Three Whalers House

My clients, David & Anne wanted to create a special place for their family to escape on holiday or just for a weekend where lifelong memories would be created for their children and friends. The house needed to be large enough to accommodate their close family friends at the same time, while also feeling just right for an intimate trip for two.

The brief included two master bedrooms of equal standing, a bunk room for younger children and separate bedrooms for the young adults. 

Minimising maintenance was important as was the need for the place to feel different from their suburban home. Being in touch with the elements and the outdoors was important and they were intending on using the house as much in the winter as in the summer months. The brief requested no air-conditioning to the house, rather preferring to experience the elements with a moderated temperatures internally achieved via ceiling fans, air-conditioning, appropriate standards of insulation and controlled access to the northern sun.

Here is a brief statement from clients Anne & David about their experience: Neil came highly recommended to us from a close friend who had commissioned him to undertake a complex residential project.

'It was apparent following our initial meeting with Neil that he understood precisely what we were looking for and outlined a path forward which felt realistic and achievable. Neil spent time understanding what it was that we wanted in our home, and then converted that into a very practical reality. Neil’s personable nature, completely devoid of ego, facilitated a very direct and effective engagement with the builder. This resulted in the whole experience being very enjoyable and exciting to be a part of. Neil’s gentle manner & prudent guidance helped us navigate a number of potentially challenging issues as they arose. The initial meetings were mostly about Neil discovering just how our family wanted to live and what our priorities were, even before the actual design process began. Neil also undertook extensive investigation into the history of the location (which we were totally unaware of) and which was not only fascinating but was instrumental in the subsequent design process and the end result. Neil is highly motivated by delivering satisfaction that meet his client’s needs. His enthusiasm and tireless work ethic makes working with him exciting and pleasurable during a time that can often be very stressful. He is highly skilled with an encyclopaedic knowledge of construction, design, finishes, appliances, environmental & energy considerations, and the latest in technology. Neil does the worrying for you, although nothing seems to faze him. 

We could not recommend Neil more highly and this is why we have contracted him on other projects. Neil is a very decent human being who places his client’s needs ahead of his own, in addition to being a highly skilled and experienced architect who is widely respected by his peers and reflected in the number of repeat clients.'

History of Place & People

The design seeks to offer the occupants of the holiday house with unique holiday experiences that are meaningful to the place in which it is located. To achieve this, we firstly embarked on researching the history of the place which uncovered a very rich history with which to work. We discovered the strong connection to place of the Traditional owners, the Wadandi people, the pre-Europen settlement ships seeking whales in Geographe Bay, lost shipwrecks from the 1600’s, early European settlement whaling stations on the beaches of Geographe Bay and the unfortunate loss of life and subsequent burial of whalers amongst the peppermint trees of the shoreline.

Read on for what we discovered and subsequently ‘filtered’ through the design process to achieve the outcome of ‘Three Whalers House’.

The Traditional Custodians of the region, the Wadandi people of the Noongar Nation have inhabited the region of Wadandi Boodja for over 40,000 years. The Wadandi Boodja (Motherland) reaches from Bunbury, along the coast of Geographe Bay, extending to Yallingup (Place of Holes) to Talinup, Augusta (Place of Reeds) inland to Nannup (The Stopping Place), taking in the region of Undalup (Busselton) The Wadan Boodja (Sea Country) is of great spiritual significance to the coastal Wadandi people. The Wadandi people – the saltwater people, are closely linked to the ocean. Many of the regions place names are named in Wadandi language, such as Quindalup which is ‘the place of the Quenda’. ‘Meelup’ is a Wadandi word meaning ‘place of the moon rising’ as the moon appears to rise out of the sea on a few days in the year, something that I have had the good fortune of experiencing myself. 

The first recorded use of the name Quindalup was on a timber mill owned by Henry Yelverton & McGibbon. Henry Yelverton originally came to the region as an American whaler before settling and going on to fell and mill timber to be shipped overseas from the Quindalup Jetty at Point Templar (now known as the Quindalup boat ramp). The jetty which is less than a five-minute walk from the site of the holiday house was originally built in 1855 on a different alignment to the current short jetty as a loading point for timber from Yelverton’s mills which were located about one kilometre inland. According to the ‘Maritime Heritage Site Inspection Report – Quindalup Jetty 1993’: ‘A tramway led to the jetty from the Henry Yelverton. Between 1882 and 1885, twenty-two ships carried 6,076 cargoes of timber and in 1890 alone, 1,439 loads of 50cubic foot timbers were shipped from the jetty.’ We made reference to the original Quindalup jetty in the entry boardwalk / bridge that leads from the street to the front door of the holiday house where we specified robust recycled jetty timber as the walkable structure.

The skeleton of the Blue whale that can be found inside the Western Australian Museum was originally found as a whale carcass washed ashore on the beach at Quindalup in the late 1890’s. It took the museum’s taxidermist, a local farmer, and two Japanese fishermen three years to remove the flesh and disassemble it. After a journey by horse-drawn carriage and train, the 24-meter skeleton arrived in Perth and was put on display.

Toby Inlet, a waterway located just behind the holiday house site was named after Captain Jacob Toby, of the coastal schooner ‘Ellen’. From the ‘Toby Inlet – Waterway Management Plan, May 2019’ document by the Dept Water and Environment Regulation: ‘The Ellen used to take on water at Meelup, and while in the area Captain Toby would moor close to the mouth of Toby Inlet and barter with the local residents, exchanging knives, tools, sugar and tea for fresh produce (Guinness,1984; Smith, pers.comm 2004). In the 1800’s Jack (John) Molloy commenced construction of a boat in the sheltered waters of Toby Inlet near the sand bar. The boat was well into construction when the mouth broke out, and washed away the boat supports. The boat was buried by sand and left at the site. This incident is referred to as ‘Molloy’s Folly” (Smith, pers. comm.). The European history of Toby Inlet is documented by several authors (Guiness, 1984; Kinsella, 1990: Horwitz & Wardell-Johnson, 1996). Anecdotal evidence supports the fact that Toby Inlet used to be considerably deeper than it is today. In the 1920’s the channel was deep enough for small boats, and due to the accretion of sediments, this is obviously no longer possible.’

Ships inhabited Geographe Bay region for many years prior to European settlement. A shipwreck, perhaps Dutch, from possibly as far back as 1660 is recorded to have been seen by early settlers in the 1860-70’s but the wreck has since disappeared below the shifting sands and its location has subsequently been lost in the area of ‘Deadwater’, Wonnerup Inlet.

During the 1700’s it is recorded that the catching and processing of whales was carried on along the south-west coats of WA by American and French ships, and as far north as the north-west cape. 

From the article titled ‘Whaling in Geographe Bay by the Busselton Historial Society; ‘Records from 1840’s state that there were seventeen whalers in Geographe Bay, being mostly American ships with some French and one British vessel. “Mother” ships were employed for the treatment of the whale carcasses and the only foreign station along the south-west coast was at Flinders Bay. Reference to the presence of American Whalers at Augusta is found in the diaries of the Molloy’s, Bussell’s and Turner’s, who all welcomed the visits of the ‘Whalers’, who relieved the isolation of the settlement and often provided food and goods. Geographe Bay was utilised by visiting whalers from early times, even before the settlement of the Vasse, it was a favourable fuelling and watering place as well as safe harbour. Evidence is shown that more than one man “jumped” ship in the bay, and there is a record of one Brown who had lived with the local Noongar people prior to the settlement of the Swan River colony in the vicinity of the present Caves House at Yallingup, living off the land and tanning wild skins for sale to the visiting whalers.’

The Castle Bay Whaling Station was formed in 1845 with the shore station based at Castle Bay where the whales would be winched up onto the beach. Rowing boats, or whale boats as they were known, were used to catch and tow the whales when harpooned and killed.

Captain John Molly & Georgiana Molly had a large land holding that stretched to the coastline of what is now the area of Quindalup which includes the location of the site for the design of Three Whalers House. John Molly had considerable influence at the time and amongst many other endeavours, engaged in both boat building and whaling from Quindalup beach. From Inherit DPLH; “Westbrook Homestead was built between 1863 and 1866 for the Dawson family. A slab cottage constructed in the 1850s stands at the rear of the house. Elijah Dawson arrived in the Swan River Colony in 1830 per the Warrior and had served with John Molloy at Waterloo. Dawson was indentured to Molloy and settled in Augusta and moved to Vasse with Molloy in 1834.’ Westbrook Homestead was the earliest farm in the area and it became a magnet for passing American whalers who would barter to local produce on the verandah of the homestead.

According to ‘The Historical Archaeology of Shore Based Whaling in Western Australia’ by Martin Gibbs 1995: ‘Shore-based whaling was one of the earliest industries undertaken by European settlers of Western Australia . . . . with the operation of the shore-based whaling industry between 1836 – 1879.

From the article titled ‘Whaling in Geographe Bay; ‘The capturing of whales from Geographe Bay usually commenced in June, with the northward migration of Mammoths to the vicinity of North-West cape to breed and ended in November. It can be seen that worst of winter months coincided with the killing of whales in Geographe Bay, so it can be noted that great credit was due to the men operating that there were not more fatalities associated with the early ventures in whaling. A triple fatality did occur in 1847 when a new small company was formed by John Molloy at Toby’s Inlet with a single boat operating, when on one of the first efforts to capture a whale resulted in the loss of three whalemen when their boat was ‘stove’ by a whale. The bodies of Mark Britney, John Nutten and Charles Westall were recovered by whalers form the Castle Bay whaling station and their remains buried beneath the peppermint trees near the beach at Toby’s Inlet.’

‘In 1859 oil was discovered in Pennsylvania, USA and from that time onwards fuel and lubricants of mineral oil gradually superseded whale oil and whaling declined throughout the world.’ Despite this, the most successful year recorded for the Castle Bay whaling company was in 1871, possibly due to the lack of the foreign ships to compete with in Geographe Bay to the available whales.

Captain John Molly had great authority and along with his wife, Georgiana Molly, biographers have reflected upon their achievements in settling the south-west positively. However, there was a dark side to that settlement that is less frequently recorded in an incident known as the ‘Wonnerup Massacre’ or ‘Wardandi Massacre’. In February 1841 John Molloy as local magistrate led a group of settlers and workers that pursued local senior Wardandi Elder known as Gaywal (Gayware) who had struggled in dispute with a notorious ‘hot headed’ local farmer George Layman and killed the Layman. James Battye (after whom our principal library is named) in Western Australia: A History (1924) attempts to excuse all the bones at Lake Mininup: ‘In 1841 there occurred an incident which, if true, can only be described as an act of atrocious cruelty and savagery on the part of some of the settlers in the southwest … An avenging party under Captain Molloy set out and, it is said, ultimately succeeded in surrounding the whole body of natives on an open sand patch …’ This resulted in the murder of at least 7 Noongar people (possibly many more), some women amongst them over several days, with Gaywal apparently not amongst the murdered.

Research:

1. ‘The Historical Archaeology of Shore Based Whaling in Western Australia’ by Martin Gibbs 1995, Thesis presented for degree of Doctor of Philosophy UWA.

2. ‘Whaling in Geographe Bay by the Busselton Historial Society.

3.  James Battye (after whom our principal library is named) in Western Australia: A History (1924).

4.  Dunsborough Historical Society.

5. ‘Maritime Heritage Site Inspection Report – Quindalup Jetty 1993’.

6. ‘Toby Inlet – Waterway Management Plan, May 2019’ document by the Dept Water and Environment Regulation.

As the site is located within the Shire of Busselton’s ‘Quindalup Special Character Area’, the design needed to firstly consider the intent of the character provisions. The document states: ‘The principal objective of these provisions is to preserve the unique and specific character of the Quindalup strip. That character essentially being a relaxed holiday atmosphere, this attributed to its low density of housing, which is contained within a bush and seaside setting, surrounded by natural environs. An important aspect of the vegetation characteristic is the visual relationship which it creates between public and private land. A tree preservation order is in place and any new building not require the removal of a native tree’.

Our design commenced with determining the location of the seven existing peppermint trees and we then ensured that they remained by designing around them. This then required careful management of multiple authorities as we also needed to manage the requirements of compliance with the Bush Fire Attack (BAL) regulations. The proposed new landscaping included the addition of new peppermint trees to the property and reinforcement of the surrounding dune vegetation with all new low-level landscaping from local species.

The intention was to recreate the feel of the surrounding native bush reserves to the experience of the house.

As is evident along the entire southwestern coastline from Dunsborough to Geraldton are the rows of elongated sand dunes that run parallel to the ocean.  These ancient dune systems extend inland and in the Quindalup region they are at their widest as they extend for nearly eight kilometres. Over time since European settlement of the Quindalup suburban strip, there has been a removal of the dunes to residential properties where areas of lawn now grace flat street frontages. In the design of the landscaping to the Three Whalers property we reintroduced an undulating ground plane to re-establish the dunes. These changes in level also served to establish what was semi-private space as the street frontages were otherwise open to the street without fencing. At the point of entry to the house from the street, a ‘bridge’ constructed from old jarrah jetty planks allows level ground allows to the front door through the undulating dunes.

The reintroduction of the low-level native vegetation is paramount in the area to ensure the survival of the local possum, skink, bobtail and quenda populations which need to be encouraged and protected.

Holiday houses give opportunity to live differently so that you break from your everyday suburban routines. The design seeks to offer the occupants of the holiday house unique holiday experiences that are meaningful to the place in which it is located, bringing awareness to what is special about the place.

Neil had lots of discussions with clients David & Anne about what sort of experience they wanted from their holiday house. David & Anne liked the feeling that they recalled from their youth when they enjoyed camping. Together we resolved that what this meant for their holiday house was that they wanted to be in touch with the elements, not necessarily have the whole house connected through internal passages, and that the covered outdoor areas would be used just as much as the internal spaces. The resulting design draws from these discussions and provides visitors with a surprise on entering the house when they realise that they have not in fact entered an internal space, rather simply entered beyond the gate to a secure covered outdoor area. Generous covered balcony spaces are provided at both the raised ground floor level and at the first-floor level where the living, kitchen and dining room are located. This ‘upside-down arrangement of living spaces allows views to the blue water of Geographe Bay through the tree canopy of the peppermint trees.

Protection and retention of the seven existing mature peppermint trees on the site was a priority for the local council and for my clients. Any new building needed to weave its way around these peppermint trees. Avoiding the trees is partly the reason why the building is articulated into three separate pavilions rather than one large mass of building. This articulation into pavilions also helps to reduce the overall bulk and scale as the spaces between the three pavilions appear as negative spaces, or void. 

These three two-story pavilions also take on the representation of the three whalers that in 1847 lost their lives in Geographe Bay in the vicinity of the holiday house and who subsequently were buried below the larges of the old peppermint trees on the beachfront. An account sourced from the Dunsborough Historical Society: ‘A triple fatality did occur in 1847 when a new small company was formed by John Molloy at Toby’s Inlet with a single boat operating, when on one of the first efforts to capture a whale resulted in the loss of three whalemen when their boat was ‘stove’ by a whale. The bodies of Mark Britney, John Nutten and Charles Westall were recovered by whalers form the Castle Bay whaling station and their remains buried beneath the peppermint trees near the beach at Toby’s Inlet.’ Each of the timber framed pavilions represents one of the lost whalers, while the arc of the connecting concrete floor slabs which connects the pavilions represents the sweeping arc of the whale.

The curved nature of the building forms also serves to create a semi-private central courtyard space to which the entire house orientates its more private outlook. This eastern courtyard is protected from the prevailing winds and also allows penetration of the warming winter sun. The courtyard will be ‘rewilded’ with local native plant species which will bring the feeling of the great outdoors and nature to every living space. 

External materials have been selected to endure the harshest of weather and wear in the salt ridden air of the beachside location. Exposed concrete ceilings, soffits and in some cases walls, will have rebated impressions of whales and their trails through the ocean marked in embedded story telling about the place. In other areas, laser cut shapes of whales’ tails in the timber acoustic ceiling boarding will again reinforce the story of the place and act as a conversation starter for guests.

The layout of the building is orientated to bring the best environmental outcome for the enjoyment of the house. The building mass protects the outdoor areas from the cold prevailing winds from the south and west while both the external and internal living spaces enjoy access to the warming winter sun and controlled shade through summer.

At the request of clients David & Anne, there is no air-conditioning in the house. All rooms enjoy excellent cross-ventilation to allow access to the cooling breezes when available in summer and rooms are fitted with ceiling fans to further assist ventilation. The external walls of the house are constructed from timber framing where multiple layers of thermal insulation moderate the temperature of the internal spaces.