Bahy nah Buyin (Rufus Bettong Swamp) with Architect designed house and Gallery on NSW North Coast, near Grafton

Lifestyle - Whiteman Creek NSW

Architect designed house on 50 acres, 85% of which is under NSW biodiversity conservation agreement.

Held by the one owner since 1978, this former farm has been lovingly regenerated to the extent that many endangered species now call it home, including bettongs, phascogales, kolas and platypus, with over 140 species of birds also identified on the property by a local bird group, including the recent discovery of the rare powerful owl.

The property benefits from the permanent Whiteman Creek along the northern boundary and a unique 5-6 acre wetland running through the property. The rest of the land is woodland with some associated shallow wetlands that come and go depending on the season, resulting in a diverse range of ecosystems and wildlife.

The house itself is built on a ridge overlooking the property that keeps it well out of any inundation during times of flood. The house was designed by the late David Blackwell with both passive house principles in mind as well as an appreciation of the landscape setting. One wall of the house is glass from floor to ceiling, with sunlight also streaming in from windows placed to capture light from various angles, complemented by high ceilings to keep airflow constant. This is assisted by overly large doorways to capture the evening breezes that travel up the ridge from the wetland.

The three bedroom house was built on a slab base with concrete block walls to aid cooling, working in tandem with the large verandas on the eastern and western sides.

The owner has invested in the property to ensure longevity and low running costs, with window frames of aged Tallowwood, as well as electric boosted solar hot water, complemented with a slow combustion stove that heats the house in winter and includes a water jacket for additional hot water.

Though connected to the grid, the house includes 6kva solar system and 6kva battery and an air conditioner in the third bedroom.

The house has a gravity feed water system not connected to the local network (although this connection is available if desired). The house is supplied with three interconnected concrete 20,000L tanks that feed off the extensive roof system. Water is pumped up to a 300L roof tank and then gravity fed down through the house.

The house was also designed with a gallery space because both partners were involved in professional crafts and a selling space was needed. This has a high ceiling with wall space that was used to hang large fabric creations. More information on the commercial aspects of this property available on request.

Waste is collected by a septic system and grey water from the house is piped down the hill to an extensive orchard. Water is also gravity fed to various sheds on the property as well as the chook pen. The current resident Vorwerk, Barnevelder and Silver Sussex can remain if desired for a steady stream of fresh eggs.

As part of the biodiversity declaration, the name of the land has been legally designated as “Bahy nah Buyin” in Western Bundjalung language, (Rufus Bettong Swamp in English). This name was as a result of two years of consultation with local elders on what would be appropriate. Whiteman Creek area was a place of concentrated Bundjalung population and nearby caves have stone tools identified.

This has been a delightful place to live over the years and a labour of love in its development. The black swans have just returned to nest and raise their cygnets as they do each year, and the Jabiru is also not far off from its yearly travels.

Additional ecological details
Over a period of some years the owner worked towards the implementation of a conservation agreement for the preservation of the ecosystems on the land.

The Clarence Valley Catchment Authority declared the wetland as having high conservation value as an example of a perched swamp located above the general watercourse level with many native grasses.

Animals that have been documented include rufus bettongs, brush tailed phascogales, koalas, platypus, variety of kangaroos and wallabies, bandicoots, possums, variety of snakes (carpet python, red bellied black, scrub python and others), various rodents.

Dominant trees are red gum, bloodwood, swamp mahogany, angophoras, banksia, wattle, tea-tree, lemon scented tee-tree and silky oak along the creek watercourse.