About Bombora Custom Furniture
Sustainable Wooden Furniture, Made on the Surf CoastWe are a family-owned business based in Torquay, a small coastal town on Victoria’s Surf Coast, just an hour from Melbourne. For the past 14 years, we’ve been crafting timber furniture and cabinetry that’s built to last.
Each design is customisable in timber choice, size and layout so it fits seamlessly with your style and space. This approach allows us to create furniture that feels both timeless and personal, without compromising on craftsmanship or longevity.Our hope is simple: through considered design, quality materials, and meticulous construction, the pieces we make will become treasured possessions, passed down through generations.
Sustainability shapes not only the timbers we source but also the way we live and work. And because balance matters, when the surf is pumping or the sun is shining on the golf course, the tools can wait.
Bombora Furniture Designer - Luke Collins
Creativity for Luke comes from converting necessity into something of beauty. Taking what the client needs for their home to display, hide or house things and designing something that transcends the purpose with a timeless style that will see it last the decades.
The custom timber furniture design process continues into the build of the piece as the timber is chosen and laid out. The timber is moved until each piece looks its best. Not traditionally trained as a designer, Luke creates organically, seeking inspiration from a wide range of sources so that his timber furniture is original and not influenced by what others have done.
Luke's ultimate muse is the wood itself. He loves to use timber with a history and tale to tell such as from bridges, piers and old buildings. It is this one-of-a-kind character that cannot be manufactured or reproduced and has a personality all of its own.
Client Experience - Alison Collins
For Alison, creativity is found in both people and process. She loves working with clients to balance aesthetic beauty with functionality, guiding ideas into designs that exceed expectations and become treasured pieces in their homes. Beyond design, Alison’s passion lies in shaping the direction of Bombora, refining the client experience, nurturing the business, and ensuring every project reflects both craftsmanship and care.
With a love of nature and beautiful, enduring things, Alison was drawn to create a business that celebrates timber in its most authentic form. For her, Bombora is as much about sustainability and longevity as it is about design, building furniture that lasts for decades and feels meaningful to live with.
Creating a family business close to home has allowed her to blend her love of business with a lifestyle rooted in community, creativity, and connection.
History of Bombora Custom Furniture
Luke began designing and building custom timber furniture in Melbourne 12 years ago to create a beautiful home on a student's budget. Out of necessity grew a passion for wood, design and working with his hands.
In Feb 2011, after the house was full of beautiful pieces, Luke made two wooden dining tables which he quickly sold on Gumtree. From there, Luke began to receive orders and the word-of-mouth referrals kept coming.
After the birth of their Daughter early in 2012, the Collins family decided to have a sea change and move from Melbourne to Torquay on the Victorian Surf Coast. Alison came on board to develop the business with the hope that Luke would be able to quit his “day job” as a firefighter. In 2014, with two staff members, Luke was finally able to give in his notice and be a full-time furniture maker.
In 2021 Bombora took the plunge to move from our idyllic setting looking over the hills at Ashmore Arts to purchase our factory in Torquay. After a crazy couple of months of fitting out the new factory, we moved into our new home!
Bombora Showroom and Workshop
Located in Torquay 30 minutes from Geelong and 1 hour from Melbourne, our workshop is where all the magic happens. All the timber elements of our custom timber furniture are created by our furniture makers in the workshop. The stone tops of our timber vanities and metal legs for our wooden dining table designs are created by other local manufacturers.
The Bombora showroom displays some of our timber vanity designs as well as doors, bench tops, concrete basins and shaving cabinets. We have examples of our timber selection as well as small samples to take home. Appointments can be made to view our showroom and workshop or we are open on Tuesdays and Fridays. If you aren’t located in our local area, a virtual showroom zoom appointment can be booked.
Our Coastal Inspiration
Our coastal home of Torquay shapes both the design of our furniture and the way we work. Our style is down-to-earth and functional, allowing the natural beauty of timber to take centre stage.
A deep respect for our environment underpins everything we do, from powering our factory with solar energy to creating furniture with lasting design and construction, all while working to minimise our impact on the planet.