Victoria would look very different if it wasn't for the dark stone that paves many of its lanes, streets and new and old buildings.
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And that bluestone continues shaping iconic public places, like on Warrnambool's Liebig Street, parts of Victoria's Parliament House and at super stops for Melbourne's trams.
Sam Steel, whose grandparents Don and Yvonne Bartlett started Port Fairy's Bamstone in 1975, said during his early career he came to know how widespread bluestone was in construction throughout the state.
"It makes me proud that we are providing these good building supplies from south-west Victoria," Mr Steel said.
Mr Steel is due become a general manager at the business, now owned by his parents Cheryl and Michael, after working in Melbourne for civic and civil firm 2Construct for six years.
During those years he played a role in the management of many large-scale civil and commercial construction projects, including at Federation Square, Assumption College, Parliament House and the Warrnambool Streetscape Renewal Project.
"I knew I had done everything I wanted to do in Melbourne, and wanted to bring back my new skills and what I've learned into the business," Mr Steel said.
"I love Port Fairy, it's a great place and I love living here, and I wanted to make the sea change. For a long time I have known it was coming."
Mr Steel said skills gained away from home included stakeholder management and dealing with design difficulties.
But he believed there was much to learn from the family business' 40-to-45 employees, some of whom had worked for Bamstone for decades.
"To learn the experience they have had at the business; that's knowledge you can only learn over time," he said.
Bamstone managing director Michael Steel said he looked forward to working with Sam over the next five years to shape the company's future success.
"The Bamstone brand has a rich 46-year family history on Australian soil," he said.
"We are excited to be reinvigorating these core elements of the brand DNA for the future.
"It's a new chapter, and now is the time to look forward."
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