Creating a Hilltop Dream Home on the Bellarine Peninsula

After decades of holidaying in Barwon Heads, Angus and Shelley knew the pull of the Bellarine Peninsula was more than temporary. Ready to leave Melbourne behind, they set out to build a permanent home that would capture the essence of the region they had long loved.

They found their ideal site on a picturesque acreage overlooking Port Phillip Bay. While the property included an existing 1970s house, its position didn’t do justice to the sweeping views. The decision was swift: rather than renovate they would demolish and rebuild higher up the hill, where the landscape could truly be appreciated.

Designing for Life Now and Later

Working with architect Aydan Doherty of Design by AD, the couple envisioned a home that balanced contemporary design with the warmth and familiarity of farmhouse living. Central to the brief was flexibility. With their two children growing older, the house needed to offer both connection and independence.

“It was about creating a house that they could always call home,” says Aydan, “but not feel like they're under mum and dad's roof all the time”.

The resulting design is thoughtfully zoned: a central living hub anchors the home, while separate wings for parents and children provide privacy. Sliding partitions allow parts of the house to be closed off as needs evolve ensuring the home remains functional and efficient over time.

Shelley loves how it can work as the kids come and go. “The way it’s designed means that when the kids do leave home, we can just shut off that wing, close the sliding door and shut all the amenities off to it. Then we've just got the central hub in our wing. It's very adaptable to our needs as they change over time.” That flexibility has huge benefits from an energy use perspective as energy costs continue to rise; we’ve eliminated the need to heat or cool areas not being used. 

A Silhouette in the Landscape

From afar, the home reads as a cluster of rural sheds, a deliberate nod to the surrounding agricultural vernacular. This sculptural silhouette is unified by a striking roof clad in COLORBOND® steel in Monument® Matt finish. Dark yet subdued, the material shifts with the seasons, allowing the landscape to take centre stage.

“Even though it's dark,” explains Ayden, “it's somewhat muted in that rural setting because it's allowing the landscape to really pop. Whether it's winter and everything's green or it's summer and autumn and everything's red and dry, it's not standing out. It's a beautiful silhouette in the background.”

A restrained palette of stone, rammed earth, timber, and glass complements the steel, creating a home that feels grounded, tactile, and distinctly Australian. Each material plays its part, but it is the COLORBOND® steel that visually ties the composition together.

Craftsmanship in Detail

One of the home’s most distinctive features lies overhead. A section of the roof fans out in a precise standing seam pattern, converging from multiple angles. The fanned detail adds a layer of visual intrigue, drawing the eye and celebrating the craftsmanship behind its execution.

Aydan, the architect, sees it as an elegant solution: “The builder and roofing team came up with the idea to fan the seams out...so when you approach the house you see this beautiful detail, it really draws your attention”. The roofing team went above and beyond to bring it together in a perfectly orchestrated way. A lot of maths, geometry, and precision roll-forming were needed to bring it to life.

Built to Withstand the Elements

Perched atop a hill and oriented toward expansive views, the home is also exposed to the peninsula’s often relentless winds.

Working collaboratively with your architect on what's important to you is imperative, reflects Angus, “We like our outdoor living, and our view is to the northeast. We said to Aydan, look, here's the view, but we do need to be able to survive out in the elements when it's blowy from the southwest, which is essentially every other day. Inevitably, every house in Australia with a view generally has a fair amount of wind associated with it.”

The design responds with quiet ingenuity: the structure nestles into the slope, forming a sheltered courtyard at its heart; an outdoor space protected from prevailing southwesterlies.

COLORBOND® steel was the choice of roofing and cladding material from an aesthetic point of view, but both the builder and architect wanted it for its strength and durability in such exposed conditions. The builder, Nick Heyward from Geelong’s Heycon Constructions, is a big advocate: “We recommend COLORBOND® steel not only for its affordability, but also for easy maintenance, and the way it ages well, and the way it copes with its environment.”

Performance Meets Comfort

The home’s western facade faces intense afternoon sun, making thermal performance critical. Here, steel cladding proves its worth. With low thermal mass and high emissivity, it releases heat quickly once the sun sets, preventing heat from lingering within the structure. COLORBOND® steel in Monument® Matt also features Thermatech® solar reflectance technology to help reflect more of the sun’s heat on hot sunny days, helping keep the home cooler in the summer* and comfortable year-round.

The Art of Collaboration

Shelley and Angus are thrilled with the way their dream house has turned out, with its distinctive silhouette, striking relationship with the landscape, and spectacular view across Port Phillip Bay towards the twinkling night-time lights of Melbourne. Asked for her advice on starting a new build, Shelley shared: “Take time in the planning. Use an architect and a builder who you connect with, who you have a similar aesthetic to, and who you trust and who are good communicators. Setbacks do happen, but it's how you solve them together... that is the magic, and magic did come out of problems that we had. So, communication, trust, and being on a similar plane when it comes to aesthetics are all important.”

Designed by Aydan Doherty from Design by AD, built by Nick Heyward from Heycon Constructions, imagined and loved by Angus and Shelley and built with COLORBOND® steel proudly Made by Australia.

Footnote:

*Thermatech® is featured in 21 of the 22 core colours (excluding Night Sky®) and in all 5 Matt colours in the COLORBOND® steel range. Results will depend on roof colour, roof shape, level and location of insulation, type, location, shape, and function of the building