Austral Building Design

03/03/2026

From the drawing board and imagination of Kevin D**e from a number of years ago. Still looks great .

An extremely rare opportunity to secure an expansive modern home in one of the most sought-after locations on the South Coast, with jaw-dropping uninterrupted views across Seven Mile Beach, Coolangatta Mountain and beyond.Positioned on the highly desirable headland reserve backing straight...

25/02/2026

Many Nowra residents will know that the former Bridge Tavern / Bridge Hotel has been vacant for many years. Much of the more modern parts of the building were demolished in readiness for a major redevelopment of the site, but the development did not proceed. The original building finished in 1883, and the 1920's extensions have been stripped out, and have been on the market for some time. This is my vision as to how I would extend the building with a new Dining Room and outdoor dining area, new kitchen and bathroom areas and the conversion of the upper floor Managers residence into a function / event space. My vision includes reinstating the original cantilever balcony and cast iron lacework, so the building looks much more the way Henry Moss envisaged it when he started building in 1881. His health had deteriorated so much so, by the time the building was finished, he assigned the licence to Mr Benjamin Thompson, and he continued with his original Hotel. Moss's Central Hotel at Greenhills. ( The remains of his original Hotel is at 1 Ferry Lane, Nowra )

18/02/2026

The GLENQUARRY. A recent addition to my gallery of pre designed Heritage Inspired Homes, the Glenquarry is designed in the 'Gothic Revival' style which was popular in the late 1800's.
It features multiple living areas on the ground floor as well as a generous Guest Bedroom and Bathroom. Upstairs there are a further 4 Bedrooms, all with their own bathrooms and a further sitting room. This design would feature a detached garage so as not to spoil the architecture of the home.

30/03/2025

An abandoned cottage on a rainy sunday near Berrima, NSW

09/11/2023

A unique opportunity exists to step back in time in this period cottage offering many charming features of its era. The property offers loads of potential for refurbishment or knock down / re-build on this level sunny parcel of land backing onto a larger rural holding. High points

24/10/2023

From the imagination of Kevin D**e ( Austral Building Design )

Perched majestically in the coastal enclave of Gerringong, 'Willowbank House' is a modern ode to Victorian-era grandeur. Constructed in 2005 and refined to its present glory, it occupies a sprawling 660 sqm corner block overlooking the natural splendour of the South Coast.Inside the two-st...

19/10/2023

From the drawing board of Austral Building Design

Nestled in a highly sought-after neighbourhood, this magnificent four-bedroom freestanding residence sets a new standard for luxury living. Meticulously designed and flawlessly executed, this brand-new property is a testament to modern architectural excellence. From the moment you step through the g...

05/12/2022

James Wilson's widow, Robina was living with her daughter 'Bessie' when she passed away in 1917. Bessie had built the home around 1914 opposite the Recreation Grounds which were known as 'Hazelberry Park' and named the new house 'Hazelberry Heights'

The home is currently painted in a lovely dark blue, but possibly when it was built, it was either stained timber weather boards or a dark painted finish to the weatherboards with the trim picked out in white ( as it is today )

05/12/2022

In 1892, James Wilson and James Stewart moved their business from Pullman Street on the east side of the creek, and opened a grand 2 storey store and residence on the corner of Queen Street and Alexandra Street, Berry.

The building remains an iconic feature in the Berry streetscape to this day, particularly since it's renovation when many of the original features and balcony were reconstructed.

Whilst the building features painted brickwork, and has done so for much of it's life, it was originally built in red brick with crisp white 'tuck pointed' joints and with the parapets and mouldings also in white. At some stage after James Wilson had passed away, the building had a facelift and was painted, probably when the store passed out of the Wilson family.

05/12/2022

In 1883, James Wilson built a grand home on his mountain top farm at Bellawongarah / Berry Mountain. He named the property Glenworth. It was in this residence, that he passed away in 1901.

The home has been painted white for many years, but in the earlier days, it was possibly painted in a pale stone colour. The following post, the house has been illustrated in a colour scheme typical of Mid to Late Victorian architecture.

04/12/2022

I have been preparing some graphics to display in the foyer of my office in the Heritage Listed 'Wilson & Co's Store" building in Berry , NSW. The 4 drawings are a representation of how the various buildings connected to the pioneering Wilson family probably looked when first built. The coloured version illustrates a common colour scheme of the time, and how the building may have looked like, when first built.
The first of these buildings is the original Wilson and Co Store, erected in 1867 in the original portion of Berry, when it was still known as 'Broughton Creek'.
In the 1890's the business moved across the creek and into the newly flourishing commercial centre of the town now known as 'Berry'