The Australian University has just completed a 2.5 million dollar upgrade of its Kiola conference facility south of Ulladulla

The new complex which can also sleep up to 90, is popular for retreats and is also used for teaching, research and cultural activities

The unique design by Paul Downton is environmentally sensitive and was constructed mostly from rice straw bails with a lime render and recycled timbers

Morgan Evans from Southpoint Building Services built the project, which includes a 150 seat auditorium and two others classrooms.

Future plans include upgrading the kitchen and dinning facility to accommodate for larger numbers of visitors and converting the old dairy into a writers retreat

Manager of the facility Robin Teding Van Berkhout says its a beautiful place to host a retreat