2019 was our 10th Year of hosting the Eltham Mudbrick Tour and we celebrated by moving the locality to the St Andrews area, well known for its weekly artistic community market at the foot of the Kinglake range and tranquil bush scenery.

The tour kicked off at the St Andrews Community Market Hall, where Earth Architects provided fun demonstrations and lessons in the art of mudbrick making to many of our Tour patrons, old and young.
Tour patrons then watched the Eltham High School senior ensemble musicians perform their exquisite pieces in the St Andrews Hall, before joining one of our shuttle buses that whisked them between the houses on this year’s tour.

These included homes that had featured on long-past Mudbrick Tours, a two storey heritage listed mudbrick home, a John Pizzey designed off-the-grid mudbrick home, a Tuscany themed home that started life as a log cabin kit home, a two storey Alistair Knox mudbrick house that survived the 2009 bushfires, a recently built mudbrick home designed to new bushfire regulations, and a modern attic apartment in central St Andrews, part of the new mudbrick building commercial hub.

Tour patrons then enjoyed a fitting end to the day with wine and cheese tastings, entertained all the while by Eltham High School alumni Jazz musicians the Scot van Gemert Jazz Quartet and the FiveFour Jazz Quartet.

A heartfelt huge thank you to this years Tour patrons, to our sponsors, volunteers and most of all, to the homeowners past and present who make the Eltham Mudbrick Tour possible.

Quotes from some of our 2019 Tour patrons:

“Lovely day out and very well organised. Loved the shuttle bus and friendly drivers. Gorgeous houses and tea and cake was a highlight. Also enjoyed the wine tasting and cheese tasting after the tour.”

“Relaxed, friendly experience being inspired by the work people have done to create their homes with a sustainable, creative approach.”

“I thought the volunteers did such a fantastic job. It was a nice day out in my local area.”

“Loved being driven and not having to follow a map.”

“Enjoyed speaking with the owners, learning about the history of the homes.”

“The John Pizzey designed house was a stunning home that shows how great mudbrick homes can actually be!”

“This is always a well organized event with lovely people, a worthy cause to raise funds for and an interesting part of our community.”

Photos: Alison J Raven.