Personal Space: At home with Australian actor Dustin Clare

Australian actor Dustin Clare has turned his passion for architecture and design into a new digital business with the arrival of his global streaming channel Shelter.

He and his actress wife Camille Keenan (Packed to the Rafters) didn’t let the pandemic stop them from giving their entrepreneurial idea a mighty go. Shelter is a one-stop for inspiring house and design content. Shelter also makes an original series called Inspired Architecture, looking at Australian homes from Mudgee and beyond.

The couple lives in an original 1970s single-storey, three-bedroom home just outside of Ballina, NSW, with their three children. It’s been a true labour of love, renovating the home from sanding floorboards to building an outdoor deck and adding a new bathroom and kitchen.

The interiors are packed with a boho charm thanks to Keenan’s styling preferences.

“My home is a great metaphor for my relationship with Camille and our family,” says Clare, who has starred in Doctor Doctor, McLeod’s Daughters, Wolf Creek and Underbelly. “It’s always growing, changing and evolving.”

A few of Dustin’s favourite things

Wedding rings

When Camille and I married (in 2002) we had the words “Be Brave” inscribed on the inside of the rings. It’s a call back to the film we made together called Sunday. The female character (Camille) writes those words on the male character (Dustin)’s arm. They were made in Byron Bay by Florian at Jewellers Workshop.

Tent

We love camping as a family and the tent is always up in the backyard. Before I was married with kids, I’d put a tent in the ute with some surfboards and get lost for a while. We still do that as a family. We also own a block of land on the mid-north coast of NSW and have spent years camping on that block. It’s about basic shelter and reminds us what is so pure and simple about life.

Surfboard

I love surfing and swimming, but this surfboard is a favourite. I bought it at Venice Beach, California in 2010 at a little surf shop called Mollusk. I knew it as a pokey little shop but now it’s quite popular. It has twin fins, great rails, and I enjoy using it. It has so many dings, but I still love it.

Goggles and suspension trainer

I buy a new pair of goggles every year. We’re at the beach swimming a lot so they come with me. I love travelling with them because they’re small and you can throw them in the bag quite easily. I also have a suspension trainer that goes wherever I do when I travel.

Framed print of Flat Rock Beach, Ballina NSW

This is my favourite surf break and it’s not too far away from where I grew up. I bought this print last year and it’s hanging up in the lounge room. There are lots of rock pools and the kid love going there to jump about. When my wife was pregnant, she would lay there with the kids, it’s a great family spot. Flat Rock doesn’t get any attention compared to Byron Bay, but it’s so good.

Architecture and home/design magazines and books

Camille and I are very inspired by architecture and home magazines and books, we always look for new ideas and inspiration. I have always enjoyed collecting books about good design and inspiring architecture.

Tommy Watson framed Indigenous print

This Indigenous print was given to me by the producers of the Wolf Creek series, which we made for Stan in 2015. We stayed at the Tommy Watson Art Series hotel in Adelaide while filming, and the producers got us a Watson print to take home. It’s hanging in our living room.