Grand Designs Australia on ABC and ABC iview S11E2 – Ross and Cathy, along with their three children Grace, Abbie and James, are wild about the outdoors.
In fact, the more rugged and isolated the conditions, the happier they are. As nature lovers, hikers and camping enthusiasts it makes total sense that their family-run business sells all-weather, all-terrain outdoor gear. But after three decades living in the busy inner-city suburbs of Melbourne, only escaping the grind occasionally, the family needs to create a permanent retreat “out bush”.
Ross and Cathy have settled on the idyllic natural wonderland of Fish Creek in East Gippsland, Victoria. With its abundance of Australian native wildlife, ancient forest growth and impressive rolling hills, the location is picture perfect, aside from the fact it’s in an extremely high wind and bushfire zone. Not that it worries Ross and Cathy; they plan to use what they know about protective clothing to build a house which can withstand even the harshest of elements, including a clever membrane to ward off the weather.
However, the real secret weapon of this ambitious project appears to defy logic; panel after panel of a super compressed straw will be used to create impenetrable insulation. Despite their insider knowledge, and a healthy budget of $1,000,000, the project’s remote location proves challenging for their merry band of tradies – all of whom are family friends – as the build drags on indefinitely due to overseas joinery delays.
But with Ross on the tools, Cathy on interiors, daughter Abbie in charge of the fireplace design, and son James living and loving working on site, the project is more than a building, it’s an experience for all the family to treasure.
Production credits:
Grand Designs Australia is produced by Fremantle Australia for ABC. Head of Unscripted: Josie Mason Campbell. Supervising Executive Producer: Brooke Bayvel. Executive Producer: Michael Collett. ABC Commissioning Editor, Factual: Jo Chichester. ABC Head of Factual: Susie Jones. ABC Head of Screen Content: Jennifer Collins. International Distribution: Fremantle Distribution.
Grand Designs Australia on ABC and ABC iview – Thursday 17 October at 8.00pm
TV Central ABC content HERE
Grand Designs Australia on ABC and ABC iview S11E2
