Residents of a quiet Brisbane street who have unexpectedly become neighbours to children's cartoon hero Bluey say the unveiling of the Heeler home has brought "magic" to their suburb.
For the past fortnight, hundreds of young Bluey fans and their parents have streamed down Charlotte Street to see the Heeler family home, brought to life from the beloved children's show in precise detail.
This weekend, one family will be living in the Heeler home as part of a three-week promotion by Airbnb — and they'll probably have a few hundred visitors drop by.
The small Paddington cottage was transformed over months to match the cartoon family's home, from Bluey and Bingo's bedroom to their equally colourful playroom.
'It's a lot of fun'
Long-time resident Mike Hillburger lives two doors down from the house.
He said when the construction teams moved in to start work on transforming the cottage, speculation on the street was rife.
"There were rumours circulating in the street that maybe it was for George Clooney's upcoming movie or something like that," he said.
"We thought that was a little bit of a stretch … coming from a movie background myself I could tell it looked like set flats and things like that, so we sort of suspected something was up."
Mr Hillburger said the final result made the house look like "one of the best renos in Paddington".
Crowd control
He said last weekend, when the exact location leaked out, the street was suddenly packed with people.
The house has proven so popular, security and traffic controllers have been working along the street for the past fortnight.
"It's wonderful hearing the laughter and everything. It's been really special, and you see a lot of the community come out.
"I think all of us around here have really enjoyed having the Bluey house next door as a neighbour."
Salon owner Heather has her business on the Bluey street, and said she had also enjoyed seeing the crowds.
In a statement, Airbnb's Susan Wheeldon said the company was not surprised at the global interest the project had generated.
"We are very appreciative of the neighbours in the surrounding area for being so accommodating of this project and we're also grateful to Bluey fans for being respectful and considerate of the neighbourhood," Ms Wheeldon said.
"There are plans for all the materials used to create the Bluey house — including plants, props and toys — to be lovingly rehomed."
Some items may be given away to the show's fans, while others will be donated to the Queensland Children's Hospital.
