The Shearers' Quarters is located on Waterview, an historic farm on North Bruny Island, first granted to Captain James Kelly in 1840, The 440-hectare property remains a working sheep farm. It has been operated by the Wardle family for 15 years, with the rejuvenation of the landscape a core priority. Occupying the site of the old shearing shed, destroyed by fire in the 1980s, the project is a companion building to the existing historic cottage, renovated in 2016. It now accommodates shearers, the family, friends, and John Wardle Architects' staff on annual retreats. An exposition of two primary forms of Australian agricultural structures, the plan form transitions along its length to shift the profile of a slender skillion roof at the western end to a broad gable at the east, referencing both the fall of the land to the south and the line of the original residence along its north. Whilst the stone retaining walls were constructed by a stonemason on the island, using stones sourced from the property, the relatively remote island site required all other construction materials be transported via ferry from the mainland. This significantly determined the project's lightweight construction strategy.
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