A walk around the Jindabyne quickly confirms that this is a resort community centered around the winter ski season. It seems as though every other residential building is a lodge or B&B. Most of the architecture is pretty bland here in town, but a few of the lodges have the inevitable Swiss Chalet/Bavarian flourishes to evoke that classic kitschy winter wonderland ambiance. It sounds like Jindabyne doesn’t really get all that much snow, however; it’s mostly in their minds (and the surrounding mountains).
Merrilyn took us to see some of the outlying residential communities where the architecture is more interesting. The homes here are different than the ones we’ve seen in other parts of Australia. Elsewhere you see mostly brick or stucco with tile or metal roofs. Here you see less brick and the roofs are mostly metal. I’ve also seen a fair bit of corrugated metal siding, often used in combination with stone or stucco – a look I rather like.
There are definitely regional variations as well. Around Brisbane we saw a historical style called the Queenslander, which has large shady verandahs, filigree detail and is raised off the ground to catch the cooling breezes and protect from floodwaters. In the part of Sydney where we stayed almost every house was brick. In Canberra they were mostly stucco.
The gum trees that grow everywhere here are brittle and twisting and don’t make for good construction material. That may be why you don’t see that much wood used. Even the cabinets are usually laminate (yuck) or something similar. Tile floors are common, carpet less so – which makes sense in a warm climate. Newer homes often have closets like we are used to (robes they call them), albeit a bit smaller, but older homes either don’t have them or have a kind of cabinet instead. We haven’t been in high end homes, but the kitchen counters we’ve seen have all been laminate. The bathroom vanities have all been the type with the sinks molded into the counter rather than separate. Surprisingly, we haven’t seen many master suites with double sinks.
It’s impossible to know if what we’ve seen in our limited time here has been a representative sample of Australian architecture. But based on what we have seen I would say that overall the construction materials used in the exterior of houses here is superior to ours (more permanent), but the interior finishes are inferior. Below are some of the photos I’ve taken of houses, mostly in Brisbane near the start of our trip when everything seemed new and different and my camera was out to record it all.
A Queenslander (not my picture)
This and the next several photos were taken in Brisbane near where we were staying in the suburb of Runcorn.
Brick walls and tile roof - that's the uniform.
Rainwater storage tanks - thankfully most are not this ugly.
Note the pattern on the driveway. This is very common in Brisbane. Plain concrete driveways must be a major architectural faux pas. Note also the handsome pedestal mailbox on the left side of the driveway - also very common. Makes our pressure treated 4x4 posts look rather pitiful.
Nice landscaping...and another mailbox.
Another driveway pattern. The window at left has an external shade that can roll down and shade the window on hot days.
Solar water heater on the roof.
Flats (apartments) in Jindabyne.
Merrylin and David used to own this pseudo-Bavarian lodge. Merrylin's sister owns it now.
Jindabyne: Nice mix of corrugated steel siding above and stone below. 
Modern house with a nice view of Lake Jindabyne.