About Bargo Pottery

Located on Dharawal and Gundungurra country, you’ll find a place for clay enthusiasts to make, learn, fire and purchase ceramics.

Upon walking through the gates of 99 Avon Dam Road, you’re met with the welcoming presence that is the old Bargo Fire Brigade, with busy clay hands at work in its confines.

In 2022, with friend and fellow potter George Khut, the building was repurposed and Bargo Pottery was born. The wood kiln was one of the first communal projects built on the site. With a view to establish a ceramics hub to assist clay workers whatever their desires, a market space dedicated to supporting ceramic artists in the region.

The historic site is full of Peter Dallas Philips’ reuse and self-build philosophy that was challenged and then reinforced during his time at Blackwattle Pottery Supplies. Today, he is now contracted to make 400 urns each month whilst managing private studios, delivering classes and organising multi-fuel firing services.

Peter says "One of the many benefits of this set up, has been the exchange of skills, equipment and ideas. When the roller door is up, there is always someone inside, available to show you around and offer a cuppa tea".

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About the Kiln

Wombat is the name of the kiln built by Peter and George, named as such due to its roundish square bottom. The design is based off a medium-sized cross-draft catenary arch kiln, with tweaks made to it.  Using found house bricks, donated firebricks,  salvaged shelves, and unwanted materials the Wombat is safe yet easy to fire. Often using just air dried fossicked woods, and unwanted weeds full of silica, the kiln reaches well over 1300C creating vitrified wares featuring coral blushing and ash fusions.  

In true ClayTools spirit of borrowing, sharing, minimising waste,  Wombat was designed to be easily dismantled and re-established elsewhere. The kiln humble in size reinforces taoist practice of non-attachment, thereby enabling intimacy and pure joy.