This is an edited extract from Retreat: Inspired Homes and Ways of Living by Lucy Glade-Wright published by Hardie Grant Books. Photography by Peter Bennett
- Four mates, a dream and an overgrown block of land
- Gadubanud (Katubanut) Country
- The Otways, Victoria, Australia
Surrounded by gum trees and set privately at the end of a long country road in the Otways sits Gloria, a 1970s school bus not just restored to its former glory but transformed into something far more special. The towering A-frame roof made from reclaimed corrugated iron sits proudly on top of the vintage mustard and cream bus. At first glance, such a sight in the middle of the countryside might seem haphazard if not for the manicured stone patio, vegetable patch, fire pit, festoon lighting and timber-clad outhouse.
The understated neutral tones of the freshly painted exterior nestle calmly into the surrounding vegetation, reflecting the location itself. Beech Forest is an unassuming town in the Victorian Otways. Named after the myrtle beech trees that abound here, the area is best known for its Californian redwood forest and an array of waterfalls. Mostly it’s a sleepy town in a relatively untouched part of Australia that attracts nature lovers on weekends.
It was on a real estate search for a block of land that this run-down school bus was discovered. Overgrown and surrounded by a junkyard, it took some very creative people to see its potential – Manu, Neri, Trent and Skye. These four friends shared aspirations of building a cabin off the grid, close to Victoria’s Surf Coast but remote enough to enjoy an open and rugged landscape.
The whimsical nature of the bus is a reflection of the four unique personalities that created it: the ever-smiling Spaniards Manu and Neri and creative duo Trent and Skye. Manu thrives on storytelling and connecting with people from all walks of life.
He and talented fashionista Neri are the founders of sustainable fashion brand Ottway the Label. Trent is a carpenter with an eye for detail who also founded his own fashion brand, Natty Workwear, specifically for the trade industry. His partner Skye, the creative director at a PR agency, works alongside Trent to help drive the Natty brand and operations. Individually these four are impressive professionals, but together they are a creative force to be reckoned with.
The four friends escaped their busy city lives to build Gloria on weekends, connecting with their new neighbours, who helped them along the way. After many labour-filled weekends, Gloria has now become their escape – a place to relax and recharge. The quirky name came about when the foursome were coming up the driveway for their first overnight stay in the bus, and the song ‘Gloria’ by Them and Van Morrison came on the radio. They realised that, with the word also translating from Spanish as ‘glory’, it was the perfect name for a place in which they had experienced their ‘glory days’ through the creation of something so special. Gloria regularly hosts friends and neighbours, as the owners feel that this unique home is a community space to be shared with loved ones.
Originally a fifty-seater school bus, the interior had to be completely gutted to achieve a mezzanine-style cabin conversion. A nostalgic kitchen, dining and living room welcome you once you step inside, while two queen bedrooms are placed where the ‘cool kids’ once sat in the back of the bus. Vintage-inspired found objects and furniture were sourced from local opportunity shops and most of the interior was either recycled, upcycled or repurposed. There are some modern customised finishes in the kitchen, and timber plywood interiors were purpose-built, including the mezzanine bedroom and downstairs bed-cum-storage drawers.
It’s hard to describe the sheer energy and passion of the four friends who created Gloria. Their enthusiasm overflows, and when spending time with them you can’t help becoming intoxicated by their positive approach to life. It’s no wonder that these four saw a dilapidated old bus in the middle of the bush and thought, ‘it’s perfect’. Many people would consider this renovation too daunting, but clearly this was not an issue for this energetic foursome. Not only are they able to discover the beauty in everything, they also celebrate the beauty of the journey along the way.
Unique homes like this exist because of people who are unafraid to tackle challenges and who dare to think outside the box. As for the rest of us, we get to enjoy their vision and hopefully draw our own inspiration from these passionate dreamers.
Q&A with Manu, Neri, Trent and Skye
How has your life changed since living here?
Building Gloria has challenged us, inspired immense creativity and been a source of inspiration and community. Most of all, it’s brought us together as friends, and building Gloria and the community that comes with it has seen us grow as people too. We all have busy lives and have, for the most part, lived in cities in recent years, so Gloria has provided a beautiful, peaceful space for us to slow down and get back to nature, calming us and connecting us to the land.
Where did you live beforehand, and what prompted the purchase of this home?
We are all based in Melbourne. Trent and Manu had often spoken about wanting to take on a new project to challenge themselves and have a creative outlet. Trent was looking for a new project to focus on, and Manu had been wanting to build a cabin like the one he and Neri were living in, so one Friday afternoon after a few beers they decided to start looking for places to make the dream a reality. The next morning, Trent, Manu and Skye were driving around the Surf Coast looking at listings of land for sale. They found one online, pictured with something white on the land. Thinking it would be a shed, they headed towards the property, drove up the driveway and discovered a bus with so much potential. The rest is history.
Can you describe the community where you live?
It’s been great getting to meet the community over the years. Everyone is so friendly and so willing to help out. From delivering firewood to sharing building advice, or offering a warm cup of coffee and catching up during a cool morning walk, our neighbours have been a huge part of our journey to get Gloria to where she is now. A lot of the neighbours have really unique builds and it’s amazing to see how creative people can get with an old station house, or a few shipping containers or a little caravan. We’ve loved sharing ideas and inspiration with each other.
What’s your favourite thing about living where you do?
Where do we start? The privacy and serenity that come with being surrounded by trees and the sounds of local birds like the black cockatoo; the proximity to majestic waterfalls and wild beaches like Johanna; an escape from city life that grounds us. The list goes on!
What are some of the challenges of living where you do?
The only challenge we found with the location was just how remote it was during the build. Every week, Trent would meticulously plan the materials and quantities we needed to ensure we had enough to complete that weekend’s building mission. With the closest hardware store forty minutes away, we couldn’t afford to waste any time making trips to top up supplies!
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