Celery Top Pine Battens Seven Years On at Macquarie House
When Macquarie House reopened in Launceston in 2019, its new addition was wrapped in rough sawn Hydrowood Celery Top Pine battens. At the time, the architects told us the timber would slowly turn a soft silver grey as it aged. Seven years later we went back to see if they were right.
This is the story of how a set of timber battens has settled into one of Launceston's oldest buildings, and a practical guide for architects, builders and homeowners considering Celery Top Pine for exterior cladding, screening or feature walls.
Macquarie House Innovation House in Launceston clad in Hydrowood celery top pine battens. Picture: Patrick Gee/Tuesday Creatives
A heritage bond store with a new timber skin
Macquarie House started life as a bond store in 1830. Launceston City Council restored and extended the building as an innovation hub for tech start-ups, with HBV Architects leading the design. HBV is known for heritage and adaptive reuse work.
HBV chose Celery Top Pine to echo the timber interior of the original store. Rough sawn battens clad the new addition and continue as a screen across its windows, so the whole extension reads as one seamless timber box. The battens were finished with a natural oil coating at installation.
Does Celery Top Pine go grey?
Yes, and at Macquarie House that was always the plan. When the building opened, HBV Architects' Paul Cockburn explained why the practice chose Celery Top Pine for the battens.
“Celery Top is inherently uniform and ages beautifully, greying with time.”
— Paul Cockburn, HBV Architects
Celery Top Pine starts out white to pale straw. Left uncoated outdoors, sunlight and rain gradually draw out that colour and the surface weathers to an even silver grey. A natural oil finish gives the timber some early protection, but it won't stop that shift. The change is cosmetic. The timber underneath keeps its structure and its fine, tight grain.
Newly installed rough sawn Celery Top Pine timber cladding on Macquarie House, Launceston, in 2019
Macquarie House in 2026
Seven years on, Paul's prediction has played out exactly as he described. The rough sawn Celery Top Pine has weathered naturally, developing the soft grey tones that were always intended.
The pale straw of 2019 has given way to a quieter, weathered finish across the battens and the window screen. The addition now sits more comfortably beside the old bond store, the way a timber facade should when it's chosen for the long run.
Celery Top Pine timber cladding at Macquarie House Launceston
Close-up of weathered rough sawn Celery Top Pine battens
Why Celery Top Pine works for exterior battens
Celery Top Pine is a Tasmanian softwood with a fine, even texture. It is one of the few softwoods with a Class 2 durability rating for above-ground use, which makes it a practical choice for battens and cladding exposed to the weather.
Durable outdoors. Class 2 above-ground durability suits exterior cladding, screens and battens.
Weathers evenly. Uncoated, it moves from pale straw to a consistent silver grey.
Raw or coated. Kiln dried and ready to leave natural or finish with oil or a coating.
Texture you can feel. The rough sawn profile catches light and shadow, especially once weathered.
Inside and out. Equally at home as internal linings, feature walls and ceilings.
Hydrowood Celery Top Pine is reclaimed timber, recovered from forests submerged beneath Tasmania's hydroelectric lakes. It is PEFC certified through Responsible Wood, so specifiers get full chain-of-custody traceability with every order.
It has a strong track record in demanding settings too. Hydrowood supplied more than 6,000 linear metres of Celery Top Pine for the Spirit of Tasmania IV. Explore the species: Celery Top Pine.
Silver grey Hydrowood Celery Top Pine battens on Macquarie House, Launceston, seven years after installation.
Should you oil Celery Top Pine battens or let them weather?
Both work. The right call depends on the look you want and how much maintenance you're happy to take on.
Let it weather if you want a natural silver grey finish that blends into the landscape or a heritage setting, with minimal upkeep. Macquarie House is the example to look at.
Oil or coat it if you want to hold onto the warmer straw tones for longer. Plan to recoat periodically, as any exterior finish will wear with sun and rain.
Either way, think about the finish at design stage rather than after install. Battens that are meant to grey look intentional. Battens that grey by accident can look neglected.
Where to buy Hydrowood Celery Top Pine battens
Hydrowood Celery Top Pine battens and cladding are now stocked by retail partners in New South Wales and Victoria, with direct supply available Australia-wide.
New South Wales: Gubbins Mitre 10
Hydrowood is stocked at seven Gubbins Mitre 10 stores across the Southern Highlands and South Coast of NSW, giving builders, trades and homeowners local access to Celery Top Pine battens and cladding. Read the Gubbins Mitre 10 announcement.
Mittagong: Highlands Selection Centre
Mittagong: Gubbins Mitre 10 Mittagong Trade
Moss Vale: Gubbins Mitre 10 Moss Vale
Milton: Gubbins Mitre 10 Milton
Nowra: Gubbins Mitre 10 Nowra
South Nowra: Gubbins Mitre 10 South Nowra
Huskisson: Gubbins Mitre 10 Huskisson
Victoria: Bowens
Bowens is Hydrowood's exclusive Victorian distributor, with Hydrowood available through all 20 Bowens stores across Melbourne and regional Victoria. You can also order Hydrowood Celery Top Pine Batten Rough Sawn online from Bowens, with delivery options available.
Tasmania and everywhere else
Talk to the Hydrowood team directly for pricing, sizes, availability and delivery anywhere in Australia.
Email sales@hydrowood.com.au or visit our How To Buy page.
Architects and specifiers
Head to the Hydrowood Specifiers Portal for technical data, certification documents and project resources, or request a sample to see the rough sawn texture in person.
Specify Celery Top Pine battens for your next project
Macquarie House shows what happens when a timber is chosen for how it will look in ten years, as much as on handover day.
If you're planning exterior cladding, screening or battens with a finish that improves with age, we'd love to help.
Frequently asked questions
Does Celery Top Pine go grey outside?
Yes. Left uncoated, Celery Top Pine weathers from pale straw to an even silver grey. The change is cosmetic and doesn't affect the timber's performance.
Is Celery Top Pine durable enough for exterior battens?
Celery Top Pine has a Class 2 durability rating for above-ground use, making it well suited to exterior battens, cladding and screens.
Where can I buy Celery Top Pine battens in NSW?
Hydrowood Celery Top Pine battens are available through seven Gubbins Mitre 10 stores in NSW, at Mittagong (two stores), Moss Vale, Milton, Nowra, South Nowra and Huskisson.
Where can I buy Celery Top Pine battens in Victoria?
Hydrowood is stocked at all 20 Bowens stores across Melbourne and regional Victoria, and online at bowens.com.au.