Main Ridge Dairy stands as a reimagining of the traditional farm shed - aimed at achieving a delicate balance between robust utility and a refined, contemporary sensitivity to its place on the Mornington Peninsula. The Dairy adopts a standardised farm shed structure and adapts it through a new enveloping cladding and timber veil to house both a cheese factory at the southern end and to the north an open welcoming sales area that addresses the adjacent goat paddocks. The structure is integrated seamlessly with its rural setting, framed by the towering silhouettes of surrounding messmate eucalypts. An extruded gable form stretches along the ridge, opening centrally to warmly welcome visitors and draw them into the heart of the operation as a goat’s cheese facility.  

The interplay of timber battens and opaque cladding creates a dynamic dance of light and shadow across the building's surface, subtly illuminating the cheesery and hinting at the activity within. A dedicated tasting area offers views across the adjacent dam and grazing goat paddocks, connecting visitors directly to the source of the dairy's produce. The cheese factory itself is discreetly located to the southern end - within the enveloping timber veil - serviced by associated utility and delivery access.

The material palette - rugged yet refined - features galvanised steel, fibreglass, concrete, and timber, reinforcing an honesty of raw materials that speaks to the building's agricultural setting and purpose. Internally, exposed polished concrete floors and linear joinery emphasise the length of the building, directing focus towards the process of cheesemaking and the boutique farm produce. The result is a contemporary agricultural space that is both firmly grounded in its rural vernacular and eloquently expressive of craft, function, and the unique rustic farmland setting.