Located in the Main Road at Hepburn Springs, Victoria, the Old Macaroni Factory is a Heritage Victoria listed building constructed in 1859 by brothers Giacomo and Pietro Lucini. The Lucinis were fabric merchants from Intra on Lake Maggiore in northern Italy. The Lucini family supported gold prospectors by loans of money and supplied weekly rations of bread, macaroni, salami, olive oil, tea and tobacco.
The Old Macaroni Factory is aesthetically significant for its interior decorative scheme and has one of the most intact domestic, secular murals in Australia.
The client brief includes reinvigorating the Old Macaroni Factory to its former glory, site planning, new services, including replacement of the kitchen and bathroom lean-to and finally, the offering of space for functions and events whilst adding a new residence to the rear. With the client brief supporting the continued evolution of this heritage place and aiming to build on its rich Italian history, the entire site concept is informed by respecting its significant architectural and artistic heritage.
Replacement of the old Factory Kitchen was required along with new assessable access and facilities. The additions are simply finished in natural timber weatherboards and iron roofing. Windows are repainted to original pale green colour. Fireplaces have been carefully rebuilt, Stone cellar drainage repaired and in general all the unique ceiling and wall mural artworks are restored and kept. Adding to the ensemble is ‘Pietro’s’ accommodation, a wing of the old factory that now provides a new bathroom and kitchen facilities opening out to a restored stone paved terrace. Assistance with the bathroom amd kitchen fitout, joinery and overall furniture styling and selection was by others (see consultants).
The project overall contributes to the region by continuing the use of the Old Macaroni Factory traditions of trade and service to the community and its custodial guidance of seven generations in the one Lucini family being passed on to the new owners. By reinterpreting traditional Italian architectural language for the Pavilion, allows the architecture to engage with its historical context. The site and gardens are also listed, with new careful landscape planning, tree selection and existing retention; some new service sheds and existing outbuildings restored, along with the bocci court; stone terraces and pathways re-instated, vegetable and fruit tree gardens established and a stone creek bed water management system built with duck ponds and tanks, all now available to the public.
Project Team: Grant Amon, Tony Trajkoski, Yiyang Xu
Consultants: Bryce Raworth (Conservation & Heritage Architect), Felicity Brown (Town Planning & Urban Design), Peter Felicetti (Structural Engineer), Leigh Holm (Building Surveyor), Katrina Dernelley (Heritage Victoria), Andrew Thorn (Heritage conservation), Allison Pye (Interiors and furniture), Max Copolov (Pietro's bathroom and kitchen console)
Builder: Nick Andrew (Builder & crew – Pavilion & Factory), Sam Collins (Wavebuilt - Commercial Builder Licence - Factory), Mick Crear (Landscaping - stone walls, paving and more), Josh Bowes (Heritage stonemason)
