Raising the Bar at Hinternoosa
Taking over a 37-year-old institution is no small feat. Nicole May meets the woman steering one of the hinterland’s most iconic brands into its next chapter.
When Sirah Robb talks about the business she leads, she doesn’t reach for a spreadsheet or a list of record-breaking sales. Instead, she reaches for a word that carries a lot more weight: custodian.
For the Director and Principal of Hinternoosa, steering a business that has been a Cooroy fixture since 1989 isn’t just about property; it’s about managing a collection of stories that started long before she took the helm.
“I feel like a custodian of this Hinternoosa legacy that has now become the combined story of so many incredible people and agencies,” Sirah said. “We are all contributing to a legacy that I believe will endure for generations to come.”
To understand the Hinternoosa of today, you have to look back to when Murray and Lyndal Brown first opened the doors on Garnet Street in 1989. They built the foundation of what would become the go-to agency for the Noosa hinterland, specialising in everything from small acreage to prestige properties. It was a reputation built on being part of the community, a value that Sirah and her husband, John Robb, have worked hard to maintain since they purchased the business in 2018.
Sirah’s own path to real estate was anything but a straight line. Long before she was navigating the hinterland property market, she worked in the oil and gas fields of South Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory as a sports dietitian. Working two weeks on and two weeks off for Santos, she spent her downtime buying, renovating, and selling houses.
“I’ve always had a passion for property,” Sirah said. “Growing up, I used to study the floorplans on flyers. It just excited me.”
While selling one of her renovations, someone suggested she’d make a great agent because she was easy to talk to. Sirah transitioned from health to real estate in 2010. It was a significant year for the local industry; it was also when Kess Prior joined Hinternoosa.
The current version of Hinternoosa is a high‑performance super team that is a merger of several respected legacy brands. In 2017, John left his engineering career to join Sirah after the birth of their son, Jack. That year they purchased Wythes Real Estate from Trisha and Alisa Wythes, and Noosa Lifestyle Realty from the Bellinghams. Coincidentally, Alisa had actually started her career at Hinternoosa in 2004.
The acquisition story is one of those meant-to-be moments. On the very day they settled on the Wythes business, Hinternoosa approached them about buying their business. Sirah and John, showing a level of focus that defines their leadership, asked them to check back in a year. They did – to the day – and in December 2018, the Robbs took over Hinternoosa.
They haven’t stopped there, later acquiring Fiona Winter Realty in 2019, Elite Rentals in 2024 and most recently bringing over Robyn Kildey’s Countryside Realty property management busines in June 2026. In April 2023, they merged everything under the refreshed Hinternoosa brand, choosing a distinctive orange for the logo as a nod to the Wythes family legacy.
While the branding is fresh, the faces behind it are famously consistent. In an industry known for high staff turnover, Hinternoosa is a standout. Jeanette Catalano has been there since 2005, and Heather Fleming joined in 2009; both remain integral parts of the team today.
“My personal mission is to help people reach their full potential,” Sirah said. “I love facilitating, supporting and watching each individual achieve both personal and professional goals. It’s about how those individual results are amplified by being part of a team.”
This whole-person leadership style is likely a carryover from Sirah’s background in health. It’s an approach that looks at what a person wants to achieve in life, not just at work. This culture of support is why the team shows up for the community, not because they have to, but because they are genuinely integrated into it. Whether they are sponsoring local programs such as Noosa Open Studios or volunteering their time at events like Sconetime – a regular fixture at the Cooroy Memorial Hall that they’ve supported since 2018 – the goal is the same: to show up, support the community and be authentic.
“When people see us in the community, the overwhelming feedback is that we’re good, genuine, professional people,” Sirah said. “And we are! “We just happen to specialise in real estate, and our mission is to raise the bar of the industry by setting a benchmark of high standards.”
It’s an approach that is clearly working. Hinternoosa is an award-winning agency on the Sunshine Coast, recognised locally and nationally for everything from innovation to community contribution. Today, Hinternoosa has grown and evolved so much from 1989, yet the core remains strong.
“Everyone’s story will be kept alive as part of the history here,” Sirah pledges.
It’s a direct, no-nonsense way of doing business that values people over quick results. And in the hinterland, that’s exactly the kind of legacy people want to be part of.
WIN A HIGH OCTANE EXPERIENCE
Want to experience a high-octane Hot Lap with the Murphy Racing Team at Queensland Raceway this December?
To go into the draw, list your property for sale or property management with the team at Hinternoosa by 29 November.
You’ll receive one entry for an appraisal and five entries if you list or lease your property with Hinternoosa.
