Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 13 i Australian Country Homes

Hello dear reader, It seems the end of what has been a hard year for many is shifting into the rear-view mirror. There’s no denying the challenges that 2020 has brought, altering the way we live and, in some cases, the way we view our safety and our homes. For some, the summer season won’t bring relief. It will herald more of the catastrophic bushfires that ravage our sunburnt country every year, resulting in chaos and devastation. Yet as the new year teases us, tempts us, it brings an undeniable sense of hope too. There’s nothing like the promise of possibility that whispers to us when December ticks into January. This sense of potential reminds us of the ability we have to change, to want better and to do better.…

Is it possible to have it all? Probably not, but New Zealand cook and publishing legend Annabel Langbein comes pretty close. As the author of 25 fabulous cookbooks and the star of her own TV show, The Free Range Cook, Annabel believes growing her own fruit and vegies is central to the lifestyle she enjoys in each destination. “By instinct I don’t go to the fridge to decide what to have for dinner,” she explains. “I go to the garden to see what’s available. Or in the dead of winter, I might go to the pantry to see what I’ve preserved from more fruitful times.” In doing so, Annabel is preserving a tradition established by her parents as she was growing up in Wellington. Her father, a senior civil servant,…

One of the most abundant and durable materials on the planet, quartz is a mineral composed of silicon and oxygen found in the earth’s crust. Non-porous by nature and featuring a high resistance to scratching or chipping, quartz is a great sustainable option for your kitchen when sourced ethically. Using less-invasive mining techniques, Smartstone offers engineered surfaces composed of at least 93 per cent quartz to create beautiful and long-lasting surfaces for your home. Healthy interiors are important, and these surfaces have been certified for low-VOC emissions and are safe for all food environments. Smartstone only selects surfaces from manufacturers who offer exceptional levels of workmanship, technology and environmental care. As a result, every surface that bears the Smartstone brand mark has met its rigorous standards so they may exceed…

There’s a lot to love about Mudgee. This north-western New South Wales town is popular with locals and visitors alike — and for very good reason. Part of Mudgee’s charm and history is its agriculture, viticulture and foodie culture. Another realm is its architecture and one of this town’s pinnacles of design is Heaton Lodge. This 1850s building was home to the Loneragan family for five generations and is located on the eastern side of Mudgee’s CBD, adjacent to the Cudgegong River. The seven-acre property features a rambling house, numerous outbuildings, a large self-contained cottage and a separate two-storey building that was originally used as stables but which today comprises a garage and workshop. The extensive, well-tended garden features ever-changing mature English trees, countless roses and hundreds of bulbs. The…

Although succulents are often grouped together, they come from many different plant families — including the daisy family (Asteraceae) and the stonecrop family (Crassulaceae) — as well as from many parts of the world, not least the arid and coastal areas of Australia. What makes them a plant group is that all succulents have adapted to survive dry conditions via fleshy leaves, stems and roots that help them retain water — making them well suited to our local country climate. Succulents relish hot, dry situations and can take a starring role in dry and heat-tolerant gardens. Many also grow very well in containers. This tough plant group is also finding its way into flower and table arrangements indoors as well as into open terrariums for indoor gardens. In recent years,…

MINI DRAPE CARDIGAN The Mini Drape cardigan from Smitten Merino is high on our wish list due to its absolute wearability. It’s so simple to slip on over a T-shirt and jeans or something a little warmer, making it perfect for summer nights out or those cooler, rainy days where you need something extra. And, like all Smitten Merino products, the cardigan is made of the highest-quality material. It is crafted from 100 per cent merino and is proudly made in Tasmania. With seven beautiful colours to choose from, there’s one to suit your wardrobe. smittenmerino.com WOODEN BEACH HUT BUNTING Celebrate the arrival of warmer days with the Wooden Beach Hut Bunting from Pretty Homestyle. This cheerful accessory will have you dreaming of sunny days in the sunshine and is…

Most people wouldn’t be tempted at first inspection to make an offer on a property whose best feature was a VB beer carton taped over a missing window. Thankfully, Nicole and Justin O’Brien could see the potential of the shoe-box-sized house nestled among the rolling hills and towering trees of Main Ridge on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. Justin was adamant it was the property for them, but for Nicole, it wasn’t a case of love at first sight. “My stomach flipped when I saw it,” she says. “We had to clear a fallen branch from the driveway just to get to the house and then sweet-talk the agent into bringing the key down because he couldn’t believe we were really interested in the place.” And she wasn’t alone, she recalls with…

Interior decorator, wife and mother, Sally Carson was raised on a sheep and cattle property near Tamworth. “It was a great childhood,” she recalls. “I spent many happy days with my siblings making cubbies, riding bikes and horses and helping out on the farm.” A career in the fashion industry took Sally away from the land and into urban centres in New Zealand, Hong Kong, Melbourne and Sydney. While in Sydney she met, and later married, James, a civil engineer. After moving to Queensland, they settled in the leafy inner-Brisbane suburb of Bardon to raise their two boys, Will and Andrew. They hadn’t been there very long when they received the happy, but “hugely surprising” news that they were having twins. “We needed a bigger house,” Sally recalls. “Originally we…

It was the green leafy outlook from an elevated position that drew Sarah and Trent Dunlop to their home in Brisbane’s Red Hill in 2000. The inner-city suburb is close to the CBD yet has a quiet community feel and offers cosmopolitan shopping and dining, as well as bike tracks and pathways through parkland. The Dunlops bought their house when Sarah was pregnant with their first child and, nearly 12 years after, they undertook a stunning renovation to better suit their needs. A typical old Queenslander, the 1930s house was the perfect blank canvas for Sarah’s renovation dreams and at time of first print was home to the couple and their two children, Abigail and Eliza. Sarah was determined to make the most of their pristine positioning and what started…

While we’re looking outward at deforestation, vehicular carbon emissions and the plastic waste in our oceans when it comes to living a more ecoforward life, we also need to look inward to our lifestyles and homes, recognising that change starts with us. Environmentally friendly houses can appear expensive or difficult to create, particularly in an existing home, but there are many practical changes you can implement now. Why wait for change when it can start today? Here we look at kitchens and bathrooms, two important spaces that are responsible for the majority of our energy bills, and find ways to improve our homes for the better. Kitchens What’s in your kitchen? Benchtops, cabinetry, appliances, tapware and many more components build your space to create what you see. Designed for daily…

This stately, historic residence has had life breathed into it by Susan and John Gallagher and their sons Jack, Stirling and Lachlan. They have taken a property that may have had the tendency to appear too austere or imposing to comfortably suit a busy growing family, and turned it into a warm and inviting home. In 2010, the Gallagher family found themselves rapidly outgrowing their previous home in Brisbane’s inner-city suburb of Paddington. With its location on a small, sloping block and no room for kicking footballs or riding bikes, they were literally bursting at the seams. Although they enjoyed living in the area and wanted to keep the boys at the same schools, they knew it was time to move to a larger home. Funnily enough, Susan recounts that…

Without a doubt, an icon of the antiques scene in Australia is Valentine’s Antique Gallery. This business is one of the longest-running antiques companies in the country, operating since 1947 and specialising in high-quality 19th- and 20th-century antiques sourced from estates and consignments both locally and as far afield as the United Kingdom and Europe. The gallery is a virtual treasure trove for lovers of all things collectible. From furniture to porcelain to glassware, lamps, boxes and jewellery, you’ll find a gem around every corner. And now, thanks to the company’s recent relocation to a new historic premises, the delights don’t stop with the stock available on the floor. “Valentine’s Antique Gallery has recently relocated to the heart of Bendigo’s arts precinct and is operating from one of Central Victoria’s…