The three-metre tall Enid Blyton-esque structure came complete with a slide, bat wing doors and its own suite of childrens' furniture.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
While winning bidders, Ian and Helen Chu of Murrumbateman's Majestic Mushrooms, hope to get some promotional mileage out of the purchase, which has been welcomed by daughter Jacinta, 11, and son Kieran, 4, Michelle Lumbaca of Hawker was hot on their heels all the way to $15,500.
Ms Lumbaca made her seven-year-old daughter Eve's day by snapping up an "easy access" cubby house moments later. At just $4000 this was the buy of the afternoon, with the second most expensive of the cubbies, an Astroboy-themed mini studio, reaching an impressive $10,000.
The last cubby house to be sold, an iconic futuristic structure with fold-out coloured wall panels, had originally been won by Nitish Kumar in a paperless raffle draw. Mr Kumar immediately donated it back to be auctioned. It raised $5000.
A total of five structures were sold as part of the inaugural "My Cubby House Rocks" event.
The auction raised $41,500 for the Independent Property Group Foundation, which will divide the funds between Canberra's Boundless Playground and the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children.
Helen Chu told Fairfax she and her husband had been talking about having a mushroom built at their Murrumbateman property for some time. The children had also been enthusiastic about the idea.
"Then we came to Floriade, saw this and had to have it," she said. "It is just perfect".
While "Hindmush" (it was built and donated by the Hindmarsh Group) has an excellent synergy with the family business, the kids are determined to make it their own.
Kieran couldn't get enough of the slide and sister, Jacinta, loved the design and the layout of the upper chamber.
Ms Chu said she had not expected the competition to be so keen.
"I was sweating [for a while]," she said.
Floriade spokeswoman, Adelina La Vita, was absolutely delighted with the result.
"Yes it [My Cubby House Rocks] has exceeded our expectations beyond our wildest dreams," she said.
"We would certainly want to see it back next year. `The Block' auction would be hard put to provide more drama and excitement than this."
Organisers said Floriade, which came to a close on Sunday evening, had been a spectacular success all round.
While final visitor numbers are not yet available, attendances have been boosted by the excellent weather, the addition of extra activities and attractions to add to the "festival" experience and the quality of the flowers themselves.
"A great spring makes for a great Floriade," Fairfax was told. "We've had a great spring."