Bundanon

My architecture has attempted to convey something of the discrete character of elements in the Australian landscape, to offer my interpretation in built form. – Glenn Murcutt

Designed by internationally renowned architects Glenn Murcutt, Wendy Lewin and Reg Lark, the Boyd Education Centre was awarded the Sulman Award for Public Architecture and Sir Zelman Cowan Award for Public Buildings in 1999, as well as the Kenneth F Brown Asia Pacific Culture and Architecture Award in 2003.

Officially opened in February 1999, the building caters for a diverse range of activities including dining, education workshops, conferences, weddings, performances and rehearsals. With residential accommodation for 32, magnificently sited with spectacular views of the Shoalhaven River, the building’s design heightens visitors appreciation of its’ surroundings.

Read more about the Arthur and Yvonne Boyd Education Centre architecture here.

Sensitively embracing the existing landscape and its ecology, The Bridge is a 160-metre-long by 9-metre-wide structure that spans the space of a gully. Designed to respond to current and future climatic conditions, Kerstin Thompson drew inspiration from rural Australia’s trestle flood bridges.

On select weekends throughout the year visitors to Bundanon have the opportunity to stay the night on The Bridge and experience Kerstin Thompson’s architecture for themselves.

Read more about the Bridge’s architecture here.

Bundanon is delighted to announce The Bridge has recently received architecture’s highest global accolade, having been awarded the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) International Awards for Excellence 2024.

Find out more about this announcement.

Tim Ross is a celebrated comedian and a passionate advocate for architecture and design promoting its value in multiple forums. He is the recipient of the National Trust Heritage Award for Advocacy regarding Australia’s legacy of modernist architecture; of an Australian Institute of Architects National President’s Prize for activism and outstanding contribution to the profession; was a National Architecture Awards jury member and was awarded as an honorary Institute member.  

Tim has performed his live show Man About the Houses in significant buildings throughout the world, at the Venice Biennale and London Festival of Architecture. His ABC TV series Streets of Your Town, and Designing A Legacy; exhibitions including Design Nation, and Motel; prolific publications; guest speaker engagements and as a provocative design commentator have made design accessible to a wide, diverse and appreciative audience.  

Part slideshow, part stand-up comedy and part architecture talk, ROSSO 88 sees Tim doing what he loves best – telling stories anchored by his passion for Australian architecture and design.

Find out more about Tim Ross.

Kerstin Thompson is an Australian architect, born in Melbourne in 1965. She is the principal of Kerstin Thompson Architects (KTA), a Melbourne-based architecture, landscape and urban design practice with projects in Australia and New Zealand. She is also Professor of Design at the School of Architecture at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, and Adjunct Professor at RMIT University and Monash University. In 2023 Kerstin became the 4th woman in 63 years to be awarded the Australian Institute of Architects’ highest honour: the Gold Medal.

Mary Featherston AM is a designer specialising in research and design of learning environments for young people. She has designed interiors, exhibitions and furniture for many schools and cultural venues. 

Mary has participated in several university-based research projects and her work has been published widely. Mary’s advocacy helped to establish Community Child Care in 1973, Melbourne Children’s Museum in 1985 and the Reggio Emilia Australia Information Exchange in 1995.   

In 1965 Mary formed a life and professional partnership with Australian designer Grant Featherston, and for the next thirty years they designed major interior and furniture projects. They are represented in the collections of several State Galleries and the National Gallery of Australia.  

In 2020 she was made a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the arts, particularly to interior and industrial design. Mary is an Adjunct Professor at RMIT University.  

Partake in an experimental concert by acclaimed Australian jazz bassist and composer Claire Cross in the Art Museum

Dimitri Douchin, PhD is an astrophysicist, cultural astronomer and TEDx speaker. He is also the co-founder of Blue Mountains Stargazing (Bronze Winner of 2023 NSW Tourism Awards in the Tour Operator category) with his fiancée Caroline. They are based in St Georges Basin in Jervis Bay.

Michael Andrews: 

Michael has a history of working in environmental management with Conservation Volunteers Australia, the Southern Rivers Catchment Management Authority (now Local Land Services) and Bathurst Regional Council. He is a qualified in Environmental Science, Horticulture, Adult Education and Natural and Cultural Resource Management.

Drew Longbottom:

Drew Longbottom is an influential and respected Knowledge Holder, Language Custodian, and Cultural Educator from the Jerrinja Aboriginal Community, now residing in Nowra. He is a Gamea-Dharrawal/Jerrinja-Wandra Wandian Guruyal Gadhungal Marring Yuin, ba Djirringanj Guyangal Gadhungal Marring Yuin.

For 10 years Drew has been actively supporting and providing Aboriginal cultural education through a variety of topics such as the pre- and post-colonial history of the Shoalhaven-Illawarra region, the facilitation of cultural immersion and cultural tours, and sequential cultural programs for young children.

Drew is an acknowledged Dharrawal language speaker and practitioner, having facilitated advanced and basic language classes for over 1000 children, and delivered cultural education for up to 10,000 pre/primary and secondary-school aged children through his work alongside Shoalhaven cultural practitioners Gadhungal Marring and Djiriba Waagura.

Built in 1866 and nestled in the landscape at Bundanon, the historic Homestead is an excellent example of nineteenth century vernacular architecture with a long and colourful history as a place of creative innovation and refuge.

The much loved by Arthur and Yvonne Boyd for many years, audiences are invited to wander through the Homestead and experience it as it was during Arthur and Yvonne’s time at Bundanon with iconic works from the Bundanon Collection, including those by the Boyd family, on display throughout the building.

Find out more about the history of Bundanon’s Homestead.