At first glance, Halcyon cuts a striking figure among the watercraft moored on Lake Eildon. Where many houseboats lean into a utilitarian look, Jolson’s design is sleek, sculpted, and kinetic, taking visual cues from speedboats and yachts. It sits not on the lake so much as within it, mirroring light and landscape across its smooth fibreglass form. The architecture is bold, but the intent is soft: Halcyon invites nature in, rather than pushing it away.
This is not Jolson’s first boat, but it’s certainly his most personal. The project began as a sentimental journey back to his childhood summers spent at Eildon, aboard his grandparents’ DIY houseboat—a glorified caravan powered by a car battery:
“I wanted my own family to have that same connection to the lake and to nature. To step away from the city, and just be.”
Two years in the making, Halcyon is that dream, fully realised.
The boat’s name is apt. Halcyon speaks to an idyllic past, but it also represents an idealised present—a peaceful, elegant space where design and nature coexist. Step on board, and that vision becomes tangible. The neutral palette is grounded and organic, drawing on the hues of the lake’s shifting shoreline. Sawn-cut oak timber floorboards, selected for their rugged texture, run across both the lower and upper levels. Natural stone adorns the kitchen and bathrooms. Pure wool carpets warm the private spaces. Furnishings—both interior and exterior—are soft, low-slung, and tactile, curated to blur the boundary between inside and out.
Jolson’s design hinges on flow. The open-plan living area on the main level opens seamlessly onto an outdoor “room” thanks to a clever sliding window system that transforms solid walls into open portals. Joinery is deliberately set back from the perimeter glazing, so sightlines to the lake are preserved. Jolson:
“Every time you dock the boat in a different spot, the framed view changes. You’re constantly re-engaging with the landscape.”
The houseboat spans three levels, each with a distinct purpose. The main floor is for shared living, anchored by a large island bench in the kitchen and a discreetly tucked-away bar beneath the staircase. Upstairs, four bedrooms—including two mirror-image master suites—offer sanctuary. The bathrooms, too, are designed around the views. Picture standing at a vanity or inside a glass-walled shower, watching the treetops sway or clouds drift past, with not a building in sight.
The top level is where the magic happens. An open-air rooftop, partially covered by a tarp canopy, transforms into a versatile entertaining space. There’s a banquette lounge, a countertop bar, a dining area, and daybeds arranged for sunset views. And then there’s the pièce de résistance: a wood-fired hot tub, evoking a nostalgic 70s charm, positioned for stargazing.
From a design perspective, Halcyon challenges conventions. Houseboats on Lake Eildon must adhere to specific dimensional restrictions. Instead of trying to maximise enclosed volume, Jolson used the constraints as an opportunity to create openness—fluid thresholds, natural light, and unobstructed vistas. The result is a living environment that’s more about experience than square footage. Jolson explains:
“It’s not just about being on the water. It’s about living with it.”
Crucially, the boat doesn’t just look considered—it feels it. Every material choice, every line of sight, every curve has been shaped by an architect intimately familiar with both high-end residential design and the lake itself. Jolson worked with local builders and craftspeople, drawing on decades of shared knowledge and bringing new ideas to an old tradition.
Lake Eildon remains the only place in Victoria where recreational houseboats like Halcyon are permitted, and with more than 700 currently dotting its waters, the lake has become something of a floating suburb. But Jolson’s creation is in a class of its own. It’s a private retreat, a design statement, and a family legacy all at once.
Ultimately, Halcyon is less about status and more about connection—connection to place, to the past, to people. Jolson reflects:
“Wherever you go these days, so much has changed. But Eildon is still Eildon.”
And Halcyon, quietly moored beneath a vast Australian sky, is proof that some things—peace, beauty, family, nature—need no reinvention. They just need a place to float.
