of the build.

Just four weeks ago, Joost confirmed the project had officially received approval and was ready to begin alongside a photo of the Hollywood star.

'Excited to get started on Zac's house!' he wrote on Instagram on May 9.

'Especially want to thank these two legends @main__frank for working so hard to get this project designed and approved.'

The update marks a major milestone for the eco-conscious project, which has been years in the making since Zac purchased the 128-hectare bushland property near Byron Bay during the Covid pandemic back in 2020.

And the latest images suggest this will be far from an ordinary celebrity mansion.

Photos shared by Bakker show experimental hemp blocks, recycled oyster shells, agricultural waste products and innovative plant-based construction materials being developed specifically for the project.

The planned home will cover 830sqm and comes with a $2.65m build cost. 

In one image, Bakker is seen standing in a trench alongside farmers on a hemp crop in regional New South Wales.

Other photos reveal prototype building blocks, industrial kilns and piles of discarded oyster shells destined to be transformed into construction materials.

Back in November, Bakker revealed Zac had given him creative freedom to push sustainable building techniques to their limits.

'It's not every day of the week that @zacefron asks you to design his home,' he wrote.

'Especially as it will be the first home he has ever owned!'

According to Joost, Zac first fell in love with his sustainability projects before asking him to create a residence of his own.

'Best of all he wants me to push my ideas as far as they can go,' Bakker added.

The environmental activist also revealed the team had spent more than a year experimenting with alternative building materials designed to replace traditional concrete.

'We're experimenting with making hemp blocks, replacing concrete with two materials that restore the environment - hemp, possibly the best plant on earth at repairing and restoring soil health, and of course oysters, nature's ultimate ocean restorer,' he explained.

'I want to create a building material that I hope will become mainstream one day - a material that naturally breathes, is anti-mould, naturally fire resistant and improves the indoor air Zac will ultimately breathe.'

The sustainability focus extends well beyond the structure itself.

On May 23, Joost shared another update revealing Zac's kitchen and bathroom joinery would be manufactured using innovative plant-based boards developed through his Plantbord initiative.

'Although @zacefron kitchen and bathroom joinery will only use 200 boards, if we embrace this product we have the potential to help farmers restore soil health in a natural way,' he wrote.

The material is created from agricultural crop waste and is being promoted as a more environmentally friendly alternative to conventional building products.

Daily Mail previously revealed plans for Zac's off-grid, zero-waste home after development applications were lodged with Tweed Shire Council.

The six-bedroom, two-storey property is expected to cost approximately $2.685million to construct and will sit on Efron's sprawling rural land near Tomewin, about 75 kilometres from Byron Bay.

The proposed residence has been dubbed the 'Futurecave' and was designed by architect Frank Burridge of Main Studio.

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

It described the residence as a 'carbon-sequestering, habitat-creating home.' 

Plans show a futuristic series of interconnected pods linked by walkways, providing approximately 830 square metres of living space.

The home will also feature a gym, green roofs covered in vegetation and a design focused on carbon sequestration - a process aimed at reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide.

The rainforest property itself boasts waterfalls and multiple creeks, making it an ideal location for the off-grid vision.

Sources close to the Hollywood star have hinted Zac could be looking to relocate Down Under permanently after listing his Los Angeles mansion for sale for $7.8million.

Zac has maintained strong ties to Australia since spending significant time in the country during the pandemic.

He surprised fans in Melbourne in 2024, by making an appearance at the Formula One Australian Grand Prix.

Efron also filmed Stan Original film Gold in the South Australian outback in 2020 before returning to film the second season of his hit Netflix documentary, Down to Earth with Zac Efron in 2021.