October Newsletter

Construction Update

Progress continues on Stage 1 civil works at Mullum Creek.

The internal drainage works are now only days away from completion. Given the high presence of rock in areas where drainage is being installed, this has been the most challenging and time consuming task to complete.

Lot levelling has recently been completed with subgrade preparation and water reticulation works to commence shortly.

While 2015 has been an unusually dry spring we have had some days of bad weather, and together with the challenges presented with the level of rock encountered during drainage installation these have pushed us slightly behind our targeted Stage 1 completion date. We now expect to achieve practical completion in February 2016.

House Designs

Thank you to Melissa Bright of Make Architecture and the owners of lot 43 for sharing the vision behind the home design we are pleased to bring you this month. The words and images are kindly provided by Melissa.

In the first meetings with the clients for lot 43 it was clear that the image that they had for their house and landscape was in keeping with the spirit of the Mullum Creek design ideals. The brief was for a modest, quality family home with plenty of natural light and a strong connection to the surrounding landscape. Our clients also needed a place for their children to play and a courtyard to contain their pets.

The design focuses around this large north-facing courtyard that provides an enclosed, private outdoor space that acts as an intermediate space between the house and the larger rambling garden. Wrapped with a mesh screen to the north, the enclosure becomes a growing structure for espaliered fruit trees and other edible climbing plants.

Passive solar principles are at the heart of the design and siting, with all habitable rooms facing north. These are protected from the summer sun by a large verandah that runs the length of the house that also provides the family with a protected outdoor space to sit and relax during the warmer months.

The form of the house comes from the extrusion of a simple gable roof form across the site that floats out over the landscape. It projects out towards the street with windows capturing views down the valley to the nature reserve and wetland. Toward the rear of the site the building is embedded in the landscape with a direct connection to the courtyard and rear yard. The building form is clad in simple unfinished materials that will be left to weather naturally; timber battens will be left to grey, raw concrete block will age and provide a backdrop for native plants and grasses and the black mesh screen will become green as the garden matures, growing up against the building and tying it into the landscape.

Make Architecture
Tel: 9853 4730
www.makearchitecture.com.au

Community & Events

Celebrating the ecological and cultural values of the Mullum Mullum Creek Valley, the 17th Mullum Mullum Festival will be held over the weekends of 14-15 and 21-22 November. During the festival you will have the opportunity to learn about the biodiversity and the cultural heritage of the Mullum Mullum Valley. Don’t miss out on this enjoyable family event with a varied and interesting program of activities on offer for everyone to enjoy.

Date: Saturday-Sunday, 14-15 November and 21-22 November.
For details: mullummullumfestival.org.au

Warm regards,
Mullum Creek Team

There are places you remember. Mullum Creek is a place you’ll never forget.

0477 006 925
info@mullumcreek.com.au
www.mullumcreek.com.au