sunday afternoon

So the time finally arrived this past weekend to make the long awaited Christmas wreath. My mums house in Avalon turned into the wreath making factory for the afternoon. We scoured the streets and our own garden for all our materials and came back with baskets and arm loads full! We used wire frames as our base and a thinner wire to attach what we wanted to the wreaths.


There were three wreath making teams and we all went for the natural look. All with a slightly different slant. I went for the pretty flowers, eucalyptus leaves, little white flowers and hydrangeas..... this is it in progress.

Mum had a wilder approach, her finished product......

Anna and Kristina were somewhere in between..... they used chilli's too.

This is my finished product ready to hang on my door.

A fun weekend project and we all made pretty beautiful wreaths.... success all round.

If you never ever go, you’ll never ever know!

So that slogan endorsed by none other than Darryl Somers is well past it’s used by date but it still rings true. On a recent trip we discovered the rare beauty and deep rooted culture of the Northern Territory. Here are a few highlights...

Ubirr at sunset is a sight to behold. Located in the East Alligator region of Kakadu National Park, it is famous for its rock art. The panoramic views are breathtaking, not to mention the exquisite art which in some places is a mind blowing 40 000yrs old… hard to comprehend.

Injalak Arts + Craft Centre at Oenpelli aims to promote and preserve the indigenous art and culture of Western Arnhem Land. Located at Gunbalanya, a small Aboriginal township the centre was opened in 1989. As a non-profit enterprise any income stays within the community and assists in its development. It is managed by an incorporated Association whose members are the artists and community. The Associations major emphasis is on cultural maintenance and economic self-determination. Such a fantastic initiative and with no doubt the best place to purchase bark paintings and woven pandanas baskets – it is chock a block full of beautiful artwork.

Architecture viewing is always a part of the itinerary and the Bowali Visitor’s Centre didn’t disappoint! If you can believe it the gutters were one of the outstanding features… Designed by Glenn Murcutt and Troppo Architects this building is a long 168m. In true Troppo style the building offers a close relationship with the bush setting through its wide verandahs, rammed earth walls, ironwood floors and natural stone features. The roof line and east west orientation encourage airflow – in temperatures of +30degree heat and 90% humidity it is amazing you feel comfortable under its eaves.

What is so important is that they worked very closely with the traditional land owners. Local contractors were employed and local Aboriginal associations sourced all the materials including the extensive display items that you can explore and learn of the country and its people. It is so pleasing to witness the results of a building which has originated from a community consultation process - and it is a success!

School handmade in Bangladesh

One of the founding members of bricks + cartwheels stumbled across this school and came back to the rest of us saying, "I want to marry this school!"

This school has won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, 10th award cycle for its innovative use of locally made resources, and the way the project has built on the capacity of the local community. The project has created jobs and training through “learning by doing” which helps the local craftsmen to improve the standards and condition of rural housing in general.

We love this building and commend the architects for their elegant and beautiful solution to a community focused building.

For more information on this inspirational project, click here.

mud bricks in mudgee

The bricks + cartwheels team recently spent a whole weekend in Mudgee learning the art of mud brick making. bricks + cartwheels has recently been exploring the potential of using stabilised soil block as a construction technique for the Secondary School for Girls, Kenya.

The weekend at Mudgee was the perfect opportunity to test the construction methods of building mud bricks from scratch. Gerry, from Rosby Vineyard, was an amazing teacher and bricks + cartwheels learned the ins and outs of building mud bricks. bricks + cartwheels did it all, from digging out the sludge from the dam to mixing and packing the mud hard into the moulds with our hands!


It was great to learn exactly what materials, equipment, time and labour is needed to build the mud bricks. The weekend ended up being very successful for everyone involved. We had a great time making and learning all about mud bricks and most importantly Gerry and Kay from the Rosby Vineyard ended up with 102 mud bricks to build their new studio!

Check out the Rosby website here. They make a damn fine red!