LIFE & STYLE
Glenorie Ball- Eastaway House added to
the State Heritage Register
A significant piece of Australian architectural history in Glenorie has been officially recognised, with the Ball-Eastaway House and its surrounding bushland setting added to the NSW State Heritage Register.
Located on Halcrows Road, the striking residence was designed by internationally renowned architect Glenn Murcutt and constructed between 1980 and 1983 for celebrated abstract artist Sydney Ball and his partner Lynne Eastaway.
Set across approximately 10 hectares of native bushland, the property includes the house and two artist studios, carefully positioned within the natural landscape to preserve its ecological character.
Heritage NSW has recognised the site as being of State significance for its historical, aesthetic and associative values. The home is widely regarded as a pivotal work in Murcutt’ s career and an important example of late-modern Australian architecture, particularly for its sensitive response to climate and environment.
The house is notable for its minimalist design, elevated on slender steel columns and clad entirely in corrugated steel- a material choice that would later become a hallmark of Murcutt’ s internationally acclaimed work.
Designed to“ touch the earth lightly,” the structure sits on a sandstone platform, allowing water to flow naturally across the site while minimising disturbance to the surrounding bushland.
Beyond its architectural innovation, the property is also closely linked to Australia’ s cultural history. Sydney Ball, a pioneer of postpainterly abstraction, lived and worked at the site for more than three decades, using the studios as a creative base until his death in 2017.
The design brief itself was shaped by the artists’ needs, including a large internal gallery space to display works and studios that support artistic practice- highlighting the unique collaboration between architect and artist.
The listing also acknowledges the property’ s technical significance, particularly its early and innovative response to bushfire risk, with fireresistant materials and a comprehensive
Ball-Eastaway House designed by Glenn Murcutt. Image courtesy Paul Lovelace, Alamy.
sprinkler system integrated into the design.
Officially added to the State Heritage Register in February 2026, the listing ensures the protection of both the house and its broader landscape setting for future generations. The recognition cements the Ball- Eastaway House as one of Australia’ s most important examples of environmentally responsive residential architecture- right here in Sydney’ s north-west.
THE HILLS INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine. com. au ISSUE 131 // MAY 2026 15