THE CHANGING moods of the sky at Mangowak along the Great Ocean Road are a sight to behold.
Words: Noel Murphy
Brilliant summer blues contrast the ominous thunderheads of cooler months rolling in from the west, and everything in between. It’s nothing short of spectacular.
Add a brooding, heaving Southern Ocean, the lively bush and its inhabitants and the blue-grey low hills of the Otway Ranges – features architects dream about – and the mix forms a natural tapestry that’s both rich and exquisite.
Mangowak is the old Aboriginal name for Airey’s Inlet, the small coastal junction between the scenic Otways and rugged ochre-coloured cliffs dipping to the ocean. It’s a wonderful place to visit and an even better place to build a home, albeit with its own challenges.
Not that they’re apparent in Torquay architect Peter Winkler’s Great Ocean House handiwork at Airey’s. Formidable on so many design fronts, it looks like a force of nature let loose on the landscape rather than something intricately measured, positioned and crafted.
Timber decks peering out over treetops, expansive living room panoramas across the ranges, warm timber and rammed-earth blended seamlessly with glass, metal and polished concrete – it’s all wonderfully at home in as complex and changing environment.
The beach house was designed for a large, extended family. Winkler’s clients wanted a home on the coast they could really enjoy; a place to relax. They wanted a design that was innovative and unique.
Read more about this magnificent property in the Geelong Coast Magazine – out now.
