Preserving a Lost Trade
Kyneton Dry Stone Walling began not as a commercial venture, but as a practical response to a disappearing craft.
In 2016, when Jim sought to repair more than two kilometres of historic walls on his own farm, he discovered how few qualified wallers remained. “You could almost count them on one hand,” Jim said.
Since then, they’ve become experts in the domain, and today, are internationally renowned for their ability to create lasting structures.
Their work spans commercial and residential projects, from heritage repairs to new wall builds, all constructed using traditional dry stone techniques.
Their structures breathe; water passes through them rather than building pressure behind them; they move with the land; they create a native habitat for lizards, birds, insects and microbats. And it’s done all by hand with no carbon footprint left behind.
That philosophy carries through to the Centre’s public courses, where participants learn the principles of walling rather than decorative tricks.
Over a two-day introductory course, students dismantle and rebuild a wall as a team, learning how stone is selected, placed and balanced. And it’s open to all interested in discovering this lost art, or starting their own stone wall project.