Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 24 i Australian Country Homes

Western Australian artist and book illustrator Rebecca Cool is a self-confessed art school dropout and has never had a “proper” job, or received a grant or any form of subsidy. Yet she earns a respectable living from her work and says she is completely content living on the 10-acre [four-hectare] farm she shares with her partner, Ross Miller, in the lush Margaret River district. Ross is also a self-supporting artist, though he prefers to call himself “a person who makes things”. This includes the studios he built in the grounds of the river-fronting property they’ve called home since moving to the south-west in 2005. Between them, they lead rich, creative lives, pursue a mutual passion for collecting and decorating and take care of a menagerie of animals including five goats,…

When the paddocks are brown and the lake is dry, there will always be a green patch around the homestead on Alan and Marilyn Wilson’s Oakwood farm near Minlaton on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula. That’s thanks to the couple’s combined efforts across two decades since they extended the garden they inherited when they took over the family farm in 1969. “Alan’s mother was a keen gardener,” Marilyn explains. “So we started with a good foundation. Although we did the major work in 1999, it looks like it’s been there a lot longer because it’s surrounded by eucalypts. It’s actually hard to grow trees to any size in this area due to a combination of factors: wind, low rainfall of about 14 inches [355mm] annually and shallow soil depth.” An avenue…

THE LENTO COLLECTION The Lento Collection by Vincent Sheppard is available now at Cotswold Furniture. As its name implies, the Lento (Italian for slow) Collection is all about taking it slow. Enjoying la dolce vita while doing things that are important to you is exactly what Belgian designer Bertrand Lejoly had in mind when designing this range. The eye-catching outdoor furniture pieces are characterised by a mix of natural teak wood, tactile polypropylene rope and comfortable cushions united in low-slung designs. While the overall feel is laid-back and relaxed, the prominently featured solid teak legs and high woven-rope backs give the collection a rich and engaging personality. With a construction that encourages air flow, this is the perfect outdoor setting for you this summer, and it’s available now at Cotswold…

Leah Stirton cheerfully admits she had never been west of the Brisbane suburb of Indooroopilly when she applied for a teaching position in Charleville. Freshly returned from London and nursing a broken heart, she wanted to move as far away as possible and had no idea that the south-western Queensland town, population 3000-odd, was more than 600 kilometres from Brisbane and lacked most of the amenities she took for granted in her very urban previous life. Leah grew up in the northern Queensland coastal town of Ayr and, fresh out of school, moved to Brisbane for university studies to become an English and drama teacher. “I was always interested in decorating and event coordinating,” she recalls. “I was never the one to spend weekends in bed. When I was at…

While we all know that neutral is timeless and makes for a good base, there is a case to be made for adding colour to your home. A growing number of designs are appearing across the kitchen and bathroom landscape that are incorporating colour in a big way — in more than just decor and furnishings. An increasing number of homeowners are staking a claim on their spaces using colour and it is gaining momentum. Choosing to be adventurous — without being outrageous — many homeowners are selecting a material palette that reflects their personal style through colour, making a grand statement that has serious appeal. Be it bold paint selections, coloured cabinetry choices, titillating tiles or vibrant fixtures and fittings, there are a number of ways to pack in…

A bad day at work and a lucky find on the internet led Ina Ansmann and Timothy Noonan to a completely new life in Tasmania. “We were living and working in Brisbane and we’d both come home after a bad day at work and just thought there had to be more to life,” Timo explains. The Truffledore in Lower Barrington popped up on the computer screen and lured them from subtropical Brisbane to the red soil and cold weather of northwest Tasmania. The real estate ad promised a small farm with established truffles, tasting room and farmstay accommodation. Says Timo, “We weren’t farmers and knew nothing about truffles, but the lifestyle and opportunity that the farm promised was what we wanted.” Although they weren’t farmers, Ina was a very keen…

Capetonian couple Justin Rhodes and Cameron Munro are lounging poolside at their seaside home in Misty Cliffs, a conservation village just 45 minutes away from the Mother City. They’re soaking in the sun on a deck that is tucked neatly into a pristine patch of the Cape’s indigenous fynbos vegetation. This split-level balau perch is, at the same time, suspended from a cliff face, almost hovering above the Atlantic Ocean beyond. It’s summer and Justin and Cameron are making the most of their weekend getaway, a far cry from their more frenetic weekday life in Cape Town. The couple — who owns WHATIFTHEWORLD gallery, the vibrant Neighbourgoods Market, hotspot eatery Superette, and Tiny Empire, a slick co-working space — welcomes the full immersion in this tranquil coastal sanctuary. The setting…

Alison Ray has a wedding for 130 going on in her garden when we arrive, but she appears unfazed by the chaos that could well be imminent. With the assistance of a handful of friends, she calmly continues slicing up cakes, plating sandwiches, making and serving tea and coffee, and distributing endless platters of food. When the guests have gone, I remark how smoothly Alison and her supporters have managed the event. “Oh, that was nothing,” she says. “When you’ve started an orphanage and built a school, you begin to think you can do anything.” Alison is the powerhouse behind Our Rainbow House, a charity based in her hometown of Emerald in central-western Queensland. With the support of her stock and station agent husband, Terry, an inner circle of about…

When it comes to nurture versus nature, Paula Jenkins is adamant: her career as an artist is due to equal measures of both. If she hadn’t grown up in the country, and been lucky enough to spend seven formative years living on the historic Camden Park property founded by the pioneering Macarthur family, she would never have had the freedom to ride horses, explore her talents and express her deep love of the land by sketching trees, landscapes and historic buildings. Then the nurture side kicked in when she attended the proactively arts-focused Frensham School, where she studied three-unit art and honed her skills with brushes and paint. Plus there was an important childhood friendship with flamenco dancer Deya Giner, niece of the celebrated artist Piers Dudley-Bateman, who became a…

This majestic freestanding 1890s home has been thoroughly renovated and brought into the 21st century, while maintaining the aged heritage character of the house. The old home has now been rejuvenated into a warm, comfortable residence that still captures the character of the past and is once again a strong feature in the street. In the home presented to Fix & Build Constructions, there was significant wall and ceiling cornice cracking throughout. Rooms were also damp and closed off. The existing ground floor was updated with fresh paint and the walls and ceilings fixed. The powder room was freshened up, with the basin being one of the standout features. All timber flooring on the ground floor was stained in Black Japan to contrast with the Vivid White walls. A space…