Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue#19.5 June 2016 i Australian Country

While you will read about some of our adventures in upcoming issues, the experience encourages me to remind you that time is running out to join the Australian Country Discovery Tour of Britain, France and Italy that I will be joining at the end of August. The 20-day itinerary reads like a shortlist of the must-see destinations of England and Europe and I’m excited to be leading the group. Put together by our friends at Travelrite, the trip offers exceptional value for money with several nights in each destination and accommodation in first-class and moderate first-class hotels. What’s not to love about visits to benchmark gardens and historic houses, the châteaux of the Loire, a cooking school in the Italian lakes, a wine tasting in Beaune and a day at…

Sue Clohesy says she inherited her bowerbird gene from her mother’s side of the family. For as long as she can remember, she has loved the thrill of the chase, heading out to estate auctions and garage sales in search of the perfect, quirky piece of furniture or artefact to decorate her home . “I grew up on a farm at Nichols Point, just out of Mildura,” she recalls. “Dad grew grapes for dried fruit and Mum was a nurse from Wilcannia, so I have pretty deep country roots. I’ve always loved the character of old things, even as a teenager when I would take my friends on treasure hunts. We went to Adelaide sometimes and I remember another treasure hunting expedition to Ballarat, Bendigo and Castlemaine.” “We inherited good…

Tiffany Treloar practically grew up in the workroom of her mother, luminary Australian fashion designer Prue Acton. From as early as she can remember, Tiffany loved playing with fabrics and trims. Fashion, it seemed, was in her blood, as her father, Mike Treloar, was also a menswear designer. “I’ve always loved making things and Mum gave me my first sewing machine when I was about nine,” Tiffany recalls. “I remember making a horse rug from fabric offcuts. A couple of years later, I made a fancy dress costume from the jacket Mum had worn to the Melbourne Cup. It was a rather space-age-looking garment so I was the Martian and my horse was the flying saucer. Of course, I ended up helping out in Mum’s office or retail during school…

Chris May says it’s always been about people. With a varied career that includes stints as a jackaroo in outback NSW and Queensland, a degree in psychology and employment as a youth worker, Chris says his driving force is to make a difference to people’s lives. However, it wasn’t until Chris’s father was in hospital and he met Rosie, who was also a patient, that Chris found both his future wife and his true calling. “Actually, it was Mum who introduced us,” he explains. “Typical of her generation, she was looking after everyone in the ward and she thought I should meet this lovely young woman.” As fate would have it, Rosie’s father, Dominic Carouso, was a flower farmer, the ultimate creator of beauty and pleasure. “Dominic took me to…

It’s not surprising that the words magic and mushroom are often used together. Apart from the well-documented psychedelic qualities of certain species, and the fairytale image of a ring of white-spotted, bright-red toadstools, the magic of fungi is reinforced each time one crowns through the undergrowth, or even from the compost in a mushroom kit in a dark corner of your house. Wet and warm autumn days set the scene for the magical sudden emergence of the huge array of fungi there is, from the common edible button mushroom to the more exotic forest finds. It’s such a pity that many city dwellers don’t get the opportunity to experience the early-morning hunt of mushrooming, but the increasing variety available in markets and shops at least means most of us get…

JETMASTER Nothing brings comfort and warmth into your home like a flickering wood fire. Jetmaster fireplaces offer this through a range of efficient open fires as well as slow-combustion fires. jetmaster.com.au AUSTRALIAN ALPACA CENTRE Stay warm this season with Australian Alpaca’s sleeveless cardigan, perfect for various occasions and as a stylish pullover. It is made with high-quality alpaca fibre and is available in a range of colours. alpacaaustralia.com.au SHOP INSIDE Embrace the cold with the cotton Kai cushions by Ultima. Made with chunky horizontal rows of hand-knitted braid, they blend seamlessly with bright patterns, subtle textures and basic whites. shopinside.com.au HOWARD PRODUCTS Howard Products Citrus Shield Premium Paste Wax offers a refreshing way to wax wood finishes to a beautiful, protective shine without any harsh-smelling aromas. howardproducts.com.au VILLA MAISON Add…

Holiday bonus Last year while on holidays in Victoria I purchased a copy of your Country Homesteads calendar, which also came with six small cards inside. Every person I have sent them to commented how nice they were. I didn’t realise you also produced the magazine, otherwise I would have started looking for it earlier. Beverley McIntyre, Beverley Park NSW Thrill of the chase My husband and I retired 10 years ago to an aged care facility between Coffs Harbour and Sawtell. We have downsized, but we still kept much of our 52 years of collecting bric-a-brac, furniture and whatever. Most homes I visit are very plain because they have downsized. But our home is warm, enticing and friendly and we do still enjoy finding new pieces from garage sales…

JOHN DOWNS PHOTOGRAPHER Four generations of John Downs’ family have been photographers, starting with his great, great grandfather in Wales in 1868. John started as a staff photographer at London’s Natural History Museum and his varied career has seen him shoot everything from fluffy cushions in the studio to Formula 1 cars screaming around the track. TAHN SCOON WRITER & STYLIST Tahn is an interiors writer, stylist and author of DIY decorating bibles,NewVintageandTheThoughtful Home(New Holland). She lives in the Brisbane sunshine with her daughter, Sassie, and their cat, Pretty-Paws. They love to spend their free time among the vines at Stanthorpe on the Granite Belt.…

It all began inauspiciously enough in 1966 when naturalist Densey Clyne invited her neighbours from Sydney’s north shore, Ann and Peter Piggott, to join her on a day trip to the Blue Mountains to buy some plants from Paul Sorensen’s nursery at Leura. As the Piggotts recall the event, it was not so much the lure of meeting the renowned landscape gardener as the promise of a picnic at Mount Wilson that clinched the outing. They were so impressed with the remote mountain community with its rich volcanic soil and famed cool climate gardens at properties such as Nooroo, Sefton Hall, Windyridge, and Merry Garth that they immediately enquired about land for sale in the area. Because there were no shops, let alone a real estate agent, in the village,…

DID YOU KNOW? THE PYRENEES IN AUSTRALIA GOT THE MONIKER FROM EXPLORER THOMAS MITCHELL BECAUSE THE REGION REMINDED HIM OF THE PYRENEES IN EUROPE. ANYONE WHO HAS BEEN TO BOTH MUST BEG TO DIFFER. THE PYRENEES If you can find a reason to detour to Victoria’s Pyrenees, you should. Quintessential central Victorian countryside, intriguing handmade wines and lots of interesting characters give it a charm that sets it apart. Renowned for its reds, particularly the Shiraz, which is a good all-rounder, the Pyrenean whites are also excellent and don’t forget the sparklings. Mount Avoca(mountavoca.com)dates back to 1970. The range is vast and stretches from the Moates Lane varietals at $15 all the way up to the $80 Reserve Shiraz. Blue Pyrenees(bluepyrenees.com.au)has an interesting history and a well-deserved reputation for reds…

City and country folk from all over Queensland and New South Wales frocked up and attended the A Polocrosse Affair (APA) Black Tie Charity Ball at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. The APA committee was formed in 2014 by a group of women who play polocrosse and have a strong connection with the land. Determined to help rural Australians, the ambitious team sought to raise money for rural charities through holding fun events and galas. In their first year money was raised for drought-relief charity Aussie Helpers and after the success of the inaugural ball, CEO Kelly Foran and her team decided to run the event again this year with the same — if not bigger — success. Keeping in theme with helping rural Aussies, this year’s ball was…

Thanks for being in touch. We welcome yourfeedback. We appreciate your thoughts and in each issue, one correspondent wins a prize. Simply email the team at australiancountry@ universalmagazines.com.au  or write to us at Australian Country, Locked Bag 154, North Ryde NSW 1670. We reserve the right to edit lengthy letters before publication. Our favourite correspondent next issue will win an Uberkate Signature Ubercircle featuring three engraved sterling silver Ubercircles including a 45cm silver curb chain at RRP $465.…

JUNE 10-12 (NT) Barunga Festival Bring your family and friends for a fun day out at the annual Barunga Festival, held on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend. Now in its 31st year, it is one of the most prominent community festivals in regional Australia. The event is a celebration of the Katherine region and its indigenous community through football, basketball, softball, music and traditional arts and culture. Former festivals have attracted more than 4000 visitors, and 2016’s event promises to deliver a fantastic program full of music, sports, culture, art, workshops and more. barungafestival.com.au JUNE 24-27 (NT) Alice Springs Beanie Festival The Alice Springs Beanie Festival is a unique four-day celebration of indigenous and non-indigenous art and culture, through one-of-a-kind beanie creations. Alice Springs becomes the home for more than…

BAKECLUB (NSW) Ever wonder why your cake didn’t rise or why your cookies came out soft instead of crispy? Well, experienced author, food editor, cooking teacher and founder of BakeClub, Anneka Manning, is here to help. Offering a six-month program for baking brilliance, Make Me a Baker is a series of hands-on classes, workshops, online forums and at-home projects. It will not only teach you the ‘‘how’’ of baking, but also the ‘‘why’’ as well as give you an insight into the science behind creating delicious sweet treats. From learning to write your own recipes to substituting ingredients and styling your finished products, you are sure to make any grandma proud after joining this club. bakeclub.com.au BISHOP’S COURT (NSW) Talented cook Christine Le Fevre runs cooking schools at Bishop’s Court,…

THE KINFOLK HOME NATHAN WILLIAMS, ARTISAN, $65 Author Nathan Williams is the founding editor of lifestyle magazineKinfolk. Through stunning imagery and insightful interviews, Nathan takes the readers into 40 homes around the world in his latest book. From America and Europe to Asia, Africa and ending in Australia, indulge in the beauty and interior designs of these timeless homes around the globe.Kinfolk’s focus is on slowing down and creating a more intentional, beautiful home, whether it is a cabin in the woods or a modern apartment. CROSSROADS TAL RONNEN, ARTISAN, $69.95 Plant-based food whisperer Tal Ronnen is reinventing the vegan lifestyle by proving that the flavours we crave can be easily replicated in dishes made without animal products. His latest book,Crossroads, offers accessible recipes that stress simple preparation and fresh…