Portsea Surf Shack

Boon wurrung/Bunurong Country

builder: LUBU Building Group
photography: Sean Fennessey
styling: Jess Lillico

completed: 2022

Our clients, a family of three with two dogs, expressed a willingness to live in this compact, two bedroom unit because of its proximity to the surf breaks, fishing spots, family and the local pub.  We note that no order of importance in this list was disclosed! Having lived in various parts of Australia and the US, the clients jumped on the opportunity to acquire the property while renting another unit within the complex.  Growing up in Portsea, Lachlan had spent much of his life surfing and fishing the coastline so the locality of the property and the lifestyle it enabled had huge appeal.

The project entailed the revitalization of a tired 1950’s interior with an intent to create a clam and crafted interior that subtly referenced the coastal setting.

The refurbished shack is one of eight single level dwellings in a complex known as Harbour Gate, which has rear access to Portsea beach and “Millionaires’ Walk” - a green strip of public land between Port Phillip Bay and some of the Mornington Peninsula’s most sought after real estate. The strip is used by residents of Harbour Gate to access the pier and the iconic Portsea Hotel.

Harbour Gate is the only remaining example of an experimental prefabrication system developed by architect Bernard Evans in 1948, as a government-backed solution to the post-war housing crisis. While appearing somewhat unassuming from the outside, each unit is comprised of eight reinforced plaster domes, craned into place and then covered with conventional construction techniques.  It is unknown to us why this building system was short-lived, but the internal volumes and curved plaster were seen as an asset to the project - one that we set out to enhance.

A key design move was selecting an internal paint finish for the hard plaster domes and walls – a lime based paint with a subtle texture that celebrated the domed surfaces, which also serves a practical purpose because it allows the old plaster to breathe.  Another important choice was the limestone kitchen bench – evoking imagery of fossilized shells, but also a nod to Portsea’s history of limestone quarrying and construction. The cabinetry colour is a muted response to local coastal scrub – these tones are carried through to the bathroom with hand made tiles and terrazzo, a perfect backdrop for a post swim rinse.