Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 28.2 i Australian Country

Australian Country|Issue 28.2

editor's letter

As this issue goes to press, photographer Ken Brass and I have recently returned from a round trip to Victoria, which netted some of the stories you'll see in this and coming issues. On the way south, we were lucky enough to visit Georgie and Angus Campbell at their historic Goulburn property Merrilla. With their adult children and their partners, they have big plans for sharing the property with guests by hosting intimate weddings and events in the beautiful grounds. Hospitality is also part of the agenda at Broughton Hall, in Victoria's Gippsland district, where David Musker and Philip Hunter have created a showpiece garden on former dairy country. In developing the garden, David became a nurseryman by default and now they host a rare plants fair and regular open…

editor's letter

a pocket of paradise

Australian Country|Issue 28.2

a pocket of paradise

“Bicheno just sparkles on you and makes all your concerns less important. You only have to look out the window to feel better. Pretty well all of Rob and Eliza Di Francesco's significant moments as a couple have taken place in Tasmania. Rob proposed on Flinders Island, they honeymooned in Tassie and bought their first property in Bicheno on the east coast just days after their daughter, Matilda, was born in 2018. “We were living and working in Sydney, but we'd actually been looking for a Tassie holiday place since 2010,” Eliza says. “So, although the timing wasn't great, when Harveys Farm came on the market, Rob and my father came down to check it out.” With five acres (two hectares) at the aptly named Paradise Point just south of…

bags of creativity

Australian Country|Issue 28.2

bags of creativity

Doug Jenkins pauses as he guides several layers of heavy fabric through the foot of his heavy-duty 1960 Singer sewing machine and explains that it's been the mainstay of his professional life since 1980. “This machine has done more kilometres than my car,” the former upholsterer says. “It's 64 years old and still going strong.” Doug and his Swedish-born wife Lajla call themselves the Carpetbaggers, a reference to the capacious and sturdy Mary Poppins-style travel bags they hand-make in adjacent workshops beside their home in the NSW village of Bemboka, midway between Bega on the south coast and Cooma in the high plains of Monaro. “I'm the engine room and Lajla is the one with the artistic flair,” Doug adds. “She's in charge of colour, texture and design and has…

sea to summit

Australian Country|Issue 28.2

sea to summit

Wasn't it the overambitious young lad Icarus from Greek mythology who flew too close to the sun and melted his waxen wings? But do not fear, your ascent to the clouds is more likely to yield success and fulfilment than our hapless youngster of legend. Victoria's iconic Great Alpine Road extends a little more than 300 kilometres from coastal Bairnsdale on the scenic Gippsland Lakes to rural Wangaratta on the northwestern slopes of the Victorian Alps, at the junction of the Ovens and King rivers. The famous route existed long before it bore the title, as it comprised a series of dirt and gravel switchbacks gradually rising to 1800 metres above sea level near the ski fields of Mount Hotham. It was first gazetted as a highway in 1914, but…

naturally inspired

Australian Country|Issue 28.2

naturally inspired

After 20 years’ active service in Australia's defence force, Ashleigh Brown declared 2024 the year of personal growth and creativity and gave herself some much-needed time to smell the roses. She scaled back work to three days a week, committed another day to “giving back to the community” by volunteering at Canberra's Railway Museum and Domestic Animals Services and took metal-sculpting and art classes. As she lives in Jerrabomberra, surrounded by the spectacular landscapes of the Canberra region, Ashleigh also gravitated to the great outdoors, where she found herself shooting “beautiful moments of small, simple and natural things in the countryside” with her phone camera. “I am very much an amateur,” she says. “I prefer to keep my photos as they were taken without editing or enhancing them post-shot. But…

Australian Country|Issue 28.2

peas, please

RISI E BISI In the traditional version of this Venetian classic, fresh peas are used. If you grow your own, or live next to someone kind enough to share theirs, they are preferable. However, with frozen peas being preserved so quickly, you get a much better flavour than if you use fresh peas that have been hanging around for ages. Risi e bisi means rice and peas in the Venetian dialect and the dish was often used to herald the start of spring when served at the feast of Saint Marco on 25th April. The great thing about frozen peas is that you don't have to wait for the start of spring; you can enjoy this dish all year round. SERVES 4 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped 125g pancetta,…

peas, please

Australian Country|Issue 28.2

helping out on this issue …

KEN BRASS PHOTOGRAPHER Ken Brass has been on the road again for this issue. From the east coast of Tasmania to the NSW Southern Tablelands with a few detours along the way to shoot a home in the NSW Northern Rivers and a garden in Victoria, he's been busy capturing clever and creative country dreams for the images you see on these pages. ANASTASIA CASEY WRITER & EDITOR Anastasia's passion is to see the world and tell the tales of the people she meets along the way. She has worked in publishing for 10 years as an editor, writer and sub-editor and, until recently, was working for NewsUK in London. She is currently enjoying being home in Australia. australiancountry.com.au facebook.com/AustralianCountry @australiancountrymag zinio.com pinterest.com/auscountrymag…

helping out on this issue …

riverside reverie

Australian Country|Issue 28.2

riverside reverie

Holly Mason has a cup of tea in hand as she leans on the bench in her recently refurbished kitchen and takes a rare moment to reflect on the hectic journey that's brought her to this bolthole in Hobart's inner south. She gazes across the Derwent River with its pleasure craft and larger commercial vessels decorating the view and outlines the many professional and personal balls she has in the air. Regular readers of Australian Country will recognise Holly as the face of our long-term advertisers Smitten Merino, a proudly Australian brand that makes lightweight Merino wool clothing for men and women. Holly is a regular model for the family label, which was established 17 years ago by her parents, Carl and Nicola Mason, to make Australian garments suited to…

Australian Country|Issue 28.2

magnificent merrilla

As Angus Campbell recalls meeting his future wife, Georgie, he credits his boss, polo enthusiast, bon vivant, music entrepreneur and legendary manager of the band INXS, Chris Murphy, as the catalyst. Chris was hosting a barbecue at his UK property when he handed Angus the tongs and told him to start cooking. “I was working for Chris as a polo player and he figured that, because I was Australian, I'd know how to barbecue,” Angus says. “I was 21, I could barely boil water and I had smoke and flames going everywhere. As model and documentary presenter Georgie recalls the occasion, she and her father — Chris's mate, fellow polo enthusiast, businessman and pastoralist Robert Anthony “Ant” Crichton-Brown — and mother, Edwina, were guests at the party. “Dad prodded me…

magnificent merrilla

broughton hall bounty

Australian Country|Issue 28.2

broughton hall bounty

When Philip Hunter made his partner, David Musker, a seat for the “pink garden” section at Broughton Hall, David says it “was so big, you could see it from the moon”. Almost 30 years down the track, the one-time “tallest thing in the garden” is dwarfed by the maple that towers above it and you mightn't even spot it unless it were pointed out in the massive 12-acre (4.9-hectare) garden that sprawls down a hillside across three terraces overlooking Tarago Reservoir. When David and Philip bought the property at the end of 1995, they were looking for a quieter lifestyle and a bigger garden than they could dream of in Camberwell in Melbourne's inner east. David, a fine arts teacher turned garden designer and nurseryman, and Philip, a physiotherapist and…

Australian Country|Issue 28.2

spot the difference

MEASUREMENTS Width (approx) 110cm Length (approx) 155cm MATERIALS 25 x 50g balls Patons Cotton Blend 8-Ply in Pineapple (colour 40) 4 x 50g balls Patons Cotton Blend 8-Ply in Flamingo (colour 25) 3 x 50g balls Patons Cotton Blend 8-Ply in Denim (colour 21) 3 x 50g balls Patons Cotton Blend 8-Ply in Lime Cream (colour 41) 3 x 50g balls Patons Cotton Blend 8-Ply in Cream (colour 3) 3 x 50g balls Patons Cotton Blend 8-Ply in Rainforest (colour 42) Use only the yarn specified. Other yarns are likely to produce different results. Quantities are approximate as they can vary between crocheters. Ensure all yarn of the same colour is from the same dye lot. HOOK AND EXTRAS • 4mm (UK 8) crochet hook • Tapestry needle for sewing…

spot the difference

Australian Country|Issue 28.2

store strolling

ALLEN & UNWIN A lifelong amateur baker and occasional classic model, Catherine Greer has drawn on these hobbies to write her debut novel, The Bittersweet Bakery Café, $32.99. A woman's midlife reinvention and a beach village of eccentric Aussies collide with stupendous results in this witty, razorsharp and immensely enjoyable novel. allenandunwin.com SMITTEN MERINO A Smitten Merino dressing gown, $500, is something we all need in our daily life (and often in the middle of the night). Made with love in Tasmania from 100 per cent Merino wool, there are three different styles and fabric weights to choose from. smittenmerino.com SELKIA SKINCARE Lightly fragranced and fast-absorbing, Apaiser Face Tonic, $32, hydrates, soothes and refreshes with native superfruits and Australian botanicals. Rich in vitamins and antioxidants, it protects skin, supports barrier…

store strolling

Australian Country|Issue 28.2

mailbag

LAST ISSUE GENERATED LOTS OF FEEDBACK FROM OUR READERS. WIN A PRIZE 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 hammock from Two Trees. Just send us your thoughts on the magazine and life in general to be in the running for this wonderful prize. SEA CHANGE I spent some much-needed time out with the Feb/Mar issue of your fabulous magazine. It's always a delight to read about our great brown land, from coast to coast and everywhere in between, and hear the stories of so many folk…

mailbag

Australian Country|Issue 28.2

stockists

Allen & Unwin w: allenandunwin.com Australian Sheep & Wool Show Sheep House, Unit 1/6 Merino Court, East Bendigo Vic 3550 ph: (03) 5443 9902 e: ceo@sheepshow.com w: sheepshow.com David Roche Foundation e: info@rochefoundation.com.au w: rochefoundation.org.au Emu Wire Industries 2/25 Encore Ave, Somerton Vic 3062 ph: (03) 9308 5599 e: sales@emuwire.com.au w: emuwire.com.au Glen Dimplex Australia 8 Lakeview Dr, Scoresby Vic 3179 w: glendimplex.com.au Glenview Products 3 Edenholme St, West Pymble NSW 2073 ph: 0411 732 950 e: sales@glenviewproducts.com.au w: glenviewproducts.com.au Howard Products 33 Griffin Ave, Tamworth NSW 2340 ph: 1800 672 646 w: howardproducts.com.au Jindara Woodheaters ph: (03) 9763 2700 w: jindara.com.au Laura Ashley ph: 1300 656 626 w: basfordbrands.com Le Forge Furniture & Decoration ph: 0468 759 200 e: info@leforge.com.au w: leforge.com.au Smitten Merino 47 Sandy Bay Rd, Battery…

stockists

diary notes

Australian Country|Issue 28.2

diary notes

JULY 18-20 (VIC) Australian Sheep & Wool Show Head to Bendigo for a packed program starring everything sheep related. The Sheep & Wool Show features more than 30 Australian breeds, woollen craft displays, fashion parades, yard dog trials and fleece competitions. Of course, there is also the national shearing titles and, for foodies, the Bendigo Festival of Lamb. sheepshow.com NOW-JUNE 8 (NSW) Thinking Together, Exchanges With The Natural World Bundanon's first exhibition for the year presents major commissions by contemporary artists Robert Andrew, Isabel and Alfredo Aquilizan and Keg de Souza, presented alongside intricate paintings by the Martu communities of central Western Australia, and video works by Sorawit Songsataya and Tina Stefanou. bundanon.com.au APRIL 12-13 (NSW) Bathurst Heritage Trades Trail Shearers, spinners and knitters will work together to go from…

Australian Country|Issue 28.2

a born-again church

“I've always been pretty handy and I like a challenge, so I decided to do it up myself. Like many life-changing decisions, it was swift in the making, but slow in delivery. Campbell Michell was studying psychology at uni in Melbourne when he heard about a derelict church in his parents’ hometown of Pinnaroo in South Australia's Murray Mallee region close to the Victorian border. He put in a “cheeky offer” of $26,500 in 2014 and it was accepted. “What I didn't know was that the Methodist Church had been quoted $50,000 to demolish the building, so my offer was a bargain,” Campbell says. “I've always been pretty handy and I like a challenge, so I decided to do it up myself.” This is how Campbell and his English mate…

a born-again church

bowerbird beauty

Australian Country|Issue 28.2

bowerbird beauty

As invitations go, Raelene Schutz says it was not the most romantic she had ever received. “Come and live in my shed,” Chris said. Her response went something like: “Seriously, I'm living in a lovely bluestone villa with a beautiful garden in town and you want me to move to a bare paddock in the back blocks and live in a tin shed?” Even Chris initially had no intention of living in the shed on the outskirts of town when he bought the eight-and-a-half-acre (three-and-a-half-hectare) site of the former Riverline Drive-In, which had been cleared of all buildings except for the giant screen, which remains on the property today. The Loxton-born landscaper and paver simply wanted more living space and somewhere to garage his truck as leaving it on a…

heaven on earth

Australian Country|Issue 28.2

heaven on earth

The bowl of eggs on the kitchen table at the home Katrina Rowlands shares with her husband, John, in the NSW Northern Rivers is the first inkling of the menagerie of animals the couple hosts on their 25-acre (10-hectare) property. From darkest brown and stark white to dappled caramel and the palest blue, the eggs are “gifts” from their chickens, which include Marans, Araucanas, Sussexes, Wyandottes, the odd ISA Brown and the punk rock stars of the clutch, Polish chickens. But the chooks are just the start. There are also peacocks, guinea fowl, goats, 22 donkeys — six regulars, four miniatures and 12 micros — not to mention Boo the Jack Russell/pug cross. But it's not just animals who are the recipients of the Rowlands’ hospitality, as lots of friends…

striped sensation

Australian Country|Issue 28.2

striped sensation

MEASUREMENTS Width (approx) 115cm Length (approx) 150cm MATERIALS 12 x 50g balls Cleckheaton Country 8-Ply Main Colour (M – 0019 Beige Marle) 4 x 50g balls Cleckheaton Country 8-Ply 1st Contrast (C1 – 2396 Orange Peel) 4 x 50g balls Cleckheaton Country 8-Ply 2nd Contrast (C2 – 0018 Maroon) 4 x 50g balls Cleckheaton Country 8-Ply 3rd Contrast (C3 – 2395 Lotus) 4 x 50g balls Cleckheaton Country 8-Ply 4th Contrast (C4 – 0048 Navy) 4 x 50g balls Cleckheaton Country 8-Ply 5th Contrast (C5 – 2369 Moonlight) 4 x 50g balls Cleckheaton Country 8-Ply 6th Contrast (C6 – 2394 Native Green Mix) 4 x 50g balls Cleckheaton Country 8-Ply 7th Contrast (C7 – 2393 Sage) Use only the yarn specified. Other yarns are likely to produce different results. Quantities…

Australian Country|Issue 28.2

off the shelf

THE CALENDAR MUMS Lauren K McKellar, HQ Fiction, $34.99 Mothers’ groups have always seemed a bit of an odd construct, and Lauren McKellar nails it from the get-go when she describes the calendar mums in her novel as “a room full of women with nothing more in common except the dates they'd had sex”. Such is her talent for weaving important topics into the whimsy that, along with a highly engaging tale about a group of women who decide to pose naked for a calendar shoot to raise funds to keep their meeting place open, Lauren addresses some very pressing and important matters. As the women bare all, they are also facing issues including domestic violence, anxiety, depression, grief and loss. Yet, somehow, The Calendar Mums manages to make dealing…

off the shelf