Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue#21.6 November 2018 i Australian Country

I’m proud to say we’ve well and truly lived up to our mantra of covering the places the other magazines overlook. We’ve brought you stories from south-west Tasmania to WA’s Coral Coast, from Lord Howe Island to SA’s Fleurieu Peninsula. We’ve ticked off bucket-list experiences in the snow in Victoria’s High Country, Queensland’s Arcadia Valley and the Vision Splendid Film Festival in Winton. We’ve celebrated the little towns that could, small communities of highly motivated individuals who go the extra mile to fundraise or organise extraordinary events with few resources. As always, if you have a story to suggest, please send me a mail. Here at ACHQ we’ve kicked a few goals, as our social media guru Keiran Mackin has worked her magic to achieve 10,000-plus Instagram followers, and our…

By her own account, Kathryn Rupp’s passion for all things French began in high school. Quite possibly with her first French lesson. But certainly, by the time the Albury French teacher was 15 and went as an exchange student to Lyon, she was well on the way to being an avowed Francophile. Little did she know that it would be the start of a life-long love affair with the city, and that it was where she would meet her future husband, Jean-François. Regular readers of Australian Country will remember J-F, or Jeff, as his Australian friends have nicknamed him, from our Victorian High Country story in the July/August issue. He grew up in the French Alps and has established Alpine Nature Experience near Mt Hotham, serving cheese fondue in a…

MIRIAM VAN COOTEN HAIR & MAKE-UP ARTIST Miriam started in the makeup and hair industry 25 years ago in film and television and has worked on fashion pages for magazines across Europe and Australia. She has won many awards for bridal work and does many weddings in the Sydney region. She teaches at one of Sydney’s elite make-up schools and tutors personal make-up and hairstyling at her studio on Sydney’s northern beaches. KEN BRASS PHOTOGRAPHER Ken has been on the road again this issue. From Victoria’s west to Tasmania’s south-west with a few detours along the way to shoot the fashion feature on Sydney’s Pittwater and the travel story in the NSW central-west, he’s been busy turning clever and creative country dreams into the images you see on our pages.…

There is much to love about the Tweed Valley town of Murwillumbah. It sits pretty on the verdant banks of the Tweed River in far northern New South Wales — just big enough to entice weekenders for a wander through its streets, and just small enough to be the kind of town where everyone knows, or knows of, everyone else. Rolling hills and rustling fields of sugarcane surround its quaint commercial hub, home to some of the country’s most lovely art deco buildings. The town was a thriving agricultural centre when fire ripped through it in 1907, and what rose from the ashes at the hands of resilient locals is a time capsule of Australia’s offering to the deco period that captivated the architecture world in the early 1900s. “Queenie…

It’s only 260 kilometres from Hobart to Queenstown, tucked high in the mountains of Tasmania’s west coast wilderness. But the road is hilly and windy and concludes with the last five-km stretch famed for its 99 bends. So motorists should be warned to allow at least four hours for the drive, more if they plan to take in any of the sights along the way. If that sounds arduous, spare a thought for adventurer, sealer and explorer James Kelly, who in 1815, at the age of 24, became the first European to enter Macquarie Harbour during his epic 3000-kilometre circumnavigation of Tasmania in a whale boat. It took him nine days to sail from Hobart and his report made mention of the Huon pine, an ideal material for boat builders.…

Panoramia Villas, Myrtleford One- and two-bedroom self-contained themed apartments overlooking the Ovens Valley. panoramiavillas.com.au Willoaks Boutique Accommodation, Oxley Two guestrooms in the gardens of 1920s homestead on a beef cattle farm with a vineyard. willoaks.com.au Holly House Bed & Breakfast, Moyhu Traditional B&B accommodation with continental breakfast and a bottle of local wine. hollyhouse.com.au Elevation652 at Mt Bellevue, Myrrhee Four separate self-contained apartments on a working cattle farm with vineyard for Redbank Wines. elevation652.com.au Yarranungara Yurt Retreat, Oxley Quirky, off-the-grid glamping in a handcrafted Mongolian yurt with adjoining ensuite bathroom in a photographer’s paradise. yarranungara.com.au Rosemary’s Cottage, Whorouly Two self-contained cottages overlooking an olive grove and a kiwi fruit orchard. rosemaryscottagewhorouly.com.au 1888, Oxley Self-catering accommodation in a beautifully refurbished historic church hall, with the rail trail bike path at the…

Finns Store, Canowindra visitcowra.com.au/finns-store Cowra Bowling Club, Cowra cowrabowlingclub.com.au Cowra Tourism, Cowra, cowratourism.com.au Wallington Wines, Canowindra wallingtonwines.com.au Rosnay Organic Wines, Canowindra rosnay.com.au Japanese Garden & Cultural Centre, Cowra cowragarden.com.au Carcoar Hospital Museum, Carcoar mgnsw.org.au/organisations/carcoar-hospital-museum Carcoar Courthouse Museum, Carcoar centralnswmuseums.orangemuseum.com.au/museums/Carcoar-court-house Tomolly, Carcoar tomolly.com.au Golden Era Piano Museum, Neville pianomuseum.com.au Apiary Art & Design, Cowra visitcowra.com.au/apiary-art-design Age of Fishes Museum, Canowindra ageoffi shes.org.au Balloon Joy Flights, Canowindra balloonjoyflights.com.au…

BELLE COULEUR We can’t look past a good belt. Belle Couleur’s Marie belt features tan and white cowhide, tan leather backing for durability and strength, and a statement gold buckle. It retails for $89. bellecouleur.com.au URALLA WOOL ROOM One of our favourite summer style trends has to be white threads from head to toe. If you’re new to the all-white club, we suggest you start with this classic linen look, designed by Australian brand JGeneration. urallawoolroom.com.au RITZYROCKS How many of us can say that our jewellery comes all the way from Venice? Renata Phegan of RITZYROCKS specialises in handcrafting jewellery that uses Venetian glass from the island of Murano, Italy. Bellissimo. ritzyrocks.com.au COLONIAL CASTINGS Colonial Castings has been designing timeless furniture since 1947. The classic park bench is made from…

MOTHERS’ DAY FIONA MCARTHUR, MICHAEL JOSEPH, $32.99 Fiona McArthur has 30 years’ experience as a rural midwife living and working in northern NSW. She was one of the co-founders of a drop-in group for teenage mothers, and her experience informs this novel about a rural midwife, herself a young mother, and the many challenges she faces at her hospital in a remote country town. The local obstetrician is retiring and the maternity unit will close if a replacement can’t be found. Midwife Noni Frost needs a miracle to keep her job and avoid considerable disruption to the lives of the expectant mums in her care. Along with her advocacy, she’s not afraid to challenge convention and the odd white coat along the way. Yes, there are romance and drama in…

Thanks for being in touch. We welcome your feedback. We appreciate your thoughts and in each issue, one correspondent wins a prize. Simply email Kirsty at kmckenzie@umco.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 a copy of design guru Sibella Court’s inspirational new book, Imaginariumfrom our friends at ABC Books. Just tell us about your favourite story or feature to be in the running to win this wonderful prize.…

Akubra ph: (02) 6562 6177 e: salesenquiries@akubra.com.au w: akubra.com.au Animales Online ph: (03) 5332 2823 e: bettina@animales.com.au w: animales.com.au Antique Baths 162 Bungaree Rd, Pendle Hill NSW 2145. ph: (02) 9896 0109 e: info@antiquebaths.com.au w: antiquebaths.com.au Belle Couleur Shop 67, 322 Coventry St, South Melbourne Market Vic 3205. ph: 0417 913 192 e: melissa@bellecouleur.com.au w: bellecouleur.com.au Birdsnest ph: 1300 696 378 w: birdsnest.com.au Bronze and Marble Gallery ph: (08) 9204 4436 e: info@bronzeandmarblegallery.com w: bronzeandmarblegallery.com Chatterton Lacework 43 Beverage Dr, Tullarmarine Vic 3043. ph: (03) 9330 4466 e: info@chatterton.com.au w: chatterton.com.au Cheminee ph: (02) 9564 2694 e: sales@cheminee.com.au w: cheminee.com.au Clementine Sleepwear ph: (08) 9284 1602 w: clementinedesign.com.au Colonial Castings 95–97 Market St, Smithfield NSW 2164. ph: (02) 9604 8222 e: info@colonialcastings.com.au w: colonialcastings.com.au Coola Cozzies ph: 0419 649 634…

CHOC–STRAWBERRY FUDGE Makes 24 Strawberry layer 5 tablespoons cashew butter 4 tablespoons liquid coconut oil 2 tablespoons honey 1 cup (150 g) strawberries, hulled 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Chocolate layer 6 tablespoons almond butter 4 tablespoons cacao or cocoa powder 4 tablespoons liquid coconut oil 2 tablespoons honey 1 teaspoon vanilla extract pinch of salt Place the ingredients for the strawberry layer into the bowl of the food processor and blend until the mixture is smooth and well combined. Pour the mixture into a bowl and set aside. Place the ingredients for the chocolate layer into the food processor and blend until the mixture is smooth and well combined. Spoon the chocolate mixture evenly into the holes of a silicon mini muffin tray and top with the strawberry mixture. Place…

Red Ramia Trading, Myrtleford An exotic homewares emporium in a barn with a Moroccan cafe attached. redramia.com.au Milawa Organic Beef, Milawa Farmed according organic, low-stress principles, Angus beef cuts packaged and distributed all over Victoria. milawaorganicbeef.com.au Off Centre Gallery & Studio, Milawa Local art, craft and homewares within the Milawa Cheese Factory complex. off-centre.com.au Fallen Timber Furniture Company, Oxley Rustic furniture, doors and benches made from timber harvested by natural attrition. fallentimberfurnitureco.com.au King River Brewing, King Valley A broad range of beers brewed on site and open for weekend tastings. kingriverbrewing.com.au…

As Alex Kowald traces the story of her garden in the Adelaide Hills, she began with a blank canvas in 1988 and has spent the better part of the ensuing 30 years colouring in the details. “My family moved to the Hills when I was a teenager,” she explains. “I ended up marrying Neil, the boy from the dairy farm across the road. He was the fourth generation of his family to farm on Frosty Flats and his parents moved out when we moved in. Up until then, the farm had a substantial vegie garden, which they ploughed and manured every year, and there were a couple of apple trees, but not much else.” Alex started by planting conifers, gums, Chinese elms and callistemons with lawn in between. Through the…

DRAMA IN THE DUST The biggest ever Birdsville Races culminated in scintillating style with the headline 1600-metre UBET Birdsville Cup narrowly taken out by 17-year-old apprentice jockey Adin Thompson on Blue Jest. Close to 5000 revellers converged on the tiny town of Birdsville for western Queensland’s richest two-day race meeting and to party and punt across a stacked seven-race card. Cornflower blue skies and striking desert terrain further enhanced the bumper action. Topping a 12-horse field, the connections of Blue Jest nabbed a record $40,000 — the largest prize purse in the race’s prestigious 136-year history. Adin Thompson, one of the youngest Birdsville Cup-winning jockeys in history, is based in Miles, Queensland and rode Blue Jest to a nail-biting win. The winner was co-trained by husband and wife duo, Bevan…

DIVINE INSPIRATION Your Heavenly Ferment article whetted my appetite even further to visit my ancestral land. In 1908 my forebears travelled from the Bavarian region, and with other German families, settled areas in the Gayndah/ Mundubbera area of Queensland. Sadly, I am unable to speak or read the language to follow my heritage back any further, but hope to make the journey over there in the next couple of years. Thank you again for sharing those beautiful photos and enjoyable descriptions of the region. Amanda Davis, Tabulam NSW Ed’s note: As always, many thanks to our contributor, Don Fuchs, for his amazing images and story telling. THE SPICE OF LIFE I am constantly amazed at the variety of articles that appear in each issue of Australian Country. I’m hoping you…

There’s lots of summer love in our holiday issue, which features an array of homes with some simply stunning spots for outdoor entertaining. In Queensland we visited the cottage artist Amica Whincop and her husband, Clayton, have restored and added a breezy deck that’s perfect for barbies. At Brookfield, on Brisbane’s western periphery, the Neilson family have built a pavilion to capture views of the surrounding bush. A huge stone fireplace makes this a popular spot even during the cooler months. Down in Victoria, Kim and Greg Kerr have added a “Champagne terrace” to the garden of their home among the gum trees on the outskirts of Ararat, while Danish expat Kat Anderson has brought her own sense of Scandi style to a little hut in the backyard of her…