This wine and olive tasting centre is nestled in the green bushland of beautiful Wilyabrup, in the heartland of the Margaret River region. The property had limited infrastructure already in place, including an existing project home, and the goal was to create a welcoming, drop-in style tourist centre which would showcase the best of the region’s produce.

With so much competition in the area already, visibility from the roadway was a commercial necessity for the project. We built two long, punctuated rammed earth walls – totalling 85 metres in the length – to flank the newly planted vines, leading up to a small olive grove at the main entry. Against the backdrop of this impressive facade, a bold white sign installation gives the company’s branding pride of place. The walls also serve to screen off the existing house as well as the utilitarian corrugated metal and plywood ‘shed’ buildings, which are attached from behind.

The rows of planting are a prominent feature of the Providore centre, and they also provided the inspiration for the structure itself. The varied widths of the openings in the verandah spaces reflect the staccato pattern of the vines, and the rustic geometry of the plots is an integral part of the outlook from the tasting area. In counterpoint, the rear courtyard frames a view of the remnant Jarrah-Marri bushland which so defines the region.