​​OUR STORY

Hello, we are the Murrays, the family behind Buttonworks Australia. We are a family of makers crafting timber puzzles, homewares and gifts. All our products are designed and made by us in our studio on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula in Victoria.

With many family and  friends overseas, we found it hard to find authentic Australian made gifts that truly reflected the beautiful & diverse flora and fauna throughout Australia – so we started creating our own.

From  making craft buttons in 2001 our product range has grown to include tableware , giftware and jewellery. And as our family expanded, children’s puzzles and games were added to our range.

​Buttonworks chooses to make our products from a renewable, sustainable resource. We use a variety of Australian timbers which adds unique character to our products. Our timbers are sustainably harvested and genuinely Australian. We are proudly Australian Made and believe that being Australian Made is about supporting a greater network of people. Our family, our employees, our local timber and packaging suppliers, our posties, our communities and our environment. We’re all just a piece in this puzzle. 

​You can read more about our products and business on our FAQ's page.​

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​With Liz’s creative background and Mike’s  technical abilities, together they have created a product range inspired by Australia. With two of their daughters, Liza and Keli joining the business, Buttonworks grew to be a leading Australian made giftware business.

Keli and Liz now work together as the key creatives behind Buttonworks. The mother – daughter design team combine their distinct artistic styles and approaches with technological practices to create a uniquely Australian product range.

The Murray Family and The Buttonworks Team

VALUES & ETHOS

The real work has been done by the tree, Buttonworks has added the craftwork. Our goal is to create purposeful and unique authentic Australian souvenirs and gifts, whilst upholding the natural integrity of the sustainably sourced materials we use.

• As a family business we believe it is our obligation to employ local people, prioritise local materials, work with like minded Australian suppliers and support the protection of our natural environment and native wildlife.
• We aim to reduce waste and incorporate recycled materials where possible through our production practices and product packaging.
• We minimise our environmental footprint by ensuring our impact is positive. Our approach is to contribute more than we utilise, such as planting more trees than harvesting.
• The timber materials used in the production of our products are certified, harvested in accordance with Australian Forestry standards and sourced from plantation timber where regeneration programs are in place.
• It is of the upmost importance to us that our products are usable and safe. The raw materials we use including timbers, inks and sealants are safe and non-toxic.

We take pride in crafting our products in our studio on the Mornington Peninsula. We are registered to use the famous Australian Made logo on our products. It’s Australia’s most trusted, recognised and widely used country of origin symbol which ensures products that carry the logo are certified as ‘genuinely Australian’.

Buttonworks Australia has partnered with The Australian Koala Foundation as a sponsor to support their work through their Adopt a Koala and Plant a Tree programs working to ensure a safe and secure future for both the koala and its habitat.

Buttonworks chooses to make our products from a renewable, sustainable resource. ‘When people think of renewables, they think to wind farms, or solar panels. But they don’t think of forests or wood. Responsibly sourced wood is not only sustainable, but it’s renewable too. Because when it’s harvested today, it’s replanted for tomorrow. The unique ability to store carbon is another factor that means wood and any products made from it are an environmentally friendly option across the entire supply chain. That’s why they call wood The Ultimate Renewable™.’

The products in our Children and Education range meet the AS/NZS ISO safety standards and the materials we use are toxic free.  The raw materials we use throughout our product range including timbers, inks and sealants are safe and toxin free. We work with non-toxic inks, free from lead and other heavy elements and use formaldehyde free and safe glues and timbers.