A Couple’s Rural Retreat in the Capertee Valley
Images by Saskia Wilson
A sloping patch of land in Glen Davis on Wiradjuri County, three hours from Sydney, is where contemporary dance artist Zachary Lopez & human rights lawyer Phillip Wardle’s first home journey began. Practice Ground, as it’s now known, began simply as a camping spot before the pair constructed a small cabin from scratch. In 2023, in close collaboration with TRIAS architects and FABPREFAB the main home took form; a pre-fabricated timber home emerged on the land, with panoramic views of the surrounding bushland - some of which they have regenerated themselves. Practice Ground now acts as a retreat for the couple, outside of travelling for their respective careers, and an idyllic guesthouse. Looking forwards, Zach & Phil are planning an artist residency space, inviting others to experience this part of the world that has brought them so much, and to which they have given so much in return.
“Our home is a 20-acre parcel of sloping bushland in the Capertee Valley, which is the eastern edge of Wiradjuri County and a three-hour drive away from Sydney. It’s a pretty unconventional first home, although we both have careers that involve significant travel and moving around, so wanted to build a home to anchor us somewhere special and serve as a retreat.
“We’ve occupied the block for around 10 years. We started off just camping under the stars, then in 2017 built a small cabin to shelter from the elements. We completed the main house in 2023, which has transformed the experience of being here and allows us to spend longer periods with more comfort. For better or worse, electricity and a satellite internet connection also allow us to work from the house.
“The home is modest in size, with a small footprint (115m2) and only two bedrooms. Building smaller allowed us to focus our budget on things that mattered more to us, such as expansive windows to ensure we felt connected to the landscape when we’re inside the house.”
It’s a pretty unconventional first home, although we both have careers that involve significant travel and moving around, so wanted to build a home to anchor us somewhere special and serve as a retreat.
“There’s definitely a wildness about the Capertee Valley. It’s literally at the end of the line - the township of Glen Davis is the last occupied settlement before the dense wilderness of the Wollemi National Park. This definitely attracts a certain type of person (us included). Our neighbours are surprisingly diverse for a rural community, but everyone shares a sense of adventure and intrepid spirit. We’ve been here for 10 years now and really love the sense of community. Everyone is looking out for each other (even if neighbours don’t always see eye to eye) and there’s a support network that we’ve never experienced in the city.
“The most wonderful part of the area is the stunning natural landscape and wildlife. It’s such a privilege to be immersed in the sights, sounds and smells of the bush, which is a beautiful contrast to the complexity and stress of city life. Having been coming out here for so long, we especially enjoy seeing the subtle changes in the landscape across different seasons.
“The main bedroom in the house hangs over the slope and has full height windows that capture views across the valley. We love waking up and drawing the curtains to see the conditions in different seasons - this is often layers of cloud and mist in the winter.”
Zach & Phil's bed is dressed in a moody combination of Kohl & Cocoa European linen bedding. In the bathroom hangs our organic cotton towel in Oxblood & Peach.
“We have a set of Ercol spindle-back dining chairs that were Phil’s grandad’s and came over to Australia when he migrated here in the 1970s. It’s been really special to give them a second life in our dining space. They’re beautifully crafted and fit in well with the timber interiors.
“There’s another priceless item we have displayed in the loungeroom. On the bench sits a vintage woven Ifugao rattan backpack from the Philippines, which is a practical object designed to cart rice and keep it dry during the rain. Not only do we admire its design and craftsmanship, we also appreciate its symbolism and cultural significance from Zach’s Filipino ancestry.”
“We’ve kept interior decoration fairly minimal, to celebrate the spectacular landscape that surrounds the home and try to avoid the distraction of too much ornamentation. We felt that exposed timber is sympathetic to the natural beauty of the landscape, which is why we were so attracted to Trias’ Minima design prototype. We wanted to create a sense of warmth and comfort through exposing the character of natural materials, with a gentle and minimal style designed to complement the warm and natural feel of the house.
“We also value traditional craft and the use of natural and organic materials, so have a variety of functional and decorative items throughout the house that represent this value - including handwoven brooms, terracotta and other clay ceramics, and various timber objects that all serve a practical purpose."
We also value traditional craft and the use of natural and organic materials, so have a variety of functional and decorative items throughout the house that represent this value.
In the living space, a selection of IN BED homewares add warmth & texture; Heavy Linen Cushions & our cosy Alpaca Throw in Eggshell
“We didn’t actually set out to build a prefab home - this came about during the planning process, when we discovered how much it would cost for a traditional build on the site. The remoteness made it very expensive to get materials and people to the site, so we started exploring prefabrication as a cost saving measure, which led us to the architects (Trias) and builder (Fabprefab). Trias had recently designed a prototype studio called ‘Minima’, which was a timber module built with cross laminated timber panels. We both loved the design aesthetic of this prototype and were able to use this as a template for our house. Our home is four separate modules, which were all built in Fabprefab’s factory in the NSW Central Coast and transported to the site on four trucks.
“There was a lot of planning involved - literally years - partly because of the complexity of building in a remote location and bushfire area. Even though we used a template design, we worked with Trias on a lot of custom features during the design process, which was a lot of fun.
“Unlike a traditional build, the prefab process was surprisingly fast. Once construction started in the factory, the whole house was finished in less than three months, which required lots of visits to the factory and some quick decisions.”
“Zach works in contemporary dance and theatre as a performer, choreographer and costume designer. His collaborations with company and independent performance work focuses on the diversity of the Australian experience through a socio-political lens. Touring to regional and metro Australia within the past decade influenced his understanding of what a community can be. The positive influence that art and performance can have on people is a major driving force to his life and future aspirations for Practice Ground.
“Phil is a lawyer and works in human rights, which has always required a lot of travel, moving locations and long periods away from Australia.
“Our somewhat itinerant lifestyle has shaped our approach to making a home; not as a space to occupy as part of a regular routine, but a place to come together, retreat, celebrate, and share precious time together. We don’t live in the house full-time, which is unusual for a home that we have invested so much time and passion conceptualising, but it gives us a sense of place and allows us to dream about future opportunities. Not just the house, but also the site and the broader environment and community around us."
“The home is definitely a labour of love and we have many dreams for the site that extend beyond the house. During the Covid pandemic we began regenerating the cleared part of the site with native plant species to restore habitat for wildlife, which has been a much bigger undertaking than we imagined, but so rewarding to see the progress. We’ve had many tree planting weekends with friends, and more recently have received support from Birdlife NSW to plant on a much larger scale.
“We’ve also started building a workshop space on the site, which we’re hoping to use as a creative space and offer residencies for dance and other creative work in the future. We believe that there are so many opportunities for Practice Ground to become a multifaceted space in this way, beyond just a home for us.”
“The Capertee Valley is very seasonal, and we love experiencing the changes in the climate and landscape at different times of year. It can get very hot in the middle of summer, but we have some incredible swimming holes within a few minutes’ drive. Our favourite summer activity is to head down to the Coorongooba campground in the Wollemi National Park for a swim to cool off in the fresh water. It’s a magical setting with stunning cliffs surrounding a cascading river, with plenty of little spots to swim and relax.
“Our nearest town (45 minutes away) is Rylstone, which is on the road towards Mudgee. It’s a very cute rural town full of old sandstone heritage buildings. There’s a little yum cha restaurant (29 Nine 99) that we like to visit for a slow weekend lunch.
“While we’re in a very isolated community, one of our neighbours has recently restored an old farmhouse on their property as a local cafe (From the Paddock), which has been a wonderful addition to the community. We often pop in for a coffee and a pie if we’re around on the weekend. And we're looking forward to enjoying a swim in our favourite swimming hole when the weather gets warmer!”
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