When we're not out 'in the field',
we live and work from our mud-brick, solar-passive home, set in peaceful
bushland near the central Victorian town of Castlemaine. We chose this
location because of our desire to be in a quiet natural setting that
gives us the inspiration we put into our work. Our home is a contemporary
solar-passive design, which is cool and airy in summer, and cosy and
warm in winter.
Our 'Backyard'
Our
'backyard' is 120 acres of old-growth box woodland, with heath and poa
grass understory - a precious bush remnant in what was once the world's
busiest goldfield. Our woodland property is relatively undisturbed, and
we share it with koalas, sugar gliders, wallabies, and dozens of huge
old trees, many of which likely pre-date white settlement in Australia.
Around the house we are visited by a variety of native birds that are
indigenous to these forests, including painted button quails, chestnut-rumped
heath-wrens, swift parrots and the rare powerful owl.
This photo is out our office window.
Our Garden
We plan to revegetate the area immediately around
the house with native understorey plants found in our local area, including
daphne heath and red-anther wallaby grass, which are prime habitat
for our quail and heath-wrens. Sarah has also established a small organic
vegetable garden, utilising the 'no-dig' approach, building up beds
with lucerne straw, household compost and chook poo. We have compacted
clay soils here that require gypsum and a bit of crow-barring to open
them up, allowing moisture and roots to penetrate and eventually build
healthy soil.
Our
'backyard' is 120 acres of old-growth box woodland, with heath and poa
grass understory - a precious bush remnant in what was once the world's
busiest goldfield. Our woodland property is relatively undisturbed, and
we share it with koalas, sugar gliders, wallabies, and dozens of huge
old trees, many of which likely pre-date white settlement in Australia.
Around the house we are visited by a variety of native birds that are
indigenous to these forests, including painted button quails, chestnut-rumped
heath-wrens, swift parrots and the rare powerful owl.
We plan to revegetate the area immediately around
the house with native understorey plants found in our local area, including
daphne heath and red-anther wallaby grass, which are prime habitat
for our quail and heath-wrens. Sarah has also established a small organic
vegetable garden, utilising the 'no-dig' approach, building up beds
with lucerne straw, household compost and chook poo. We have compacted
clay soils here that require gypsum and a bit of crow-barring to open
them up, allowing moisture and roots to penetrate and eventually build
healthy soil.