Robert Gordon Australia

Proudly Made in Melbourne, the Robert Gordon family have been designing and making pottery since 1945. They pride themselves on craftmanship built up over three generations.

A love of pottery runs in the family...

Over forty years ago, Robert ‘Andy’ Gordon walked into a ten by eight-foot tin shed, picked up a lump of clay and turned his potter's wheel. The Pack Track Pottery was born. But the story and inspiration for Robert Gordon dates long before 1979 and a rickety home-made studio Robert’s mother, the renowned Australian potter June Dyson, set up her studios in 1945. June formed a formidable partnership with her husband Colin who became the company’s business director.

June’s second son Robert showed most interest in the pottery, helping out in the studios from his early twenties. It was inevitable that Robert would one day follow in his mother’s footsteps. And having married his English wife Barbara, the couple set about moulding their dream.

Manufacturing

What was once known as the Pack Track Pottery has now developed into a large production pottery, employing over 35 staff. From supplying wares to Sunday tourists at the St Kilda markets, to providing some of the world’s most reputable retailers and restaurants with quality ceramics, those early years spent as a studio pottery means they still place enormous importance on the craft of pottery.

To keep up with the times and the demand, RGA is not only a manufacturer of bespoke Australian made pottery these days but an importer too. Designs dreamed up at their Pakenhan HQ are sent off to China to be made into the pieces that become part of the ever-popular collections the team at Robert Gordon are so proud of.

A love of pottery has been handed down from June Dyson to Robert and his children. The family has been immersed in the world of ceramics for over seventy years.

This is a story unlike any other pottery in Australia.

Commitment To Craft

Robert Gordon is the largest production pottery in Australia. The Pakenham workshop produces some 300,000+ pieces of high-fired stoneware each year.

Tooling

As a production pottery, they utilise machinery and mouldings to make each piece.

The equipment at the workshop is a mix of traditional and modern tools. New prototypes are fist developed on the thrower’s wheel or slab roller. Once approved, shapes are then included in the production schedule and created using methods such as casting or pressing. It's a carefully considered process.

People

Robert Gordon employ 35 local craftspeople to make and process the pottery. Each member of the workshop team brings invaluable skills to their stations, with some long-term employees contributing 25+ years' experience. A piece of pottery crafted in Pakenham passes through no less than twelve sets of hands.