Roots of Style: How Did Your Rural Australian Home Get Its Look?
Familiarise yourself with some of the historic and contemporary architectural styles scattered across Australia's rural landscape
From English cottages to corrugated-iron clad houses, and from Victorian-era holiday homes to stone church conversions, rural residential architecture reflects the changing face of Australia’s landscape.
Rural Australia has a history deeply entrenched in gold mining, farming and agriculture, and whether it be in the bush or the goldfields, wine country or hill country, our residential architecture encapsulates a little piece of Australian history. It is an expression of Australia’s cultural, economic and social past. So, in this, the second in the Roots of Style series, we’re checking out rural residential architecture. Let’s take a look at a number of historic and contemporary rural homes and explore how they achieved their unique appearance.
Rural Australia has a history deeply entrenched in gold mining, farming and agriculture, and whether it be in the bush or the goldfields, wine country or hill country, our residential architecture encapsulates a little piece of Australian history. It is an expression of Australia’s cultural, economic and social past. So, in this, the second in the Roots of Style series, we’re checking out rural residential architecture. Let’s take a look at a number of historic and contemporary rural homes and explore how they achieved their unique appearance.
Mud brick cottage
This mud brick and straw cottage in the Adelaide Hills was built by a migrant German family in the 1890s. The Adelaide Hills was one of the first areas of South Australia to be settled by European migrants, many of who were from Germany.
Australia was hit by a severe economic crash in 1891 and faced a decade-long Depression with high unemployment and decreased wages. In these tough times people made do with what they could, and this house is an example of that ingenuity as builders looked to what nature could provide. In this case, local stringy bark trees provided wood for roofing rafters and slat wood ceilings, while mud-brick walls retained heat in winter and cooled the cottage in summer, and are still appreciated today.
WHY WE LOVE IT: This is an example of the inventiveness and drive that migrants – for centuries – have brought to Australia, and continue to bring in order to make the most of new beginnings.
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This mud brick and straw cottage in the Adelaide Hills was built by a migrant German family in the 1890s. The Adelaide Hills was one of the first areas of South Australia to be settled by European migrants, many of who were from Germany.
Australia was hit by a severe economic crash in 1891 and faced a decade-long Depression with high unemployment and decreased wages. In these tough times people made do with what they could, and this house is an example of that ingenuity as builders looked to what nature could provide. In this case, local stringy bark trees provided wood for roofing rafters and slat wood ceilings, while mud-brick walls retained heat in winter and cooled the cottage in summer, and are still appreciated today.
WHY WE LOVE IT: This is an example of the inventiveness and drive that migrants – for centuries – have brought to Australia, and continue to bring in order to make the most of new beginnings.
See more of this cottage
Georgian/Regency/Victorian-era/contemporary masterpiece
This house near the town of Ullina, Victoria, dates back to the 1860s. It is Georgian style, with Regency detail, built in the Victorian era (1840s-1890s), and has recently been updated to become a contemporary home. Not sure what that means? Let me explain.
In the early 1800s Australian architects and builders were heavily influenced by British architecture. As free settlers arrived in the early 19th century and the government opened up new lands for farming, a new style of architecture began to dot the rural landscape.
British migrants brought Georgian-style architecture with them, a style that was prominent in Britain between 1720 and 1820 during the reign of the four British monarchs: George I, II, III and IV. Georgian architecture was simple, elegant and formal in style. In Colonial Australia, Georgian architecture was common between 1788 and 1850, and it appeared – as you can see in the picture – as a simple and symmetrical one- or two-storey box, two rooms deep with a hipped roof and very little ornamentation.
As the 1800s progressed, British architects developed the Regency style, influenced by the showier architecture of Italy. It, too, became common in Colonial Australia and elements of this can be seen in the house pictured. The portico, or entrance, is adorned with pillars supporting a roof/balcony above the main entrance.
This house near the town of Ullina, Victoria, dates back to the 1860s. It is Georgian style, with Regency detail, built in the Victorian era (1840s-1890s), and has recently been updated to become a contemporary home. Not sure what that means? Let me explain.
In the early 1800s Australian architects and builders were heavily influenced by British architecture. As free settlers arrived in the early 19th century and the government opened up new lands for farming, a new style of architecture began to dot the rural landscape.
British migrants brought Georgian-style architecture with them, a style that was prominent in Britain between 1720 and 1820 during the reign of the four British monarchs: George I, II, III and IV. Georgian architecture was simple, elegant and formal in style. In Colonial Australia, Georgian architecture was common between 1788 and 1850, and it appeared – as you can see in the picture – as a simple and symmetrical one- or two-storey box, two rooms deep with a hipped roof and very little ornamentation.
As the 1800s progressed, British architects developed the Regency style, influenced by the showier architecture of Italy. It, too, became common in Colonial Australia and elements of this can be seen in the house pictured. The portico, or entrance, is adorned with pillars supporting a roof/balcony above the main entrance.
This is actually what the house looked like up until recently – a ruin. The original 1860s house had perished in bush fires in 1977.
Centrum Architects converted what remained of the home into a modern home with a contemporary rear extension. It still utilises the facade of the original house, the chimneys and absolutely stunning stonework throughout the interior.
Centrum Architects converted what remained of the home into a modern home with a contemporary rear extension. It still utilises the facade of the original house, the chimneys and absolutely stunning stonework throughout the interior.
WHY WE LOVE IT: For so many reasons as it truly is an expression of Australia’s changing rural landscape.
As the Victorian Gold Rush took place from 1851 to the late 1860s, Australia’s economic and social climate changed. The population tripled in number thanks to an influx of migrants, and the city of Melbourne experienced a monetary boom. Thus, Georgian and Regency architecture during the 19th century is a symbol of Australia’s prosperity, optimism and increasing wealth and settlement.
We also love it because it is Australia’s historic architecture reborn and preserved in a fusion of nostalgic charm and contemporary design. It gives new life to Australia’s past.
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As the Victorian Gold Rush took place from 1851 to the late 1860s, Australia’s economic and social climate changed. The population tripled in number thanks to an influx of migrants, and the city of Melbourne experienced a monetary boom. Thus, Georgian and Regency architecture during the 19th century is a symbol of Australia’s prosperity, optimism and increasing wealth and settlement.
We also love it because it is Australia’s historic architecture reborn and preserved in a fusion of nostalgic charm and contemporary design. It gives new life to Australia’s past.
See more of this house
Victorian-era holiday house
To a true Victorian-era house now…
In Sutton Forest, just outside of Moss Vale, in the NSW Southern Highlands, this stately Victorian-era home was built in 1875 by RP Richardson, a founding member of real estate agency Richardson & Wrench.
Development took place in Southern Highlands during the 1860s, spurred by the Great Southern Railway project – designed to connect the two main colonies of New South Wales and Victoria – as well as the Robertson Land Act of 1861 that opened up land in the interior for new settlers. By the 1870s, the area in and around Sutton Forest became a great tourist destination for wealthy Sydney-siders, attracted by the Highland’s healthy climate.
As a Victorian-style house it, too, is heavily influenced by 19th-century British architecture popular during the reign of Queen Victoria. Victorian-style homes began as formal but plain one-storey abodes, and as the period progressed they became grander and taller, adorned with decorative brickwork, timber verandahs and patterned tile floors. Their cast-iron lacework also became more detailed and more ornate as Australia established its own steel and iron foundries in the 1850s.
WHY WE LOVE IT: This house is an expression of the country’s increasing wealth and confidence in the 19th century, the settlement of interior land and of the development of Australia’s developing industry and craftsmanship.
See more of this holiday house
To a true Victorian-era house now…
In Sutton Forest, just outside of Moss Vale, in the NSW Southern Highlands, this stately Victorian-era home was built in 1875 by RP Richardson, a founding member of real estate agency Richardson & Wrench.
Development took place in Southern Highlands during the 1860s, spurred by the Great Southern Railway project – designed to connect the two main colonies of New South Wales and Victoria – as well as the Robertson Land Act of 1861 that opened up land in the interior for new settlers. By the 1870s, the area in and around Sutton Forest became a great tourist destination for wealthy Sydney-siders, attracted by the Highland’s healthy climate.
As a Victorian-style house it, too, is heavily influenced by 19th-century British architecture popular during the reign of Queen Victoria. Victorian-style homes began as formal but plain one-storey abodes, and as the period progressed they became grander and taller, adorned with decorative brickwork, timber verandahs and patterned tile floors. Their cast-iron lacework also became more detailed and more ornate as Australia established its own steel and iron foundries in the 1850s.
WHY WE LOVE IT: This house is an expression of the country’s increasing wealth and confidence in the 19th century, the settlement of interior land and of the development of Australia’s developing industry and craftsmanship.
See more of this holiday house
Rustic Gothic church conversion
This stone church in the NSW’s Southern Highlands village of Laggan, was built in 1876, deconsecrated in the 1940s, then used as a sheep shearing shed for 50 years. It has since been converted into a luxury holiday residence.
The Presbyterian congregation surrounding the village built the church during a period of great prosperity and growth in the region, as a passenger coach ran regularly to nearby Goulburn, and farming stimulated wealth in the area. In fact, many of Laggan’s public buildings were built in this boom era.
Formerly a one-room church, it is built from local granite and timber with buttressed walls. Its pointed arch windows indicate an influence of Gothic architecture, revived in England in the mid 19th century. The simplicity of this church is exceptionally picturesque; this simplicity may be due to a lack of funds on behalf of the Presbyterian congregation who built the church, or it may be a reference to the rural images of England, which British settlers still carried with them.
WHY WE LOVE IT: In the infamous words of English architect and theorist AWN Pugin, “Waste not, want not”. This building makes use of indigenous materials and, never allowed to fall into disrepair, has been adapted to various uses throughout the decades.
See more of this church conversion
This stone church in the NSW’s Southern Highlands village of Laggan, was built in 1876, deconsecrated in the 1940s, then used as a sheep shearing shed for 50 years. It has since been converted into a luxury holiday residence.
The Presbyterian congregation surrounding the village built the church during a period of great prosperity and growth in the region, as a passenger coach ran regularly to nearby Goulburn, and farming stimulated wealth in the area. In fact, many of Laggan’s public buildings were built in this boom era.
Formerly a one-room church, it is built from local granite and timber with buttressed walls. Its pointed arch windows indicate an influence of Gothic architecture, revived in England in the mid 19th century. The simplicity of this church is exceptionally picturesque; this simplicity may be due to a lack of funds on behalf of the Presbyterian congregation who built the church, or it may be a reference to the rural images of England, which British settlers still carried with them.
WHY WE LOVE IT: In the infamous words of English architect and theorist AWN Pugin, “Waste not, want not”. This building makes use of indigenous materials and, never allowed to fall into disrepair, has been adapted to various uses throughout the decades.
See more of this church conversion
Rural homestead
Moving into more recent architecture…
In Scone in the Hunter Valley thistraditional farmhouse is actually fairly new, but it references a style of architecture common to our rural landscape: the great Australian homestead. With a horizontal emphasis, homesteads mimic the land they lie upon – often open plains or expansive pastures. They often consist of a farmhouse together with a series of other buildings necessary for working the land and caring for stock.
WHY WE LOVE IT: The homestead reflects a romantic and nostalgic image of life on the land. The views feel as never-ending as the Australian landscape itself.
See more of this farmhouse
Moving into more recent architecture…
In Scone in the Hunter Valley thistraditional farmhouse is actually fairly new, but it references a style of architecture common to our rural landscape: the great Australian homestead. With a horizontal emphasis, homesteads mimic the land they lie upon – often open plains or expansive pastures. They often consist of a farmhouse together with a series of other buildings necessary for working the land and caring for stock.
WHY WE LOVE IT: The homestead reflects a romantic and nostalgic image of life on the land. The views feel as never-ending as the Australian landscape itself.
See more of this farmhouse
Modern woolshed
This residential home has been designed to blend in with its rural environment in Bunyip State Park, Victoria. It seamlessly incorporates old and new structures in a throwback to the iconic Australian woolshed. Small or large woolsheds have been scattered across the country for centuries, but today are becoming more and more scarce. But they are of such simple form and structure, they are ideal for modern living.
WHY WE LOVE IT: The architect has paid homage to Australia’s farming history and legacy by creating a well designed and highly functional modern home that is at one with the rural Australian environment.
See more of this home
This residential home has been designed to blend in with its rural environment in Bunyip State Park, Victoria. It seamlessly incorporates old and new structures in a throwback to the iconic Australian woolshed. Small or large woolsheds have been scattered across the country for centuries, but today are becoming more and more scarce. But they are of such simple form and structure, they are ideal for modern living.
WHY WE LOVE IT: The architect has paid homage to Australia’s farming history and legacy by creating a well designed and highly functional modern home that is at one with the rural Australian environment.
See more of this home
Corrugated-iron-clad home
Corrugated iron has been a recognisable element in Australian architecture for more than 150 years. As a lightweight, strong and durable material that weathers well, corrugated iron is ideal for rural architecture offering a sustainable, modern – and even nostalgic – option in house design.
On a vineyard on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, this contemporary corrugated-iron clad house is designed to take advantage of the area’s breathtaking views. Less formal and less precious than other building materials, corrugated iron is available in different gauges of thickness and different size corrugations that give both light and textural effects.
WHY WE LOVE IT: The rural associations of corrugated iron give contemporary houses an organic sense of engagement with the Australian landscape. Additionally, the undulations of the corrugated iron often imitate the rolling hills into which these homes nestle.
See more of this home
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Corrugated iron has been a recognisable element in Australian architecture for more than 150 years. As a lightweight, strong and durable material that weathers well, corrugated iron is ideal for rural architecture offering a sustainable, modern – and even nostalgic – option in house design.
On a vineyard on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, this contemporary corrugated-iron clad house is designed to take advantage of the area’s breathtaking views. Less formal and less precious than other building materials, corrugated iron is available in different gauges of thickness and different size corrugations that give both light and textural effects.
WHY WE LOVE IT: The rural associations of corrugated iron give contemporary houses an organic sense of engagement with the Australian landscape. Additionally, the undulations of the corrugated iron often imitate the rolling hills into which these homes nestle.
See more of this home
MORE
Inspiring Mid-Century Australian Homes: 6 of the Best
7 Ways the Great Australian Landscape Can Inspire Your Colour Scheme
Aussie Rules: 10 Key Australian Looks We Know and Love
This bluestone cottage in South Australia’s Barossa Valley was also built around the 1860s.
Australia’s first mining town was established in the Barossa in 1838, and by the 1850s signs of a prosperous pioneer life were evident. The region’s population was rapidly increasing with farming families, particularly those migrating from England and Germany. And, once again, they brought with them a style of architecture common to their native lands. This house is a typical little English bungalow – a single-storey house with large overhanging roofs supported by posts and piers. Originally four small rooms, it has been enlarged over the decades.
As regions became sufficiently settled, homeowners and builders added decorative touches to their cottages. They took patterns, plans and designs from British architecture publications and magazines, which set the taste in popular architecture. And as Victorian-style architecture became more popular in Britain, builders slowly translated it to Australian architecture. The cast-iron embellishments on this house are an example of Victorian-era decoration.
Meanwhile, the bullnose roof was also introduced at this time and has since become a notable feature of rural, and for that matter urban, Australian houses across the country.
WHY WE LOVE IT: It shows the architectural influence of settlers to Australia; a style that has been translated to rural and urban architecture and is very much loved and desired today.
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