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00:03you'll see them in countless pockets across country Australia churches representing a
00:08multitude of faiths of all types and sizes some grand some small some still active others long
00:16abandoned each church is a chapter in the story of a community but not all chapters are rosy and
00:23uplifting for indigenous Australians many of these churches represent a grim legacy of ill
00:29treatment repression and dispossession so why would a family of First Nations Australians with
00:35no affinity for the religious order that built a place of worship on their clan country want to
00:42buy the little church and restore it I'm Anthony Burke a professor of architecture brilliant passionate
00:55about buildings of the past this is incredibly impressive and what they can tell us about
01:01better ways to live in the future this is very confronting it's a ruin it is join me as I
01:06travel
01:07the country meeting homeowners embarking on the challenge of a lifetime restoring homes from the
01:131800s to the swinging sixties looking to balance our rich cultural heritage with life in modern
01:21Australia out under a crusty cap of far western Victoria the Molyneux family is wandering deep in the
01:43deep down into their past and it's so cold in here yes it is outside with their boots and torches
01:51they might be a mining crew heading into these subterranean spaces for a long shift and in a way they
01:58are
01:58the molyneux keep going all the way down you can see to the left the molyneux dad Craig mum Ros
02:06have a look up here you see all the sparkling it's amazing and sons Tom Nick and Lou are fossicking
02:15for connection to country and clues to how their ancestors hid and survived here and elsewhere under colonial siege at
02:24a time when Aboriginal people women and children were being rounded up
02:28Susanna my great-great-grandmother came into a cave with her two children Alfred and Hannah and lived here for
02:35a time just surviving on the bird life and plant life that she could collect around here
02:41these dramatic spaces lie beneath what's now known as budge bim national park about three hours west of Geelong where
02:50most of the molyneux live
02:52keeping an ant for koalas this is Gunditjmara country and this family is very much a part of the landscape
03:01I felt an instant connection when I came here something that I'd never felt before in other places
03:08but for a very long time they didn't know about the profound family connection to the majesty of budge bim
03:15dad was separated from his family when he was an infant and didn't really grow up with his indigenous heritage
03:23at all
03:25and he didn't really learn of it till later in life
03:29I didn't really have a lot of that knowledge till I was probably in my 20s
03:35so for me coming back here is is reconnecting because I didn't grow up with that traditional knowledge
03:45in unearthing and unraveling his family story Craig discovered a grim chapter of it played out here
03:54all aspects of Aboriginal people's lives were controlled by the Church of England
04:00the then Church of England's Lake Condor mission for indigenous children is now crumbling ruins near budge bim
04:08but the brutality and deprivation at what was a reluctant home to Craig's great-grandparents and grandfather remains a deep
04:17scar
04:17I have no forgiveness for them over what they did
04:20like they made life miserable for people
04:23and if you did try and practice your culture or speak your language then you're punished
04:30it's hoped one day this site will be redemptively transformed into a Gunditjmara community centre
04:36just as the Molyneux have transformative ambitions for this little building nearby
04:46the family could view St Philip's Church as a blight on the landscape an indelible scar a terrible memory
04:54instead in 2023 they bought the Church of England church and the acre it sits on for $145,000
05:02and they're going to give it a very new and different life as a weekender and a celebration of Gunditjmara
05:09heritage
05:10this was a Church of England property the mission was run by the Church of England
05:17I'm not overly fussed about saving the building because it's something that needs to be saved
05:22but I think what we can do is actually improve the building for the local community
05:26not really celebrate the Church so much but try and bring some of our culture into the building
05:32it's a really lovely little building it's very typical of churches that were built in that time
05:37very simple and a little bell tower which is probably one of the nicest features
05:42this restoration will be an adaptive reuse of the Church and a very personal reconciliation project
05:49one that tries to face down the ghosts of the past redress the legacy of the Church and honour Aboriginal
05:55culture
05:56Craig wants to share what he's learnt in recent years with our friends and our extended family too
06:01so there's a really good opportunity for people to come down and stay with us and experience Gunditjmara Country
06:05the Church is over here and Budjbim is over here so that's about 20 kilometres
06:15as a cartographer, a map maker, Craig knows better than most the importance of place, the nature of terrain and
06:23precise coordinates of country
06:26working in childhood development and education, Roz knows the importance of story
06:33alright, I've got the agenda
06:36but this will be a cultural mission involving the whole family
06:40it's mainly this space here that we kind of need to decide how best to visit
06:44they all have a slice, all have full-time jobs and all plan somehow to play a hands-on role
06:50in the restoration and reinterpretation of the Church
06:53maybe it's worth investigating whether we can find matching cladding
06:58Lou's the most useful on the tools, that's for sure
07:00Nick and I have a bit of catching up to do when it comes to being handy
07:04yeah
07:04I think it'll be a really nice way of sort of spending time with the boys
07:09because they're sort of in their 20s going into their 30s now
07:12and you know, getting off into their own independent lives
07:14so I'm really looking forward to this time where we can just spend time together
07:18hopefully we don't end up hating each other and don't attend Christmases together again
07:23but I think we'll be fine
07:24yeah, this is something pretty special
07:35such a big country
07:38so much time, so many stories in this landscape
07:42perhaps more than any other project we've followed
07:44this restoration is as much about saving and readapting a building
07:48as it is about rebuilding a family's heritage and restoring a relationship to the land itself
07:54I think the fact that it's a religious building is a complicated part of the story for us
08:00but it's also a great opportunity here to say what could it have been like
08:04if there was an attempt to engage with Gunijmara's spirituality and customs
08:08when those first settlers actually arrived down in this part of the world
08:13instead of doing what they did
08:19there they are
08:20g'day Roz, g'day Craig
08:22hello
08:23how are you going?
08:24well thank you
08:24nice to meet you Anthony, nyatnwa
08:26welcome to Gunijmara Country
08:27thank you very much, it's a very special welcome
08:30and it's a very special place here isn't it
08:32look at this
08:34countryside is quite amazing really isn't it
08:37yeah, lovely rolling hills
08:38this is just pretty as a picture
08:39very special
08:40yeah
08:41already, the re-theming of this site is on display
08:44Anthony, this is Aunty Eileen Albert
08:47Aunty Eileen, hi
08:48hello Anthony
08:49lovely to meet you
08:50great to meet you too
08:52Gunijmara Elder, Aunty Eileen, is leading the smoking ceremony
08:56I want to say, nyatnwa and nada
09:00nada is g'day
09:03thank you so much, this is so special
09:06it's a solemn experience and a sharp reminder of the contradictions confronting Craig, Roz and the family
09:13how can this church and all it represents become a celebration of Gunijmara tradition?
09:21I totally understand the idea of turning it into a home
09:24but it does seem like you're setting yourself up for a very challenging project to transform or to, I guess,
09:30release yourself from that history, the church history, so you can build your own history again
09:35that is a challenge, yeah
09:37and how we do that, we have some ideas to celebrate that culture within the building
09:42but whether we do it successfully or not, I guess that remains to be seen
09:48there's a lot here to unpack
09:49yes, there is a lot to unpack
09:51and we haven't even started talking about the building really yet
09:53I mean, if I can see it's in pretty dire condition in some elements, yeah?
09:58yeah, we need to re-roof it for a start
10:00there's no services to the site
10:02so, new plumbing, new septic
10:06aluminium siding, how are we feeling about that?
10:08we don't know what's underneath
10:10and it's a cost factor as well
10:12so that's something we're still sort of talking about
10:14alright, that one's in play then
10:16what won't be in play is all the church iconography
10:19the family has decided it will be removed carefully and respectfully
10:24Gunditjmara art, motifs and stories will take pride of place
10:29well, the plan is to put a beautiful piece of art behind us on this wall
10:34so when you walk in the door, this will be the first thing you see
10:37and this window here
10:39we would like to get a beautiful Indigenous design of some sort
10:44that sort of tells the story of our cultural history
10:48I think there's an inherent history of the building that we can't lose
10:52so we don't really want to erase it completely
10:55but just have a nod to the history of the building
10:58ok, should we join the rest of the congregation?
11:01yes, please, come through
11:03as you can see, we've made a bit of a start
11:06there's a bit of crap in the area
11:08which we have to tidy up
11:10it's actually in much better condition than I thought it might be
11:13and it's quite lovely in here
11:15the light coming through the windows
11:16you know, all those churchy things, yes
11:18the cross-bracing up there, the tyres on the ceiling
11:21you've got a lot to work with
11:22there's a lot of charm here, which is a good starting point
11:26yeah, and I don't really want to lose the volume of the place
11:29like it's got a beautiful high ceiling and we want to keep that
11:32I don't want to put mezzanines or anything like that in there
11:35so we're sort of thinking about
11:36dividing it into those four different living spaces
11:39yes
11:40it's the simplicity of the church's internal spaces
11:43that make its transformation into a family getaway
11:47deceptively difficult
11:48how to make it comfy, useful and in parts private
11:52without losing the big appeal of it
11:54the open volume
11:56so, no new walls in the hall itself
11:59the spaces will become self-evident through furnishings and cabinetry
12:03a decent functional kitchen
12:05and an adjacent dining area on one side of the space
12:08and over the other side
12:10two living areas delineated by a bookcase
12:13not so much a bedroom
12:15but a bed space is set for the alcove at the end of the hall
12:19a bathroom will take over the existing side entrance
12:22and the bottom of the bell tower will feature storage
12:25and a new access to a deck and paved outdoor area
12:28beyond there are plans for a yarning circle
12:32a venue hosting the venerated indigenous tradition of storytelling
12:36here with a fire pit at its heart
12:39and part hedged by bush tucker plantings
12:41interestingly, the family plans to celebrate
12:44rather than silence
12:45the very thing that used to summon the faithful
12:48and herald special occasions
12:50the bell and its mechanisms in the bell tower will be restored
12:54it will ring again
12:55sounds extremely churchy
12:57even as the rest of the building is dramatically rebranded
13:03this is really what it's all about
13:04yep
13:05being here isn't it
13:06yep, connecting back to the country
13:08yeah
13:09and its country that poses another big question here
13:13how to park lumbering off-grid equipment like solar arrays
13:17water tanks and a battery shed
13:19softly and sympathetically on this hallowed ground
13:23this is a kind of a challenging space to be working in
13:26I think particularly the solar
13:28yes
13:28you need to think about where it goes
13:30and what vegetation is around it
13:32obviously you need to be able to capture the sun
13:35but we also want it to be a little bit hidden
13:37Konnishmara people always lived in a sustainable way
13:40and we plan to do the same thing
13:41it's just how we pull it off
13:44is the trick
13:46so this project presents a swag of tricky balancing acts
13:50not the least carefully managing the family partnership
13:53well we've started having family meetings
13:56which has been really great
13:57making sure that we're all on the same page with things too
13:59not rushing ahead without making sure that everybody's comfortable with the decisions that we've made
14:04it's a robust conversation
14:05oh yeah
14:06and with a few bottles of wine we actually get stuff done
14:09yeah
14:10it'll get a bit more interesting as we go along
14:15the amount of money that you're going to spend on this
14:18what are you thinking?
14:19our budget started off small
14:21it's gone a little bit higher
14:24probably in the 200,000 mark
14:27landscaping is probably something we haven't kind of budgeted for
14:31as to...
14:33because we don't really know what that's going to look like yet
14:35as far as plants and stuff
14:36and whether they're expensive or cheap but
14:39expensive
14:40thanks
14:42it's April now but let's set a target for the end of the year
14:46which is milestone birthday
14:4860th birthday just before Christmas
14:50so if we could get in by then
14:53have it habitable that would be great
14:55oh that's a deadline
14:56that one's not moving
14:58no, it's not moving
15:00yes, I tend to probably have quite a realist hat on when we have these discussions
15:04but I don't want to be discouraging
15:06because it would be fantastic if we can get done in that timeframe
15:08okay
15:09look you've got an extraordinary project here
15:11and I think you've got a very fine sort of nuanced pathway to tread here
15:16the significance of a church
15:18versus the cultural significance of country
15:22and you're finding the positive space between those two realities
15:25and looking for that future project
15:27it's a remarkable and ambitious undertaking I'd have to say
15:31which is terribly exciting
15:33this is going to be amazing to watch you do this
15:35I'm very excited for you
15:36thanks
15:36we're excited about the project
15:39like when we bought the property we thought
15:42right let's dive in and do it
15:45fabulous that you're following us on the journey
15:47yeah, I can't wait
15:48great
15:54a big part of the journey here is the journey here
15:57it's a six hour round trip from Geelong
16:00and given that everyone has weekday work
16:03there would be weekender is going to be a weekend effort
16:06a project tackled in their spare time
16:09and once you subtract all the traveling
16:12that doesn't leave a lot of spare time on site
16:14to get the job done
16:16they're all pretty green skills wise
16:18except for Lou the youngest who's a tradie
16:20so that end of year timetable
16:22is looking like it's going to be a big stretch
16:35it's the thick of winter and the weather is rolling through a kaleidoscope of moods
16:41as the family working bee gets cracking
16:47this will eventually be the bathroom
16:49we'll remove this door
16:52put it to the other side of the building
16:54as you enter the shower will be here
16:56and a small hand basin in the corner and a toilet on the other side
17:03so Craig, Nick and Lou are punching a new side door through the little bell tower
17:12some of these boards are also up under the eaves
17:17the ones that aren't broken we can replace the missing boards that are under there
17:20because that's where the birds and the possums are getting in
17:23this new doorway will lead out to the new timber deck
17:27the array of bush tucker plantings and Craig's highly anticipated yarning circle
17:33well, I have a horrible suspicion
17:37that these might be nailed on
17:40yeah, underneath here
17:44but opening up this new thoroughfare
17:46also exposes a split in the family ranks
17:49about what to do with the aluminium cladding
17:52like you can see, the weather boards are actually fine
17:55they're not rotten
17:56the cladding's actually protected it, so
17:59well, split's probably overstating it
18:02don't need to convince me
18:03what do you reckon?
18:06it's Craig alone who's keen to strip the cladding
18:09and return the church to its authentic and original weather board
18:16there we go
18:18what's the verdict on the weather board?
18:22actually, it's solid as a rock
18:23they seem fine
18:25they're in good nick
18:26they're not rotten really, isn't they?
18:29that's rotten there, but we could fix that
18:31maybe that's been repaired, I don't know
18:33it's a little like picking at a loose thread
18:39once you start, it's hard to stop
18:43and all of a sudden, you've unravelled the whole garment
18:49maybe that's Craig's plan
18:50to de-clad by stealth
18:53where we end up taking all the cladding off
18:56oh
18:57you mean like up to the top?
18:59I mean, the whole church
19:01oh yeah, no, we're not
19:03surely not
19:06ok up
19:07ok up
19:09ok up
19:10ok up
19:18the work site is the campsite
19:21and midwinter
19:22it's as unaccommodating as you might expect
19:25a 130 year old, bathroomless, kitchenless, unheated timber church to be
19:31it's really cold
19:32so, yeah, this is where it becomes a little bit challenging
19:35with no facilities here
19:37but this family is determined to make the best of it
19:40proper coffee, proper wine, yeah, pretty good
19:43as long as we've got wine, it's bearable
19:49do we have enough coals?
19:52freezing
19:59oh, I feel it, yeah, I feel the cold
20:01yeah, bracing
20:03yeah
20:05so we're all up this end together
20:07we've got Nick over here on the little camp bed
20:11Lewis here
20:13on the air mattress
20:15and then up here in the altar
20:18Craig and I on the air mattress too
20:20so under there we've got double sleeping bags
20:23dinner, a couple of blankets
20:25because I really feel the cold
20:26the problem actually is that there's like nails and stuff sticking out of the floor
20:30so when you put down an air mattress and it sticks a hole in it
20:33that's not ideal
20:35no bathroom facilities in here
20:37so, yep, we've got a little camp toilet out the back
20:41in a tent, that's it
20:43and just, you know, hand washing
20:44that's it, so it's pretty basic, yeah
20:48it's fine
20:48like, we're used to camping
20:51camped all my life, so
20:52happy to do that
20:53it's more important that we
20:56progress the project
20:58than sit around for six months waiting for winter to pass
21:01we want to get it finished, so
21:03yep, we'll do what we have to do
21:07smells good
21:08if that means coming down here through winter
21:10and, you know, the weather's not great
21:13then that's fine
21:14you know
21:15it'll change, it'll pass
21:17and, you know, we'll get stuff done
21:19good?
21:20yeah
21:29a new day breaks
21:32and there's a breakthrough in the bell tower
21:41this flipped doorway will significantly alter the dynamics of the church turned weekender
21:47but it's a relatively small job occupying 60% of the family membership
21:53Craig, Nick and Lou
21:56it's nice to have a hole in the wall
22:00get some light into the place
22:02with so much to do
22:04I'm not sure this is a workflow model that'll strike the completion deadline
22:08five months away
22:12and that doesn't include the time and labour equation for Craig's
22:16quiet and determined personal crusade against aluminium
22:20well, it'll be nice to get it back to looking like what it was
22:24the cladding, if we could remove that, would improve the looks
22:28but anyway
22:29let's uh
22:32yeah
22:32see if I can win that argument
22:46at least another key church modification is being managed by just one Molyneux
22:53hello
22:53oh hello
22:54you must be Torben
22:55good to meet you
22:56I'm Tom, great meeting you
22:57okay, come inside and we'll have a talk about it
23:00Eldest son Tom is overseeing the stained glass showpiece planned for the entry vestibule
23:05and specialist glazier Torben will be bringing it to life
23:10currently the window's just plain coloured glass
23:14and it's been like that for quite a while, it's a bit damaged as well
23:18and our thinking is we really want this to be a statement piece
23:21for the family we were talking about to what are some of the critical design elements that we wanted
23:26and Dad was the one who ended up with the hot potato here
23:29and was able to make the things that we talked about from a design perspective
23:33into reality on the page
23:35and I think he's done a great job
23:36with the birdies, they look fairly straightforward
23:39and the beaks, I mean I think there's some detail in there that we were a bit worried about
23:43after consulting Gunditjmara elders
23:45the family has fixed on three totemic creatures
23:48to star in this vitally important feature of the redefined church building
23:53he's got pink eyes hasn't he?
23:55he's a black cockatoo
23:56yeah, they've got a beautiful coloured eye
23:59so we've got Gurukich, the white sulphur crested cockatoo
24:03and we've also got Willan, the yellow-tailed black cockatoo
24:06which for us in this part of Gunditjmara country where the church is
24:11is a really significant totemic bird as well
24:14and the eel, he's an interesting little fella
24:18and then also Koo Yang, the eel
24:21which is a really substantial and significant food source for Gunditjmara peoples
24:25so what I'll do is I'll just take that off and I'll make the eel probably a little bit bigger
24:30to get more impact
24:31yeah, great, lots of detail in there for you
24:34yeah
24:35so we're going for something that's got some really bold colours
24:39that's going to cast that light into the room
24:42on top of all of the meaning and story that's in the work
24:44oh, the yellow
24:46yes, oh wow
24:47here we are
24:49look at that
24:50it actually looks like it's got sort of feathers in it in a way
24:55it does, actually it's oxides and so on
24:58how they make it
24:59that's very cool
25:01it's a simple but very powerful idea
25:04taking stained glass, such a time-honoured medium for church imagery and iconography
25:10and readapting it for their own time-honoured spirituality
25:14this one here, for the eel
25:16yeah, right
25:18ah, okay
25:19it looks a totally different colour when you hold it against the light
25:23I know
25:24in one beautiful, vibrant frame
25:26the family is expressing the very essence of their mission
25:30taking a place representing so much historical woe and pain
25:34and transforming it into a place of Aboriginal wonder and healing
25:40this idea, it's been a sort of important part of the project conceptually
25:44so hopefully, fingers crossed, Torben's going to be able to bring this design into reality for us
25:50yes
26:05so that little grass there
26:07that one's native
26:08so that's wallaby grass
26:10of course this project is not just about recasting the church
26:15it's about resurrecting and honouring country
26:18it's got a long spike, that's an awn
26:21and then like two little legs
26:23which if you think of it, looks like a wallaby tail
26:27and two wallaby legs
26:29yeah, this one's just a really great ground cover
26:32really good for butterflies
26:34and lots of other insects and things
26:36so yeah, great grass to have
26:38native flora expert Jodie
26:41is on hand for a sort of stock take of surviving species
26:44and to help out with the family's plan to reintroduce lost plants and raise bush tucker
26:50yeah, the she oaks obviously are important
26:52yeah, yeah, so you can see this one's got the nuts
26:56so these are the females
26:58so that's the fruit that'll have the seed in it
27:00but one of the lovely things with she oaks is how they self mulch
27:03so you don't tend to get lots of high grass that you have to maintain
27:07it's self mulches
27:08and no weeds either
27:10no weeds, which is brilliant
27:12it's good
27:14it's hoped key plantings will also encourage native wildlife back to the block
27:19the she oaks are fantastic because they bring the black cockatoos
27:22and we want them here, I haven't seen one since we've been here
27:25if we can encourage the bird life, reptiles, small mammals
27:30if we can get them back to the site it would be fantastic
27:32the she oaks are a great food
27:34and the same with the, where have we got it?
27:36black wattles
27:38they don't live terribly long, maybe 40 years or so
27:41but then they just get riddled with grubs
27:43and the cockies will come and just tear them apart
27:45to get the grubs out
27:47so yeah, they're a fantastic food as well
27:50some of the introduced species, like this old pine
27:53that grew up alongside the church, will go
27:56it's huge
27:57it's nearly, well it is pretty much dead
27:59they've had a look at it and said it really has to come down
28:01yeah, that's a big job
28:04yes, yeah
28:05with the yarning circle at the centre of it all
28:08Jodie will draw up a plan to redeem the native landscape
28:11screen out the new off-grid infrastructure
28:14tame the elements
28:15it can be quite windy through there too, so
28:18yeah, and ID the plants and bush tucker species
28:21that have historically thrived here
28:23try and combine all that to come up with something
28:26that might work with, with how you want to use the place
28:29as well, yeah, that'd be great
28:31because it's got to work with you
28:32yeah, like it can have all the grand oddies in the world
28:35but if it's not practical
28:37yeah, so we'll try and come up with something really practical
28:40yeah, that'd be awesome
28:42oh well, thank you, thank you so much
28:44no worries, thank you
28:45learnt a lot already just today
28:46it's a really good project
28:48yeah, really interesting
28:51my brain's buzzing
29:05the neat little portal to that comprehensive outdoor makeover is just about complete
29:11but the grand opening and shutting of the new bell tower door has hit a last minute snag
29:18unfortunately, I need a hole saw to drill the hole for the lock which I left at home
29:24so, that's three hours away
29:26that's a fail from me for getting the hole saw
29:28but anyway, that's a minor thing, we can fix that
29:31so far, the cladding removal remains limited
29:34but Craig hasn't given up on his dream quite yet
29:38touch wood, the rest of it's okay
29:40but we'll see what the boys think
29:42and whether I can change their mind about taking the cladding off
29:52on other fronts, there is family consensus about what does have to go
30:02the craggy old pine tree that dominates a big corner of the acre block
30:06and perhaps as old as the church itself, is coming down
30:09all part of the native restoration program
30:14and in what's one of the biggest line items in the restoration budget
30:22the old iron roof is coming off
30:27the little church might not have bats in the bell tower
30:31but there's been plenty of wildlife in the roof space
30:34a lot of possum poo
30:37but yeah, no, all the timber is good, it's all nice hardwood
30:40Roofer Tim and his team are contending with a precarious 45 degree rake here
30:47so re-roofing in wet weather or during blustery winds is off the cards
30:52Back in Geelong, Craig is keen to keep the momentum rolling
30:57If you can get a one side done today, that's amazing
31:02How long do you think for the entire job?
31:05Yeah, there's still plenty to go
31:08like we're going to have a good day today
31:09but I think the rest of the week's, yeah, raining
31:12and sort of back to shitty weather again
31:15but we'll have a good crack at it today
31:17and yeah, we'll probably come out and do these smaller parts tomorrow
31:21just so it's not too much hassle in the rain and whatnot
31:26Thanks for that Tim
31:27Thank you
31:28Cheers, bye
31:31Just making sure it's all nice and square with everything
31:34and make sure it all runs nice in the gutter line
31:36and we should probably have most of it on in five hours or so
31:42This simple timber and iron structure has endured some pretty punishing conditions over its 130 years
31:50but its chapter here is a blink
31:56This is very special getting a private tour of this, you know, World Heritage place
32:01Yeah, it's an amazing place, you're going to love it
32:04In the grander scheme of things, a century and a bit is a nanosecond in the slow turning clock of
32:11this country
32:11I mean, the sense of scale in this place is incredible
32:14There's the geological scale of all of this
32:16but then there's the time scale
32:19We're talking a thousand plus generations of family that have been connected to this location
32:25Since discovering his deep connections here at Budge Bim, Craig has immersed himself thoroughly
32:31into the layers and legends of indigenous folklore
32:35Well, the creation story was
32:39there were four great giants that walked across the landscape
32:42and one of them lay down
32:45and spat his teeth in his blood across the landscape
32:49and the teeth is the rocks that you see around us
32:53Yeah
32:53So we call this stone country
32:56or Thangat Mirring
32:57Yeah
32:58And Thangat literally means teeth
33:02So it's Budge Bim's teeth that spat out across the landscape
33:06and created this amazing vista that you see before you
33:09Yeah
33:10The retelling of these creation scenes has spanned a world record timescale
33:16They discovered an axe head under the lava flow
33:18and they dated that to 36,900 years
33:21So that story has continued on from generation to generation
33:26those thousand generations
33:27and academics think that that's the oldest story known to humanity
33:32Oh my god
33:33So it's a precious landscape
33:36and it's not just an ancient landscape
33:39It's loaded with this fantastic history
33:42Yeah, so it's incredibly special for us
33:44Yeah
33:49This storied volcanic country holds a labyrinth of caves
33:54and is scored with crater lakes, ponds and canals
33:57that brought a wildlife wonderland
34:00and sparked ingenuity among the Gunditjmara
34:03So this is where the holding ponds were
34:06and the weirs where the eels were caught
34:10the network of waterways was the scene of thriving aquaculture
34:15This was a traditional eel basket
34:18This is a replica of one
34:20but they would have been a bit larger than this
34:23and this would have been placed in the rock weir at the opening
34:27and eels would swim up in here
34:29Yeah
34:29and get trapped
34:31Yep
34:32So that was a way of harvesting the eels
34:34but also if they didn't want to use the rock weir they'd let them in
34:37and the eels would swim into the holding ponds
34:40would block off the holding ponds
34:42and the eels would stay in there
34:45and they could be harvested as you wanted them
34:47Yeah
34:48It was bountiful subsistence farming
34:51that sustained an array of clan groups including Craig's
34:56My ancestors were the Kerip Jamara or Kerip Gunditj clan
34:59that lived on the lake
35:02So they had a very settled existence here
35:04How do you feel when you walk back on country like this?
35:08Ah, it's, you know, brings life to your soul doesn't it?
35:12Like, you know, there's so much beauty around you
35:16Like you feel that connection with nature
35:18but also that spiritual connection back to your country
35:21and back to your ancestors, yeah
35:23It's pretty profound, isn't it?
35:24Yeah
35:24Yeah, we find ourselves with an old Church of England
35:28Church, how do we reconcile that?
35:31But this is a very different restoration story, isn't it?
35:33It's not really about the architecture as such
35:35It's much more about the landscape and the depth of those stories that you're returning to
35:40And that spiritual restoration, yeah
35:59And we'll cut your fingers to pieces if you try to work with that
36:03Mm-hmm
36:04So we don't use that
36:06The stories and skills parlayed over millennia live on in Gunditjmara elders like Aunty Eileen
36:13Is it okay to take a lot from one?
36:15Yes
36:16Because it'll help grow. This needs to be cut back
36:19Okay
36:21Eileen considers it an honour and a duty to practice and teach her knowledge
36:25The weaving she learned as a young girl has been honed over a lifetime
36:32I don't just teach Aboriginal women or Gunditjmara women
36:36I'll teach anyone who wants to know how to weave because without that
36:43It's going to be lost
36:45This is really special, I really feel very privileged that Aunty Eileen has agreed to spend some time and teach
36:52me this skill
36:54In Eileen's clan group, weaving is a craft taught by women only to women only
37:02It's a skill that the women obviously used to do way back
37:05And then it was really pretty much outlawed when the women were at the mission
37:10So there was no sort of culture practiced including weaving
37:13So it was something that was almost lost
37:15So it's really terrific that they have actually managed to continue this tradition
37:19I think you've taken to it so quickly
37:21Thank you
37:23Definitely not as neat as yours but that's to be expected
37:27Yeah, I mean I've been doing this for a long time
37:31Absolutely
37:32Once she's weaving confidently, Ros will complete a piece that can take pride of place in their little weekender
37:39I'm thinking we'd like to have some weaving in the church to bring back that extra bit of culture and
37:45a bit of country
37:45So I'm thinking maybe a lampshade of some sort that's perhaps got a nod to an eel net
37:51So possibly a long thin shape that represents the eel net and hanging from the ceiling
37:57So that's my plan
37:59I can see I've done this much already so it could be quite a long project
38:03It will be worth it in the end
38:05Absolutely
38:18Understandably respecting and nurturing country remains a dominant focus of the church project
38:26It's not just painting an object on the paper
38:29It's actually feeling the shape of the land as you're making the marks
38:34Native flora expert Jodie is putting the finishing touches to her planting plan
38:39So I've taken into account Craig and Ros's sort of desires as far as how they want to use the
38:46space
38:46But then it's really been anchored back to what the country will support, what plants will survive in that place
38:53The native regeneration of the church block is guided by fact and history
38:58raised from a conscientious research effort
39:01Jodie's dug deep for detail
39:03Unearthing colonial surveys and more recent botanical modelling
39:07To tell her precisely what should be there and to help her decide what might prosper once again
39:13The information here's come from an old parish plan
39:16If you get a good surveyor, they'll put in notes about the native vegetation that was there
39:21But the very cool thing here through the middle is where the surveyors actually recorded the type of trees that
39:28they've seen
39:28And they've said undulating land of good quality with gum, light wood, she oak, cherry and honeysuckle
39:38These notes can be really important
39:40So that honeysuckle, the banksia, shows that there were actually banksias in this landscape
39:46Right where the church is
39:48So that's a lovely sort of affirmation that putting the banksias back in there is the right thing to do
39:54for that site
40:02Jodie's backyard has become a seed bank and nursery for the natives bound for the church block
40:09So this is the lovely vanilla lily
40:12So we're going to be planting these in the kind of wildflower beds
40:16And if they want to, once the plants become established, so bigger like this
40:21They'll be able to dig these up like this, take the tubers, and they'll be able to eat that traditional
40:26food
40:28Which is kind of, I reckon, pretty special
40:32The family's ambition is for the property to be a multi-generational project held deep into the future
40:39And that will suit some of the lumbering elders of the re-established native landscape just fine
40:44To restore plants in a kind of self-sustaining way will take a long time
40:50The banksias might take 15 to 17, 20 years to mature before they start setting seed
40:56So it could end up for the tree species, you know, for them to actually start regenerating themselves
41:02And spreading out onto the roadside could take 100, maybe 200 years
41:19Back at the church, time has rolled on relentlessly
41:26Crashing right through Craig's hoped-for birthday deadline in December
41:30Whizzing on past Christmas and New Year
41:32And landing here in the thick of a Saturday morning as summer fades into autumn
41:39With not a lot to show for it
41:43Well, I think Dad was always a bit ambitious to begin with
41:48Yeah, decision-making between the five of us
41:50Sometimes means things get held up or we don't make a decision
41:53Or we can kind of keep it down the road a little bit
41:55It is far away, so getting down on a weekend actually is not the easiest
42:01There are some milestones to be marked
42:03The solar array is in, gobbling up that summer sun
42:07And the battery shed is humming
42:09So at least now there's power to drive and charge tools and run appliances
42:17But there's no sign of a kitchen, no sign of a bathroom
42:20And the little church remains not much more than a shell of its former self
42:26I guess what we didn't allow for were, you know, delays in planning applications
42:33We had to get the batteries and the solar panels in place before we can do other things
42:37So it's just sort of that
42:40Working out the progression of tasks that needed to be done
42:47And tasks that couldn't be anticipated in the original schedule
42:54Continue to chew into the timetable
42:56Oh my god
42:58Like clearing a network of beehives out of a hidden corner of the bell tower
43:07Oh, that's delightful
43:09I've always wanted to have bees, but not in a bell tower
43:15It's dripping funny all over me
43:17Oh, you're going to smell nice
43:20Oh, all over my nice new door too
43:24If we spend a day doing things like this, then that's a day we don't spend
43:27sanding or painting or getting other structural things done
43:31So losing a day out of your schedule, yeah, compounds things a little bit
43:38At this rate, another birthday and Christmas threaten to fly by before this is done
43:45Oh, yuck
44:09They say democracy is a messy business
44:12Well, it's even messier and more time consuming
44:15When it's your governing strategy for restoration
44:18There are five in this family
44:20All with an equal say in how it goes
44:22And that has put an enormous drag on progress
44:26This is a simple building
44:28It shouldn't have taken this long
44:29And yet, here we are
44:31With, as predicted, another Christmas and birthday in the rearview mirror
44:36Still, democracy can produce stunning progress and real results
44:42And now, the people have spoken and the results are in
44:45Thing
45:10commission
45:11History
45:12Hey guys
45:13Yatwa, Anthony. Welcome back.
45:15Hello.
45:15This place is looking amazing.
45:18Thank you so much.
45:19It is positively glowing.
45:20I tell you what, coming over the hill, as I drove up here,
45:23seeing the bright tin on the roof there,
45:25again, just a little lantern.
45:26Yeah, it's lovely. Yeah, we're really happy with it.
45:28You should be. I can tell already you've brought the life back to this place.
45:31Yeah, I think so. I think we've saved it.
45:33Yeah, it looks good.
45:34Absolutely. How are you feeling?
45:36Very relieved.
45:38Relieved, yeah.
45:38I feel like we've finally got there.
45:39Relieved and tired.
45:40Bags under the eyes, but we got there, yeah.
45:42Yeah, we've got there in the end, and we're all pretty happy, I think.
45:45So tell me, though, about the cladding,
45:47because I know that was one of those moments
45:49in this very democratic design process that you've been running here,
45:53where there was a little bit of tension.
45:56Yes.
45:56How did you resolve that?
45:58Oh, look, you win some, you lose some.
46:01We've kind of got a compromise, which worked out OK,
46:04like some areas have got cladding, some don't.
46:07Yeah, there was a bit of negotiating to go,
46:09but, no, we've done well.
46:11Well, I mean, standing here, you can't really tell.
46:13Very much, yeah.
46:14I don't think it takes anything away from the impression
46:17that one gets walking up to the church here.
46:19Yeah, I think from a distance you can't tell.
46:21Yeah.
46:21It's only when you come up and scratch it that you...
46:23That you really know.
46:25You know, yeah.
46:26There's no doubt about the little church's gleaming new operating system.
46:31The solar array and battery shed are all but on show out front.
46:36Ros and Craig hope some strategic planting
46:39will eventually soften their presence.
46:41So, Anthony, welcome.
46:43This is the foyer.
46:44This is where the story starts.
46:45This has come up beautifully, hasn't it?
46:47Thanks, yeah.
46:48Now, you were going to do some work here on the glass, right?
46:52Yes.
46:52The foyer window was going to be
46:54a stained glass celebration of Indigenous imagery.
46:57That was the intention, but we changed their mind.
47:01We thought we'd focus more on the main window
47:03and just keep the coloured glass for this window.
47:06To be fair, the planned window might have overwhelmed
47:10these other powerful tributes to culture.
47:13Sun Nix created this mixed-media rendition of nearby Lake Condor
47:17from acacia wood and lava rocks.
47:21And then there's a poignant gallery of family
47:23this country's dispossessed.
47:26So, we have my great-grandfather, Alfred McDonald,
47:30otherwise known as Boppo,
47:31and in his memory, we're calling this property Boppo's Mirring
47:37or Boppo's Country.
47:38It was the country that he never got.
47:40And on the other wall is his son, my grandfather, George,
47:44and below that is Dad and his siblings.
47:48Oh, I love this.
47:48So, it's becoming kind of a little bit of a gallery for you,
47:51but it's also setting up the story
47:54as just before we kind of enter into the main space.
47:57Yeah, and it's our sort of recognition or celebration
47:59of our connection to this place.
48:10So, here we are. Please come in.
48:13The hard work has paid off.
48:15This is amazing. What a transformation.
48:19The old, cold, stark church hall
48:22has been transformed into a warm, expansive,
48:25open space of creature comforts,
48:27inviting living spaces,
48:30a sharp, modern kitchen.
48:33The kitchen actually is a bit bigger than I imagined.
48:36This is quite committed.
48:37Probably a little bit bigger than we imagined initially, too.
48:39All without crowding or closing off the big, beautiful feature here,
48:44the open volume.
48:46Love the detail of the black bracing up there
48:48and these beautiful big ceilings.
48:50It's like you haven't lost any of the drama of this beautiful space.
48:54Yeah.
48:55I mean, my absolute overarching sort of impression here
48:58is that you've made this home.
49:01You've brought home home.
49:02Yeah, we think so.
49:04We really like it.
49:05You know, it's a comfortable, warm, inviting space
49:08that, yeah, we want our family and friends to enjoy.
49:11And, Roz, you're the centrepiece of all of this.
49:14It was actually a really beautiful experience to do that
49:17and it's inspired by the eel nets, obviously, down at Lake Condor
49:20and I learnt quite a bit doing it.
49:22I think I've got quite a bit still to learn
49:23but, you know, it was my first big project.
49:25Do you think there's more of this kind of work to come?
49:26I hope so, yeah, definitely.
49:28Yeah, and I'm growing the grass out here.
49:30So I've got the punya
49:31so I'll be able to have a supply to keep weaving.
49:34I personally love it.
49:36I think it says everything about this project, you know.
49:40Roz's eel net light is another important nod to culture
49:43but, undeniably, stealing most of the limelight here
49:47is the spectacular stained glass feature window
49:50lofted above the bedroom.
49:55Look at these two beautiful birds.
49:58Yeah.
49:58Yeah?
49:59They're amazing.
50:00Stunning, isn't it?
50:01The black cockatoo and the white cockatoo,
50:03the two moody symbols of the Gunichmara people
50:05and the eel, which is significant for our culture, obviously,
50:10you know, with the fish traps and, you know,
50:13that provided and sustained Gunichmara people
50:15for six and a half thousand years.
50:17Yeah.
50:18So, you know, beautiful story behind it all
50:20but it's just so striking in the space, isn't it?
50:23It does and it draws your eye.
50:24It's got a real wow factor.
50:26All those icy, stumbling trips
50:29to a canvas-shrouded camp toilet are over.
50:32The church finally has a bathroom
50:34and it's pretty luxe.
50:38The church has always had a bell
50:40and hanging high in its de-bee-hived,
50:43re-timbered and freshly painted tower,
50:46it's now ready to positively peel across the treetops.
50:51Well, maybe not.
50:54Did you hear it?
50:55Yeah.
50:55Yeah?
50:55Yeah.
50:57It wasn't as dramatic as I thought it might be.
50:59No.
51:00No, sadly not.
51:01But anyway, we'll get there.
51:02Work in progress, eh?
51:03Yeah, yeah.
51:04It needs a little tweaking
51:06but the bell is really all that remains
51:08of the church's functioning former life.
51:10The Church of England iconography is no more
51:13and the renewed spiritual centre of the place
51:15is now the sprawling yarning circle,
51:18still awaiting seating.
51:20It's the reflective point of the grounds,
51:23freshly replanted with local flora.
51:26It's that connection with the country
51:27and being outside,
51:29having a yarning circle
51:30where we can sit around and talk to each other.
51:32Yep.
51:32Share stories.
51:33Yeah.
51:34So this is a very important space
51:36that we're standing in right now.
51:37It's kind of almost the heart of the whole thing.
51:39Yep.
51:39Yep.
51:39It is, yep.
51:40I think you'll be naturally drawn to this space.
51:42We've got all the native plants
51:44that are all really would have grown here
51:46and only in this specific area.
51:47So it's been great to sort of get to know those
51:50plants.
51:50And just standing here,
51:51I can hear the wind in the trees over there.
51:54Yeah.
51:54The wind as it whistles through the she-oaks,
51:57that's the ancestors talking.
51:58Yeah.
51:58It's beautiful.
52:03The reclamation of this small patch of country
52:06is powerfully symbolic,
52:08way beyond its size.
52:10Bopo's mirroring is an inspiration.
52:14Congratulations on doing all of this.
52:16Thank you so much.
52:16It's probably one of the most difficult things
52:19I've ever tried to do.
52:23But I think because we've done it as a family,
52:27that's more important than anything.
52:29Really happy that the boys all bought into the concept.
52:33Really, we're so pleased that they wanted to connect
52:37back to where their ancestors are from.
52:39It's really certainly enriched us, hasn't it?
52:42Yeah.
52:42It's been amazing.
52:43We feel very connected.
52:44Yeah.
52:45You know, I look at this as a renewal, really.
52:49You know, we've built this or renewed this place.
52:52We like to think that we've reclaimed it.
52:54We've reclaimed this little piece of land for us,
52:56for our family.
52:57That whole process of decisions that we've made
53:00and the effort that we've done to bring us down here
53:04actually builds that connection to country.
53:07It's been a great process.
53:08It wasn't always hugely enjoyable.
53:11In fact, we had a bit of a list of the most least enjoyable tasks
53:14and I keep adding new things.
53:16What was the least enjoyable?
53:17The worst job, oh, there was a few of them,
53:18but, you know, on your back on a scaffolding
53:21up under the roof painting was one of them.
53:23Oh, yeah.
53:24Yeah, many unpleasant jobs.
53:26Yeah.
53:27Eight months, I think, you'd given yourself to do the project,
53:30which has ended up being about 22 months.
53:32We're ambitious, probably naive, I think,
53:34in what it was going to take.
53:37A lot of people would think buying a little old church,
53:39oh, how hard could that be?
53:40We'll put a coat of paint on it, it's all going to be good.
53:42Your advice to them would be?
53:44Challenge yourself.
53:45Do it.
53:46Oh, do it?
53:46Yeah.
53:47Doing the hard thing is what makes you a better person, I think.
53:51Yeah.
53:52The budget, $200,000, that's where you started.
53:58How much did that end up costing you, the whole thing?
54:00Yeah.
54:00I think we're up to $280,000 plus the landscaping.
54:05Um, so we're probably closer to $300,000.
54:09Does it worry you?
54:10Because, I mean, that's $200,000 and it became $300,000.
54:12Mm-hmm.
54:12So that's quite a percentage overage.
54:15No, I think it's good value.
54:18Yeah.
54:18And we'll pay it off over time.
54:19Yeah.
54:19It's only money.
54:21Oh, there's an oft you saying that, you know,
54:25you don't own country, country owns you.
54:27So, yeah, whilst we have this little bit of land
54:32that our ancestors were denied and, you know,
54:37we own the title to it, but really, you know,
54:40we're just here to be part of the country.
54:43Yeah.
54:43Because that manages us.
54:45Mm.
54:45Yeah.
54:46Absolutely extraordinary stuff.
54:48Congratulations.
54:58The plants look fantastic
54:59and I've still got a few chocolate lilies
55:02and things like that.
55:03Oh, good.
55:04They weren't big enough when you came.
55:06Yes, yes.
55:06So, yeah, I'll bring them up when the rain comes.
55:08Hey, folks, I've just got a message from New York.
55:10It's the long-lost brother, Nicholas.
55:13Come on.
55:14Here we go.
55:15Let's have a look at this.
55:15Congrats.
55:17Exciting to see it all come together.
55:19I'm disappointed I can't be there.
55:21Yeah.
55:22So are we.
55:22I managed to time my leaving for right
55:24as we finally got a workable bathroom?
55:29I'm excited to see how it's all come together.
55:32You guys have done such a great job.
55:35Thanks, Nick.
55:36There we go.
55:38Shame he couldn't help with any painting.
55:40Well, especially the last little bit.
55:41Yes, he left at a very good time, like he said.
55:43Yeah.
55:44Yeah.
55:52While it might have dragged on,
55:54the amount of time it took Craig, Roz and the boys
55:57to reshape this place
55:59and imbue it with a new spirit
56:01is infinitesimal in this craggy old landscape
56:04and the greater scheme of things.
56:06And in that blink of an eye,
56:08they reimagined something that was emblematic
56:10of a hostile past
56:12and spun it into what they hope
56:14will be a haven of cultural identity
56:17and pride into the future.
56:19For a little building and a humble patch,
56:22what an achievement.
56:25is that the most important thing
56:26is that the most important thing
56:26is that the most important thing
56:26is that the most important thing
56:27is that the most important thing
56:28is that the most important thing
56:31is that the most important thing
56:32is that the most important thing
56:38is that the most important thing
56:39is that the most important thing
56:39is that the most important thing
56:41is that the most important thing
56:41is that the most important thing
56:42is that the most important thing
56:42is that the most important thing
56:44is that the most important thing
56:45is that the most important thing
56:53You
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