Tucked away at the quiet edge of Bittern on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, a modest cabin stands among the stringy barks. Designed by architect Nic Morgante, Bittern Cabin is both a retreat and a tool — a place to rest, and a place to care for land.
Set on two acres of Bunurong country, the cabin exists in gentle conversation with its surroundings. Its approach is unassuming — gravel tracks winding through coastal scrub — yet the moment of arrival is calm and assured. Landscaping by Sönnescapes celebrates what is already there, introducing native plantings in soft continuity with the stringybark woodland.
The form is quiet: a simple gabled volume attached to a flat-roofed garage, clad entirely in charred spotted gum. The black timber shell protects against bushfire, but also recedes into the forest. Adjustable timber shutters open by day to forest light, and close by night or when the home is sleeping. The architecture yields no statement — only presence.
Inside, the material palette is restrained but tactile. Honey-hued blackbutt lines the soaring ceilings, catching sunlight as it moves through the day. A continuous ribbon of joinery — robe, bench, kitchenette — holds the space without clutter. Every gesture serves both function and calm.
The concrete slab is heated in winter and extends outside to form a low ledge — a liminal space for sitting barefoot with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. It subtly lifts the house above seasonal water flows, while anchoring it within the rhythm of the site.
In the bathroom, charcoal mosaic tiles meet rough-sawn granite and finely crafted steel — a contrast of elemental textures. Even here, luxury is found not in excess, but in careful choice.
Beyond the cabin, a garage holds tools for working the land — part laundry, part utility. Care for this place is not ornamental, but integral. In return, the cabin offers care back: stillness, warmth, and a soft sense of being held.
