The owners of this beautiful home have been camping on Straddie since the 1980s. After years of searching for a house or land on the island, they found 7 Billa Street. The site featured more than a dozen mature Brush Box trees, so the design brief focused on retaining as many existing trees as possible while creating a beach shack that captures the essence of camping, yet functions as part of a community.
The long, linear house is positioned along the eastern edge of the site, requiring the removal of only one existing Brush Box tree. The simple layout places the living spaces at the northern end of the site and the bedrooms to the south, separated by an open circulation stair. Movement between the living areas, bathroom, and bedrooms occurs via the covered veranda, ensuring occupants remain connected to the trees, the street, and the site's microclimate.
Conditions on the veranda can be adjusted by opening or closing the bi-folding vertical timber screen. Made from Accoya timber, this screen will weather over time to a beautiful silver-grey patina, blending with the off-form concrete structure and FC cladding.
The bedrooms and living room are all 4.8m in width, aligning with formwork sheet dimensions. The living, dining, and kitchen areas open onto both the northern deck and western veranda via large sliding timber doors, which seamlessly stack behind a concrete blade wall to the west and into a pocket to the east. When fully opened, these doors create an uninterrupted connection between the interior, tree canopy, and beach views. An upstand concrete beam enables a 6.8m cantilevered roof, eliminating the need for a corner column on the balcony—further enhancing views and reinforcing the feeling of living in the treetops.
A stunning ‘L’-shaped joinery feature defines the kitchen, seamlessly transitioning into a daybed that extends onto the northern deck. Similarly, linear reeded-glass casement windows link the living areas and extend into the bedrooms, creating a sense of continuity.
The bedrooms are accessed from the veranda through sliding timber doors. Each room includes built-in platform beds integrated with bedside tables, separate wardrobes, and a desk space. All joinery is suspended above the floor, enhancing the sense of space within the rooms.
A highlight of the home is the master bedroom’s outdoor shower, a feature that beautifully reflects the simplicity and connection to nature that camping embodies.
On the ground level, a self-contained one-bedroom studio mirrors the upper level’s layout, with a series of linear spaces connected via a covered western veranda and a northern terrace.
The concrete roof structure also accommodates a roof terrace, nestled beneath the tree canopy, providing a shaded retreat within the Brush Box forest.
While timber and steel were considered, concrete was ultimately chosen for its durability, simplicity, and raw aesthetic. The material palette follows the same ethos:
• Floors, ceilings, and selected walls – Off-form concrete
• External cladding – Natural FC
• Joinery and internal wall linings – Birch veneer plywood
• Kitchen benchtops, vanity benches, and basins – Raw brass, already developing a beautiful patina.
This home engages effortlessly with the surrounding landscape, creating newfound shade and lawn for local kangaroos while offering occupants and guests a harmonious blend of curated materials, spatial flow, and natural interaction. Despite the robust construction, the design balances strength with delicate detailing, fostering a tranquil, sensory-rich environment—much like camping itself.
