In Australia, pise building was planted by European gold hunters in the 1850s, and became common in the dry timberless regions of Australia. Today Australia is experiencing a renaissance of rammed earth building, putting it on the cutting edge of this technology. Its success seems to be due not only to rammed earths fit with the rugged and earthy self-image of Australians, but because in Australia framing lumber is rare and expensive, and rammed earth is not a radical change from the dominant form of brick masonry construction (Easton, 1996).