Nine Years On: How Recycled Timbers are holding Up at Clonakilla Winery
October 2025
Back in 2016, we shared the story of Clonakilla’s cellar door refurbishment at their Murrumbateman winery. The project featured a striking use of Thor’s Hammer recycled timber, with posts and beams for the pergola, recycled timber benchtop for the bar area, as well as external cladding that gave the building warmth and character. Almost a decade later, we revisited the site to see how the timber has aged in the real world.
You can read more about the original installation in our blog post.
Exposed internal beams in Ironbark / Dense Reds, sawn from old telegraph poles and bridge girders. With the benchtop for the bar area.
How did the timber hold up?
Recycled timber has always been prized for its strength, stability, and natural beauty. Logged from old-growth trees decades ago, these timbers have been seasoned by time, making them more resistant to warping, cracking, and shrinkage. But how does this translate when exposed to the daily demands of a busy winery?
The answer lies in Clonakilla’s cellar door itself. Over nine years, the timber has required minimal upkeep. The external cladding has been recoated and resealed just once with Osmo oil, while the bar benchtop has had two reapplications in that time. Inside, the exposed beams and shelves haven’t needed any maintenance at all.
The result? The timbers look just as good as the day they were installed, continuing to frame the cellar door experience with warmth and durability.
This kind of longevity highlights the value of choosing recycled timber for projects large and small. Beyond its environmental credentials, it delivers beauty that lasts, with only minimal effort needed to maintain its appearance.
External cladding boards in Recycled Ironbark / Dense Reds
Clonakilla Winery
If you’d like to see the results for yourself, we encourage you to visit Clonakilla. Their cellar door is open weekdays 11am–4pm and weekends 10am–5pm, located at 3 Crisps Lane, Murrumbateman, just 45 minutes from Canberra. It’s the perfect excuse for a scenic drive, a tasting of Clonakilla’s renowned wines, and a chance to appreciate how well recycled timber weathers the years.
Visit the Clonakilla website to learn more.
Contact us
To learn more about incorporating recycled timber into your own project—whether it’s pergola beams, cladding, or interior details—contact our design team for a chat.
“We have fully re-coated and re-sealed the outdoor timber just once over nine years. The bar inside has also had a treatment or two. The shelfs and interior beams haven’t needed any extra work.”
