Innholdsfortegnelse for 19.1 December 2015 i Australian Country

A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to travel to Morocco, where I joined a camel trek to the dunes in the western fringe of the Sahara desert. In what must rate as one of the most remote ends of the earth, imagine my surprise when I saw our cameleer pull out his mobile phone and field constant calls. My brother on his farm in western Queensland can only dream of such a service, as he lives 80 kilometres from the nearest town and hand-held mobile reception cuts out about 30km from town. The reason for this apparent discrepancy is simply one of geography. At the risk of stating the obvious, Australia is a big country — almost 7,700,000 square kilometres of it. Morocco, on the other hand,…

We first met Ellie Ramsey, owner of the iconic Paddington store Blake & Taylor, when we visited her country property, Fat Ted Farm, at Harlin, a small town 90 minutes drive from Brisbane. This time we visited Ellie’s city abode, a stunning renovated timber and tin Queenslander in the inner-western suburb of Toowong, just a short drive from her store. “When we first saw the house it was a dump,” Ellie recalls. “It had been added onto so much over the years it was almost impossible to see the original, splendid 1906 home itself. It was covered in security grills, ramps had been added and the verandahs had been closed in. It started as a lovely, grand home but along the way had been a boarding house, then cut into…

Beleura is a wonderful time capsule, a theatre of the past. Its magic is the depth of its provenanced collection of household things - some grand but much ephemeral, trivial, amusing... Beleura, an Italianate villa erected in 1864. The auction of Beleura in 1916, attracted Sir George and Lady Tallis. Their youngest son John Tallis, acquired Beleura in 1948, and bequeathed Beleura, to the people of Victoria in 1996. To visit, telephone or see our website. Open: Select days throughout the year A: PO Box 1198, Mornington Vic 3931 T: 03 5975 2027 F: 03 5977 1021 E: info@beleura.org.au W: www.beleura.org.au A property associated with the National Trust…

HANDY GADGETS Every home chef will love these great kitchen gadgets. TEA TIME Relax with a cuppa. WHAT’S COOKING? Make cooking easy with these contemporary cookers and stylish pots and pans. PASTA MANIA Our favourite equipment will help you become a pasta expert and bring a little bit of Italy into your home.…

AUSTRALIAN CIDER Cider is the booze bandwagon everyone is jumping on. The cider market is growing by a third every year and is squeezing the beer from bottle shop fridges. As with most fads there are the artisan fanatics and the frauds who are just cashing in. The fanatics seek out obscure apple varieties such as Kingston Black, Foxwhelp, the Cox’s and Sturmer Pippins and the attractively named Brown Snout. The frauds import apple concentrate. The difference between proper cider made by crushing and fermenting real apples (or pears) and the sweet, fizzy alcoholic ‘cider’ which is made from apple juice concentrate has to be tasted to be believed. Seek out some of these local producers: The Hills Cider Company, Adelaide Hills SA (thehillscidercompany.com.au) Small Acres Cyder in Orange NSW…

WEATHER OR NOT: KOOROORINYA LADIES WEEKEND More than 50 women from a vast swathe of northern and western Queensland left the drought behind for a weekend of fun at the Kooroorinya Races Reserve near Prairie. They packed swags and cocktail wear and converged on the bush racetrack from as far afield as Richmond, Hughenden, Longreach, Charters Towers, Moranbah and Clermont for a fabulous program of relaxation and good times. With the byline of “weather or not”, the inaugural Kooroorinya Ladies Weekend was an idea that was born over a few smokos. Many email conversations later the event started to take shape. Participants had the chance to enjoy a range of activities and get away from the everyday realities of life on the land. For the past three years these women…

GREEK GEORGE CALOMBARIS, PENGUIN BOOKS, $59.99 MasterChef Australia judge and acclaimed chef George Calombaris brings you all things Greek in his latest book. Following the motto “food is not about feeding your stomach, it’s about taking you to an emotional place”, the recipes have an added modern tweak to stamp Calombraris’s adventurous culinary spirit on traditional recipes. Including taramosalata popcorn, ouzo-soaked cucumbers and slow-cooked lamb recipes, you will never grow tired of cooking from this colourful cookbook. EVERY HILL GOT A STORY MARG BOWMAN, HARDIE GRANT BOOKS, $60.00 Take a step into the heart of Australia and fully explore the astonishing history through the eyes of men and women who experienced it. The memories of the storytellers trace journeys from hard work in the mines to running their own organisations.…

TAHN SCOON WRITER & STYLIST Tahn is an interiors writer, stylist and author of the DIY decorating bibles, New Vintage and The Thoughtful 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 of the Granite Belt. 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. ANASTASIA KARIOFYLLIDIS PHOTOGRAPHER Anastasia is a lifestyle photographer who has been capturing an array of images from interiors to still…

The old saying that you can take the girl out of the country but not the country out of the girl could well have been coined for Penny Hanan, creator of the artisan homewares and accessories label, 1803. The eldest child of Orange vet Andrew Hansen and his physiotherapist wife, Judith, Penny grew up and completed most of her education in Orange before heading to Sydney for university. “Dad started farming red deer 35 years ago, so I grew up with the farm and understanding what a wonderfully versatile meat venison is,” Penny explains. “It probably would have remained a hobby for Dad if my brother, Tim, hadn’t become a meat trader. In 2000 he decided to take things up a notch and commercialise the herd under the label Mandagery…

Food I Am (NSW) Local Riverina produce takes centre stage at Tania Sibrey’s award-winning cooking school in Wagga Wagga. Seasonally themed workshops allow participants of all abilities to cook with the freshest ingredients sourced straight from Australia’s food bowl. Food I Am showcases the Riverina’s best producers, artisans and ingredients, and regularly draws distinguished chefs from around Australia to cook in its purpose-built kitchen facilities. The cookery school has become a regional hotspot and was a winner at the 2014 Food Tourism awards. foodiam.com.au Fareshare (Vic) Since 2001, Fareshare has established itself as one of Melbourne’s standout community organisations and innovative food destinations. The charitable organisation reclaims unused food destined for dumpsters and uses it to fight hunger by cooking up to 25,000 free meals for Victorian charities every week.…

1 Sophisticated packaging and a stunning handblown borosilicate glass vessels make these beauties the centrepiece of any setting. Eco-conscious Black Arrow candles are made with 100 per cent soy wax and wooden wicks and are poured and packaged to order in NSW. Pictured: Mermaid Dream has a base note of coconut and hints of vanilla and almond. blackarrow candles.com.au 2 Using laboratory beakers and conical flasks, Melbourne-based Alchemy Produx delivers an industrial vibe combined with unique fragrance combinations such as lychee and black tea. alchemyprodux.com 3 The Kitchen collection smells good enough to eat with scents such as nougat and espresso. blackmilkcandles.com.au 4 The Dr Salty’s “Man”dle range wouldn’t look out of place in a ’40s barber shop. The scents pay homage to the dapper gentleman, masculine and spicy without being…

Art & inspiration Firstly, I love the mag! I have a query regarding a piece of art in the Gypsy Spirit story in the September issue. I am just hoping to gather some details about the artist or retailer so I may be able to find similar pieces if possible. I just love it. Mary Ellicott, Camberwell Vic Ed’s note: All the pieces in that story are from Losari Homewares. Visit losari.com.au. Striking a chord I’m writing not about a specific article in this month’s issue but your amazing and uplifting editorial in particular about central-western Queensland. A number of my family lives in the small town of Injune (pop 400) and on properties in the region and close by — in Queensland miles — to Bandana Station, wonderfully highlighted…

NOVEMBER-MARCH (QLD) Turtle Nesting and Hatching Seize the amazing opportunity to see beautiful turtles heave their way up the beach to find a safe spot to dig a nest and lay their eggs. Come back some six to eight weeks later and see the tiny hatchlings emerge from their sandy nests to scurry down the beach and towards the sea. Taking place on Mon Repos beach near Bundaberg, central Queensland, this special ranger-led experience lets visitors understand and appreciate the life cycle of the turtle. This once-in-a-lifetime encounter occurs after dark and makes for a perfect summer family experience. bundabergregion.org JANUARY 22–FEBRUARY 21 (WA) Fringe World Festival Bigger, brassier and bolder than ever, Perth’s 2016 Fringe World Festival is coming back for the city’s buzzing summer festival period. From cabaret…

As a child growing up in Melbourne, Gwen Davey remembers spending Saturday afternoons lazing with a book in a hammock, beneath the canopy of the plum tree at her parents’ house. She oversaw her mother’s effort in tending the front garden and the energy with which her father gardened the back and came to the conclusion they were both crazy. But fortunately their enthusiasm for horticulture filtered down and kicked in circa 1975, when Gwen, her husband, Don, and their three young daughters found themselves the owners of two acres of rambling blackberries and cape broom in Castlemaine. Of course, the grand homestead on the land was the initial attraction. Built in 1867, Forest Hall projected stately charm although its ornamental verandah was rotting. Listed on the national and state…

Thick white coconut flesh is the source of desiccated, shredded, flaked, chipped and copra, or dried, coconut. From it is also extracted coconut cream, milk, oil, butter, milk powder and flour. Coconut sugar is produced from the sap of the cut flower buds of the coconut palm, which is collected and dried to evaporate the water content. The resulting tasty brown sugar is said to have a lower GI rating than cane sugar, but the jury is out until the science is more thorough. Coconut sugar is not palm sugar, which is derived from the date palm. The sap is also used to produce coconut vinegar by fermentation, and an amino sauce, which can be substituted for soy sauce. And that’s just the food component. The husk is used to…

ADIRONDACK CHAIRS A classic for the beach, by the pool or on the porch, Adirondack chairs are handcrafted from mahogany hardwood with stainless fittings. They are ideal for sitting back and enjoying your favourite book. adironackchairsaustralia.com.au JSALA SOY CANDLES The Coloured Jar range from Jsala Soy Candles has a double wick and burns an incredible scent for 80 hours. All candles are 100 per cent soy and are proudly hand poured in the workshop in Yarrambat. jsalasoycandles.com.au TRELOAR ROSES Named the Gallipoli Centenary Rose, the Kortutu rose was selected to commemorate one of the most significant moments in Australia’s history. Bred in Germany, it has high tolerance to diseases. treloarroses.com.au VILLA MAISON Make your home the place to be this summer with fresh and stylish homeware from Villa Maison. Its…

100% Pure w: nourishedlife.com.au AGA Australia 330 Malvern Rd, Prahran, Vic 3181. ph: (03) 9521 4965, e: info@AGAaustralia.com.au, w: agaaustralia.com.au Amalfi Homewares 87 Chifley Dr, Preston, Vic 3072. ph: (03) 9474 1300 w: amalfihomewares.com.au Artisanti ph: +44 (0)345 259 1410, e: shop@artisanti.com, w: artisanti.com ASKO 35 Sunmore Cl, Moorabbin Vic 3189. ph: 1300 002 756, w: asko.com.au Beauty & The Bees w: beebeauty.com Blake & Taylor 11 Latrobe Tce, Paddington Qld 4064. ph: (07) 3369 7255, w: blakeandtaylor.com.au Breville ph: 1300 139 798, w: breville.com.au Candle Me ph: 0400 347 004, w: candleme.com.au Chasseur 24 Salisbury Rd, Asquith, NSW 2077. Ph: 1800 808 971, w: chasseur.com.au Chef’n ph: +44 (0)206 448 1210, e: distributor-orders@chefn.com, w: chefn.com Chris’s Creations ph: 0416 003 281, e: wcmc10@bigpond.com, w: chrisscreations.net Classic With A Twist…