Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue#19.7 September 2016 i Australian Country

Queensland have had significant rain. In my brother and sister-in-law’s case, they’ve measured almost 200mm for the months of June and July, in what amounts to a totally unseasonal, but completely welcome, break from a three-year drought. So the bare dust-bowl paddocks will have green grass again. By the time you read this and the weather has warmed up, the wildflowers, hopefully including my favourite,Ptilotus, will be out in force, lending their optimism to the landscape. Good rains, even drought-breaking falls, are not the end of the farmers’ trials, of course, because the land takes time and more rain to recover, stock numbers have to be rebuilt and it takes a few good seasons to finance the countless projects that were shelved during lean times. It’s not just the farms…

We’d heard that Rocky Lamattina & Sons was a big business, but didn’t quite grasp the extent of their operation until we headed to its HQ near Wemen in north-western Victoria. I mean, how many carrots do you have to grow to get your own road sign? In fact Rocky and his sons, Angelo, Phil and John, run an enterprise that spans 11,000 acres (4450 hectares) of farmland, a 16,000 square-metre processing plant and a fleet of giant black semi trailers transporting their produce from the farm to Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney. The Lamattinas grow about 70,000 tonnes of carrots a year from the farms at Wemen and the cooler climate Kaniva near the South Australian border. They supply a significant proportion of the Australian market for carrots as well…

THE COOKS’ PANTRY (SA) From Moroccan Spice and Gourmet BBQ to Simply Spanish and Traditional Javanese, The Cooks’ Pantry in South Australia offers an abundance of classes to hone your cooking skills. Classes start at 6.30pm, run for approximately three hours, and include detailed recipes and a delicious array of food and wine. A small group of eight to 10 students in each class and an open-plan kitchen create the perfect environment to meet new people who share a similar passion for food. If you have any food allergies or personal food preferences, it is recommended to discuss any concerns before booking a class. thecookspantry.com.au SYDNEY SEAFOOD SCHOOL (NSW) Experience all things seafood at one of Australia’s leading cooking schools, the Sydney Seafood School. Classes commence in the school’s tiered…

BRONTE CAMILLERI STYLIST & LOCATION SCOUT Bronte’s career began in visual merchandising for major Australian retailers, including R. M. Williams, Myer and Cue. She has been a lecturer on the subject for the tertiary education system. She has worked as overall coordinator on a range of projects from small studio propping to major photo shoots for international corporations such as Nikon, Japan and ING. ROSS WILLIAMS PHOTOGRAPHER Ross has been a photographer for 30 years, shooting food, wine and commercial and residential architecture, as well as travelling overseas to shoot everything from mining projects to aircraft. He relishes the challenge of arriving at a previously unseen location and working on the best way to showcase it. australiancountry.net.au facebook.com/AustralianCountry @australiancountrymag zinio.com pinterest.com/auscountrymag…

First impressions count. And sometimes, first impressions linger in the heart and mind, and trigger one of those life-changing moments upon which Hollywood thrives. In 1989, Barbara Landsberg fell in love at first sight with an enchanting historic estate in the Blue Mountains. Her friend was visiting from England, and they set out from Sydney together to visit the friend’s relatives, Helen and Gary Ghent, at Withycombe in Mount Wilson. “We drove up to Withycombe in the wind and rain in my old Toyota Corolla, worried that we would not make it up the mountain,” Barbara recalls. “We got lost on our way and arrived very late in the evening, to be greeted with the lights of the house shining out through the dark and rain. Helen opened the door…

They say you can take the girl out of the country but you can’t take the country out of the girl. While Mildura-born-and-bred Debra Williams says she and her electrician husband, Anthony, were happy when they moved to Melbourne for work, living in the eastern suburbs and then the Dandenongs, the lure of home became too strong once their daughter, Grace, was born. “It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with our lifestyle in the city,” she explains. “But our roots in Mildura were pretty strong and proximity to family and friends becomes more important once you start a family of your own.” Mind you, Mildura is far from your average country town. With a population of approximately 30,000, it’s a service centre for a thriving horticultural community focused mainly…

The master of identity confusion — witlof (meaning white flower), also known as witloof, witloof chicory, Belgian endive, French endive, chicon, chicory, endivia — was an accidental bonus for a Belgian farmer in the 1830s. He stored chicory roots in his cellar probably with the intention of using them later; dried, roasted and ground as a coffee substitute, a practice which had already developed in Europe from in some cases necessity, others from preference. The perfect dark, warm and humid environment encouraged the roots to sprout from the leaf end again (this time in the dark), growing chlorophyll-deprived, almost-white buds, which he found to be edible. By the 1850s the head overseer of the Botanical Gardens in Brussels had picked up on the discovery and began to develop a process…

AUSTRALIAN ALPACA CENTRE While spring is just around the corner, a scarf is always good to have for those chilly nights. Australian Alpaca Centre offers high quality 100 per cent alpaca scarves that are the perfect combination of softness, warmth and elegance. alpacaaustralia.com.au CALICO FUDGE Calico Fudge sells more than 400 different flavours of smooth and creamy fudge. The company has modified its secret recipe to work in a microwave oven so sweet tooths can now make fudge at home. calicofudge.com BURBIA This limited-edition print of the Sydney Harbour Bridge by Burbia will add a whole new dimension to your home decor. Burbia offers many other beautiful products including map, postcode and state prints and tea towels. burbia.com.au VILLA MAISON Embracing a Hamptons feel and a coastal vibe, furniture company…

365 NATURE ANNA CARLILE, HARDIE GRANT BOOKS, $49.95 Embrace nature and disconnect from the digital world with the help from this beautifully collaborated book, 365 Nature,by Anna Carlile. Whether you live in an apartment, have a small garden patch or an expansive jungle at your door, the projects in this book will inspire you to be creative and make the most of the environment around you. Featuring recipes, quotes, activities, projects and amazing photography, 365 Natureis organised into four seasonal chapters. It is the go-to coffee-table book with a little bit of everything. THE SIMPLE HOME RHONDA HETZEL, PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE, $45 Following on her bestselling book, Down To Earth, award-winning blogger Rhonda Hetzel presents her latest creation, The Simple Home.Covering everything from recipes and managing finances to gardening and…

Truly gifted Thanks to a Mother’s Day gift subscription I am sitting in front of the fire enjoying Australian Country magazine. The only gift that may have been better would have been a ticket to join Kirsty McKenzie on the Australian Country tour to England, France and Italy. The subscription I received was perfect as I will be able to continue to enjoy my gift for many months to come, thanks to my beautiful daughter. Sue Russell, Barraba NSW The lucky country Like many of your readers I’ve been fortunate enough to have travelled overseas, seen amazing sights and beautiful landscapes. But there’s nothing I’ve seen that compares to the vastness and spectacle of this wonderful land. From north to south, east to west, and all in between, the land…

JUL 22–NOV 6 (VIC) MAKING THE AUSTRALIAN QUILT: 1800-1950 Exclusive to Melbourne, Making the Australian Quilt is the first major exhibition of its kind to bring together Australia’s quilt heritage. Key works such as the The Rajah Quilt and examples by designers Mary Jane Hannaford, Marianne Gibson and Amelia Brown are shown alongside never-before-seen pieces. This interesting showcase also comes with a full colour catalogue curated by quilt historians and collectors. Don’t miss out on the exhibition, taking place at the National Gallery of Victoria. ngv.vic.gov.au SEP 7–11 (NSW) SYDNEY ANTIQUES & ART FAIR The Kensington Room in Randwick will be transformed into a treasure cove offering the finest collections of international and local antiques. Hosting more than 35 of the top dealers from across the country, the fair will…

Life is too short to die wondering, according to Lyndal Buth, one half of the team behind Heathcote Harvest, the remarkably successful providore-cumcafe she runs with her husband, Steve, in central Victoria’s Heathcote district. Heathcote Harvest is a weekends-only business, serving lunches, tastings and teas from Friday to Sunday and public holiday Mondays and dinners on Friday and Saturday evenings. It’s a full-on paddock to plate enterprise, located slap bang in the middle of their pig farm. The pigs are possibly among the more pampered pets on the planet. “All our animals have a good life,” Steve says. “We let them grow up and have fun with mud wallows and plenty of space and shelter. They only have one bad day, then they end up on the plate.” Hardly surprisingly,…

JAZZ BY THE BAY Jazz and music lovers everywhere came to Western Australia’s South West region for the 2016 Jazz by the Bay festival. In its fourth year, the event took place over the Western Australia Day long weekend. Local, national and international jazz musicians and celebrities performed in 15 different venues across the three days in and around the picturesque towns of Dunsborough, Busselton and Margaret River. From jazz and soul to rhythm and blues, this celebration of music was perfect for locals and visitors to appreciate live entertainment as well as enjoy the magnificent beaches, celebrated wineries and gourmet food the region has to offer. The sensational line-up of performers included the Danny Moss Jr Trio, Adam Hall and the Velvet Playboys, Bonnie Scott’s Jazz Duo, Catherine Summers,…

Akubra Hats Pty Ltd ph: (02) 6562 6177, e: salesenquiries@akubra.com.au, w: akubra.com.au Alliance Furniture Trading w: allianceathome.com.au Anise Botanical Skincare e: info@aniseskin.com, w: aniseskin.com Antique Baths 162 Bungaree Rd, Pendle Hill NSW 2145. ph: (02) 9896 0109, e: info@antiquebaths.com.au, w: antiquebaths.com.au Australian Alpaca Centre e: retail@alpacaaustralia.com.au w: alpacaaustralia.com.au Beacon Lighting 5 Bastow Pl, Mulgrave Vic 3170. ph: (03) 8561 1555, w: beaconlighting.com.au Biome ph: 1300 301 767, w: biome.com.au Botani 16/306 Albert St, Brunswick Vic 3056. ph: (03) 9380 8529, e: skinhealth@botani.com.au, w: botani.com.au Bowerbird w: collectbowerbird.com Bronze and Marble Gallery Unit 2a/56 Collingwood St, Osborne Park WA 6017. ph: (08) 9204 4436, e: info@bronzeandmarblegallery.com, w: bronzeandmarblegallery.com Burbia Suite 5a Level 5, 2-12 Foveaux St, Surry Hills NSW 2010. e: prints@burbia.com.au, w: burbia.com.au Byron Bay Skincare e: info@byronbayskincare.com.au, w: byronbayskincare.com.au…