Jury comment
At a time when Australia’s built environment professions are confronting the legacies of colonial violence, The Homestead at Wybalenna offers a compelling model for engaging with post-settlement heritage and its complex histories.
Constructed in stages from the late nineteenth century, the homestead comprises a Victorian-era farmhouse, brick maid’s quarters and kitchen arranged around a brick courtyard, with remedial works focused on a kitchen annex added in the early twentieth century. Set within the former Wybalenna Aboriginal Settlement on Flinders Island, the building occupies a place of profound significance to Palawa people as both an Aboriginal mission and a recognised site of genocide.
Rather than restoring the building to a singular historical moment, the project adopts a carefully considered process of subtraction. The selective removal of accumulated layers reveals deeper histories and strengthens the building’s role as a place of truth-telling and healing. Salvaged and repurposed materials reinforce an approach grounded in environmental responsibility and care for Country.
In doing so, the homestead renewal demonstrates how heritage practice can move beyond the conservation of fabric alone to support truth-telling, cultural renewal and healing.
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Read Stuart King’s review of The Homestead at Wybalenna here.
The Award for House in a Heritage Context is supported by the Heritage Council of Victoria. See full image galleries of all the winning and shortlisted projects here.