The Craftsmen Racing to Save Australia’s Historic Buildings Before Their Skills Disappear

Across Australia, historic buildings are facing an unusual threat: not just age and weather, but the gradual disappearance of the traditional skills needed to repair them.

In Albany, Western Australia, stonemasons are working on the restoration of a more-than-century-old church on historic York Street. The work requires techniques and knowledge that are very different from those used to construct modern buildings.

Experienced stonemasons say traditional heritage work demands a deep understanding of stone, materials and methods that have been passed down through generations.

But the number of people with those skills is shrinking.

Many experienced tradespeople are approaching retirement, while fewer young workers are choosing heritage stone masonry as a career. In Western Australia, industry representatives estimate that only about 30 people currently have the specialised skills needed for this type of work.

That shortage could eventually have consequences far beyond the construction industry.

Australia has more than 100,000 heritage-listed buildings. These structures provide a physical record of how earlier generations lived, worked and built their communities.

Once traditional masonry skills disappear, restoring those buildings becomes considerably more difficult.

One experienced stonemason told ABC that he had hoped to retire, but continued receiving calls because demand for his specialist skills remained high.

The work can involve repairing old stone walls, replacing damaged sections and matching new materials to existing structures without destroying the character of the original building.

Unlike constructing a new building, restoration requires craftsmen to understand how an old structure was originally made and how it has changed over many decades.

For historians and conservationists, those details matter. A building can reveal information about the people who constructed it, the materials available at the time and the way communities developed.

That is why the shortage of skilled heritage tradespeople has become a concern for organisations responsible for preserving historic sites.

Industry and training bodies are now looking at ways to encourage more young people to enter heritage trades. Training programs could help create a new generation capable of maintaining Australia’s older buildings.

The challenge is not simply finding people willing to work with stone. It is transferring knowledge accumulated over decades before experienced craftspeople leave the industry.

For the current generation of stonemasons, teaching younger workers has therefore become almost as important as completing the restoration projects themselves.

Their work may rarely attract the attention given to new skyscrapers or modern construction projects. Yet every repaired wall, doorway and historic building represents a piece of Australia’s past that can continue into the future.

For these craftsmen, preserving an old building means more than repairing stone. It means making sure the knowledge required to care for that building does not disappear with the people who currently possess it.

Source: ABC Great Southern, September 27, 2026.