This mud-brick home belongs to a distinctly Australian architectural Bush Modern tradition, combining modernist ideas with the materials and informality of the bush. Handcrafted from natural materials and deeply connected to its natural setting, the light-filled house has the individual character of the mud-brick homes pioneered by Alistair Knox: architecture conceived not in opposition to the landscape, but as part of it.
Two potters built it in the early 1980s, and it sits on 4.54 hectares (approx.) of bush protected by a Trust for Nature conservation covenant. The home is completely off-grid and very quiet, yet Chewton is close, Castlemaine is eleven minutes away, and Melbourne is easy to reach.
Inside, the walls are soft rendered mud brick and the ceilings are lined in timber. The floors are brick, laid in a basketweave pattern. Long runs of windows frame the bushland, and the light moves through the rooms across the day. Living, dining and kitchen share one open room, warmed by a solid wood heater with a baker's oven. The kitchen has an electric stove and induction hotplate, custom drawers built from reclaimed timbers and a three-phase water filter installed under the tap. Its floor has been ground and sealed. Two bedrooms sit at the far end, each with robes and freshly painted in mud brick paint. The bathroom is contemporary. Terrazzo-style tiling runs through the shower and around the bath, with a glass screen, a new timber vanity, a new toilet and a polished floor.
The house has been renewed with care and love, and it stands entirely on its own systems. A solar system with 12kW of panels, 20kW of batteries, an inverter and a monitor powers the property, with an auto-start diesel generator as backup. Gas has been removed completely, so the home is all electric. Three split systems heat and cool the living area, the bedroom and the studio, and a newly installed heat pump provides hot water.
The driveway has been completely rebuilt over 250 metres. It winds through the bush and forks, one branch running to the house and the other to the studio and garage. Every path and walkway has been graded and topped with gravel, including around the shed. There is covered parking at the house, the studio and the garage. A path from the house leads to the wood-fired sauna, which has been fully restored. It now has a double-glazed cinema window, roof insulation, a new flue, repaired decking and salvaged handmade American oak benches.
Higher on the hill, the studio has a pot belly stove and a split system. It suits an office, an art studio or guests. Power has been brought to both the studio and the large shed through trenches cut in rock, so each is ready to use. A dam sits on the property, in the bush below the house.
The covenant means the land will stay as it is. Birdlife is constant, native flowers arrive with each season, and there is no traffic, only bush. Yet the village of Chewton and its primary school are close, and Castlemaine's schools, including the Steiner school, cafes, live music and the Theatre Royal are a short drive away. Melbourne is easy to reach from here, so the city can be part of your week without being part of your home. It is a quiet way of living that stays connected.
