You couldn’t describe Dene Purdon as a poet but he has one thing in common with one of Australia’s most beloved lyricists.
Like Dorothea Mackellar, Dene loves the sunburnt country and sitting with him you can see his eyes light up as he talks about his passion for the Aussie landscape.
Dene has spent many hours driving through the rich, textured landscapes of Australia from granite ranges in the south to the burning red dust of the centre and the striking tropical mix of sea and mangrove swamp in the far north.
“It is hard to put a price on the beauty of the land in which we live,” said Dene.
“Funny when I think about how the English pioneers saw the bush early on as ugly and desolate but then were sucked in by its rugged, sheer awesomeness.
“The first Australians had learned to live with the rugged beauty for 20,000 years before and it wasn’t perhaps until the great painters of the Heidelberg School like Arthur Stretton and Tom Roberts in the late 19th century that Australians really started to embrace our native landscape.
“That’s why we are so passionate about creating homes that just don’t reflect a European landscape but instead embrace the Australia so celebrated by artists like Dorothea Mackellar, Tom Roberts or Arthur Stretton.
“We are excited to work with architects who share our passion for the Australian landscape, for colours, textures and materials that are distinctively Australian.
“Alternatively we can assist the client direct in turning their dreams into a practical and deliverable design that translates to a residence that articulates our vision of homes inspired by Australia.
“When you build with Brolga you are getting a home that reflects this sunburnt country and that we hope will enhance that sense of home that is uniquely Australia.”
A classic example of the team’s Australian inspired construction is the acclaimed holiday home built by Brolga and designed by Iredale Pedersen Hook Architects against the striking backdrop of the Nannup Forest.
The highly acclaimed and multi-award home features Colorbond and rusting steel along with recycled jarrah and personifies how Brolga can work with the owner and architects to create buildings of distinction and quality that leave deep and lasting impressions.