Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 26.5 i Australian Country

As this issue goes to press, photographer Ken Brass and I have just returned from a road trip to my home country of centralwestern Queensland. It was a great opportunity to get a bit of dust on our boots, catch up with old friends and make new ones. Every time I leave, I’m reminded how lucky I am to have grown up on those sweeping plains and under those vast outback skies and how fortunate I am to have a job that allows me to keep one foot in the bush. It seems not long ago, most city people had country cousins, so had some understanding of where our food and fibre comes from and how much heart and soul farmers put into producing these important commodities. Unfortunately, with increasing…

BOOK EXTRACT Tilly’s Plain Cake Appreciation Society was born in the pandemic, when she found herself at home with two small children, craving contentment and connection. Tilly would test a simple cake using seasonal ingredients and share it weekly with her online community. Conversations started, and friendships formed through the medium of cake, all without leaving the kitchen. Now collected in an exquisite package, with floral styling and suggested tea pairings, are Tilly’s 52 best recipes to bake at home. Tilly calls them “little pockets of cake calm” to nourish your soul and carry you through each week. CHOCOLATE BUTTERMILK CAKE On sunny winter days, it’s always a good idea to drag a little table and a large chocolate cake into the garden for tea. Hot tea and large slabs…

MANDY MCKEESICK PHOTOJOURNALIST Mandy shares stories for, and about, the bush, often drawing on her own experiences as an exploration geologist, deckhand, beef grazier, opal miner and desert traveller. She continues to be inspired by rural Australia, where her heart belongs, and where her words and images are free to sing. DON BRICE PHOTOGRAPHER Don is a life-long photographer working for media companies and books, as well as corporate, industry, government and charitable organisations. He regards the camera as a passport, introducing him to the most amazing places and people, and allowing him to share those experiences with others. australiancountry.com.au facebook.com/AustralianCountry @australiancountrymag zinio.com pinterest.com/auscountrymag…

AT HOME IN THE COUNTRY “Having a bed and breakfast is a little bit like travelling, without having to go anywhere,” Brisbane-born Jane Hutton says. “You meet people from all over.” Well-travelled Jane had spent time in Europe after finishing school and met husband Leeroy while skiing in Austria. Born in England, Leeroy grew up in Sydney and he and Jane were married within a year of meeting. They spent the next 12 years living in the beachside northern Sydney suburb of Manly, until Jane eventually “dragged him away from the sea and up to the mountains”. That was 29 years ago and “now Leeroy looks like he was born to drive a tractor”, Jane laughs. The couple moved to Montville on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, where Jane had spent time…

ESCAPE ROUTES The lure of black opal — a kaleidoscopic play of vibrant colour on a contrasting black background — has enticed people from all walks of life since it was discovered near Lightning Ridge, NSW, in the late 1880s. Rather than being a relic of the past, opal mining is alive and well and spawns its own unique communities. This circular 330-kilometre trip, across sealed and dirt roads, introduces you to some of those communities — say g’day in a classic bush pub, learn about the art of opal mining and noodle (opal-speak for fossick) for your own fortune. Rather than being a relic of the past, opal mining is alive and well and spawns its own unique communities. This circular 330-kilometre trip, across sealed and dirt roads, introduces…

GARDEN PROFILE Moving to Kooyong, which means ‘peaceful place’, was just the incentive I needed to really get into gardening. Sheree Williams says she became a gardener almost by accident 33 years ago when she and her husband, Vince, moved to their hobby farm near Armidale in northern NSW. Vince, who is an electrician, was owner-building their home with the help of another tradie friend, when Sheree put in some plants. She confesses she was taken by surprise when they grew. Encouraged by this success, she planted more and, through the years, has developed a showpiece that now covers almost three acres (1.2 hectares). “I started close to the house and just kept expanding,” she says. “We’ve shifted the fence a couple of times. One of the earliest things I…

DIRTY JANES Ideal for use indoors and out, this sturdy European storage bench, $1890, will make a great mudroom feature. It has enough storage for your firewood or could be a lovely addition to your country kitchen. The sweet vintage painted rocking horse, $410, is a great companion. dirtyjanes.com THOMAS COOK Perfect for your spring wardrobe, Thomas Cook’s women’s Katherine shortsleeve shirt, $99.95, features an original handdrawn print, pintuck detailing on the sleeves and, of course, the iconic horseman embroidery on the side hem. Available in sizes 8-22. Thomascook.com.au DIRTY JANES Make a statement with this Grant Parker bespoke handmade necklace, $495, created around the texture and colour of a vintage piece of agate, which is echoed in the selection of pre-war Bakelite buttons and vintage beads surrounding it. dirtyjanes.com…

BLAST FROM THE PAST Thank you for yet another great issue of Australian Country. I was very pleased to read about the Crowdens, of Kaydale at Nietta in Tasmania. I was newly married to a Tasmanian living in the next district and remember when we visited several times for a meal at Kaydale, when Kay and Robert first opened to the public. Her soup and homemade bread is still a taste I have not forgotten. I was very pleased to see what they have achieved in your article and photos. Our lives were intertwined in the district when the children were small but our life took different paths. I was not aware of the magnitude of the work and final outcome of their property. A visit will occur soon. We…

In this issue of Australian Country, we’ve got 15 prizes to give away to 15 lucky readers, from premium air-conditioning and trendy art to cutting-edge furniture and stylish flooring. For a chance to win one of these home must-haves, all you have to do is visit completehome.com.au/win-big and write, in 25 words or less, why you think this issue of the magazine is a great read. Good luck! Terms and conditions are available online at completehome.com.au 01: PANASONIC HZ AIR-CONDITIONER The Panasonic HZ 2.5kW air-conditioner is the top-of-the-range split system with a humidity sensor, nanoe X generator Mark 2, and comes with Wi-Fi and Panasonic’s comfort cloud for remote mobile AC operation. Valued at $3500 including installation (please note: standard installation). panasonic.com/au 02: DOLLAR CURTAINS + BLINDS GIFT CARD Enjoy…

ON THE RIGHT TRACK Steph is passionate about sustainability, so early on decided to focus on natural fibres and materials and has built her stock list accordingly. Growing up on a farm near Dubbo in the NSW Western Plains, Steph Shibble was always the family member most excited about Christmas and birthdays. “I was that person who agonised for days about finding the perfect gift,” she recalls. “Then I spent lots of time on the presentation — the packaging, wrapping and card.” Little wonder then that Steph now runs Salubrious Living, an online homewares and gift store, from her home, not all that far from where she grew up. There were a few detours along the way, however, as after finishing school, she went to university in Sydney to study…

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE Bonnie Porter Greene’s studio shed beside her home at Nowra in the NSW Shoalhaven district is strewn with the tools of her trade, and the makings of future works. There are jars of brushes, cans holding felt-tipped pens, crayons and pencils, a container holding the turned-out remnants of tubes of paint and a jar erupting a volcano of dried-up oils. “It seems wasteful to throw them out,” she says. “They may make it into a work one day.” As a multidisciplinary artist, Bonnie’s work ranges across textiles, fabric, thread, paper and painting in oils and the occasional dabble with watercolour. The common denominator is that her work is usually colourful and vibrant and, in recent times, transient. Her most recent work as part of this year’s OpenField,…

KOOKABURRA COTTAGE Maya Linnell, Allen & Unwin, $29.99 Maya Linnell is back with the first book in a new series based in the wine country of South Australia’s Limestone Coast, where she grew up. All her trademark themes are there from country shows, gardening and baking to DIY renovations and, inevitably, the twisted path of a romance that seems destined to go wrong. Maya brings such an authentic voice to her writing as much of it is based on lived experience of her home in regional Victoria. The rest stems from her truly charming capacity to weave the storyline into utterly identifiable predicaments, whether they involve distant parents, setin-their ways elders or past lovers turning up at the most awkward times. And as a real treat for fans of Maya’s…

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