This new holiday house on Minjerribah embodies calmness and simplicity, so its occupants can enjoy being immersed in nature at the beach.
Influenced by local campsites – where cooking, gathering and sleeping z ones are united under a large tarpaulin – the house incorporates essential functionality in a compact footprint, beneath an elegant butterfly roof.
Built for three families, it comfortably accommodates up to 10 people. Sleeping and bathing spaces are deliberately small, while the communal area is generous and opens up to views of the sea and surrounding bushland. This openness enhances the sense of being “on holidays”.
The local Jandai word Moongalba, or “sitting down place”, beautifully describes the simplicity of spending time here. This is a deliberately simple house that inspires a feeling of escape from everyday life, where people can spend time in nature with friends and family, just like the Minjerribah campsites and beach shacks of old.
Carefully sited on an elevated, steeply sloping block, the design maintains existing mature gum trees and incorporates passive design principles. The arrangement of rooms and openings ensures privacy while maximising
access to views.
A singular cladding material - Shou Sugi Ban, or charred timber – helps to blend the building within the bushland setting while at the same time achieving BAL 29 fire rating.