One of my all-time favourite ‘buildings’ might not be classified so much as a building, perhaps more of a shack. It resides on the east coast of Australia, in the Royal National Park, approximately 1 hour from the Sydney central business district.

Remote is potentially the best way to describe the building. It sits just metres from the beach front, but requires a long and strenuous hike to get there. Everything required for your stay must accompany you down the track.

The shack is made up of a tin exterior and wooden interior framework. Everything that the building is comprised of, had to be hauled down the hill, therefore, it is a very simplistic hut. So much so, that toilets have only been recently installed.

The little shack community has come to be known as Bulgo. Bulgo has approximately 40 shacks, with my family having the rights to one. The local government technically owns all of the buildings, with many restrictions being exercised, limiting people’s rights to expand or change the materials used in the original build. 

The purpose of the building is to serve as a relaxing home away from home, and that it has done perfectly. The shack has been in my family for generations now, and all members of my family have gone to enjoy the minimalistic lifestyle it promotes. I no longer remember my first time there, but I know the feelings I get when I return.

The Bulgo ‘buildings’ have seen so many mixed emotions over the years. In my lifetime alone, I have felt an array of feelings. Bulgo embodies the idea of family being what matters. There is no cell phone reception, therefore no internet, and only recently has solar powered electricity been introduced. Whenever I go there, I feel at peace.

Bulgo once exemplified the emotion of fear. My family and I were down at the bottom of the mountain (where the shacks are located), when a big bush fire started to make its way down the track. We were forced to evacuate, and the only way out was by boat. The rescue teams sent several boats to the Bulgo beach as the fire got closer. Thankfully, the bush fire was contained and never reached the shacks. Although there were many nerves at that moment, it transformed into gratitude and happiness.

Today, my feelings toward the shack are bittersweet. I love seeing it, I love being there, and it represents everything I am thankful for in my life; my family. However, it reminds me of my late father. It took my family a few years to go back there after my dad passed away, but we got there. But without a doubt, Bulgo is not the same.

Unfortunately, as it is very remote, few photos can be found.