Innholdsfortegnelse for No. 1 - 2026 i Country Style Specials

Nothing beats a tip from a local. No matter the question, ask someone who lives in the town you are visiting and they’ll point you in the direction of the places they frequent. Where’s the best coffee? The best place to stay? What restaurant should I eat at? What should I do while I’m here? We decided to talk to locals from Bermagui to Yamba and Yungaburra, and asked them to share their insider knowledge with you in this Country Style special issue, called Local’s Guide. You’ll be seeing ‘Local’s Guide’ pop up a lot in 2026, in every issue of Country Style, in newsletters, online and on our social media accounts. I am also manifesting a vodcast for the second half of the year to further explore must-visit towns…

OSPREY SPA Elements of Byron, 144 Bayshore Dr, Byron Bay, NSW, (02) 6639 1500 elementsofbyron.com.au The minute you walk into Osprey Spa, you feel the stress start to melt away. The sandy-hued, beachcomber-inspired decor is in keeping with its coastal location, the gentle music and the quiet welcome in the reception area adding to the calm atmosphere. Once in the treatment room where one of the therapists will work their magic, you feel completely relaxed. Osprey Spa is located within Elements of Byron resort and a massage here is the perfect thing to do while on holiday to erase tension from everyday life. Book in for a Vanessa Megan Naturaceutical certified organic facial, an Australian skincare brand that has an exclusive partnership with Osprey. Your therapist can recommend products for…

It’s a steep, winding climb through dense rainforest, rising from the steamy flats of coastal Cairns, but once you hit the Atherton Tablelands plateau, you enter a different world. The tropical heaviness gives way to a cooler, lighter air, as the dark canopy breaks to reveal a unique landscape of lush meadows and gently rolling hills, pockets of old-growth rainforests, waterfalls and ancient volcanic crater lakes. The tablelands not only feature an abundance of natural beauty, they are dotted with quaint country towns, with heritage-listed Yungaburra being arguably the most charming and well-preserved. Its 18 historic buildings make it the largest National Trust village in Queensland, recognising a rich colonial history. Yet the name of the village points to a much deeper history that predates white settlement. The name Yungaburra…

Just outside the pretty heritage town of Braidwood, NSW, lies Mona Farm: 50 hectares of rolling paddocks, dotted with striking sculptures; clusters of beautifully restored historic buildings; a flower-sprinkled woodland; a rose garden; and a lake, complete with hand-built humpback bridge. Unsurprisingly, it’s a popular wedding venue – but you don’t have to be a wedding guest to stay. I checked in to the Shearer’s Quarters, one of seven accommodation options on the farm, for a luxurious weekend. The corrugated iron exterior and brick chimneypiece aside, I’m not sure those 19th-century shearers would recognise their quarters now, with its sleek kitchen, vast Japanese bathhouse-inspired bathroom (complete with underfloor heating), and glorious cedar-clad hot tub on the deck overlooking Mona Creek. We explored the extensive landscaped grounds, met the resident pigs,…

A regular visitor to Berry in the Shoalhaven region of New South Wales, Natalie Hazel had always admired a certain home in the historic town centre. The classic weatherboard cottage with shingles and a scalloped trim epitomised the old-fashioned character and charm that drew Natalie and her husband, Damian Reichel, back to Berry time and time again. “My husband and I met as lawyers working for the same law firm and our first weekend away was to Berry,” Natalie says. “So it’s always been very special to us.” The couple loved the South Coast region so much they bought land in nearby Gerroa and built a weekender, which they visited frequently with their three children – Amelia, 18, Sebastian, 16, and Louis, 14 – over the years. But in 2022…

Stepping into The Stables at Martha Vale Park is an experience akin to taking a deep breath. Tensions melt gradually away and brains whirring with endless to-do lists start to slow down, to relax, to rest. Perhaps it’s the pastoral surroundings: Martha Vale Park is a 200-hectare property that runs around 550 head of Cape Grim cattle on regenerative farming principles, and chances are when you arrive, you’ll be greeted by the farm dogs: Penny, a Jack Russell, and border collies Tex and Betty. Or perhaps it’s the glorious natural surroundings – you’re just a few minutes from St Helens on Tasmania’s east coast, and very close to the pristine Bay of Fires. Or maybe it’s the building itself. With beautifully finished timbers, burnished brass and polished concrete all around,…

If you tend to complain that Byron Bay isn’t what it was, get yourself to 28 Degrees and you might just change your mind. This guesthouse is essentially a beach shack – but a beach shack with seriously luxurious taste. White weatherboard walls, palm-shaded timber verandahs and outdoor showers and DIY breakfasts in the communal kitchen for those staying in the main house hark back to the Byron of yesteryear: laidback tropical vibes with sociability built in for those who want it. Here, owners Deb and Lindon Garske have taken the humble beach shack and given it a dramatic upgrade. Think a lap pool and private plunge pools, Hale Mercantile Co bedlinens, snowdrift-soft Maker & Son armchairs and Hunter Lab bath products. Beach trips are a breeze, with umbrellas, towels…

If there’s a more glamorous way of approaching your hotel than a helicopter ride, I don’t know it. The 35-minute hop from Cairns to Mount Mulligan Lodge is a thrilling spin over Australia’s most iconic landscapes, from tropical reefs, through rainforest, to the outback. As the lush Atherton Tablelands thin out into the open eucalypt forest that heralds the outback, the pilot points out Mount Mulligan, or Ngarrabullgan, a looming sandstone mass stretching 18 kilometres, then swoops in below it to circle the lodge, with its green gardens and weir. It’s a spectacular entrance to a spectacular place. Reminiscent of a safari camp, Mount Mulligan Lodge centres around a main pavilion of rustic timber and stone that looks out onto an infinity pool and the tranquil waters of the weir,…

Coldstream Street, Yamba’s popular main street, with its cafes, restaurants and shops, is always a hive of activity, but one thing seems to be in indefinite standstill: the public clock on the main drag. Its hands are permanently frozen at five o’clock, but if you think this is a malfunction the council will fix anytime soon, you are quite mistaken. Rather, the static clock is a statement of sorts, a symbol for what the citizens of this coastal community cherish most – their relaxed and easy lifestyle, something they proudly call Yamba Time. Yamba Distilling Co owner and passionate local Alison Sloley tells the tale: “Four years ago the council wanted to fix it up and make the clock go. But the locals said no, we don’t want that.” She…

The residents of Bermagui have a very special relationship with the sea – and nowhere is this more evident than during a sunny afternoon on the porch of the Beach Hotel, overlooking the crystal-clear waters of Horseshoe Bay. Almost everyone sits facing the ocean, scanning the horizon for a sign of the main topic of conversation: the countless whales that inhabit this pristine stretch of the South Coast of New South Wales. The locals are more than happy to point the novice in the right direction. “There’s another one, it just breached – you can see it between the palm trees on the right,” a helpful patron says. Watching these majestic giants frolic in the early evening light is a sight nobody here will ever tire of. Bermagui – or…

Picnics on the river, telling stories around the fireplace, sitting in silence – these are the sorts of wholesome pastimes that come part and parcel with life in the country, and Manon and Charlie Garnock are keen to share them with guests at their architecturally designed cottage in Monaro, New South Wales. “I’m originally from the Southern Highlands, while Charlie is a sixth-generation Monaro farmer,” says Manon. “We had always talked about coming back and when the property next to his family farm came up for sale, it was an opportunity too good to pass up. We’ve been here six years and I wouldn’t want to raise our three kids anywhere else.” Manon – who has French heritage on her father’s side and spent five years of her childhood living…

AS EVENING FALLS, GUESTS CAN SETTLE IN FRONT OF ORIGINAL FIREPLACES WITH A COMPLIMENTARY BOTTLE OF BROAD ARROW WINE. Visiting Tasmania, with its wealth of historic buildings and cool weather, always puts me in mind of my native England. But villages like Evandale, a postcard-perfect National Trustclassified Georgian village in the north of the island, remind me that Tasmania has a flavour all its own. In the heart of the historic village, Charleston Cottage stands as a testament to 19th-century craftsmanship, as well as to 21st-century design. Its charming Georgian facade has been lovingly renovated by owner Lydia Nettlefold, who was inspired by the creative spirit that pervades Charleston Farmhouse, the country retreat of the Bloomsbury set of artists and writers whose output – which included the novels of Virginia…

From the outside, the red-brick facade of the old Braithwaite bakery and corner store stands as a reminder of the once bustling neighbourhood hub that served the locals of Sandy Bay, Hobart, up until the 1970s. Then once inside, a light-filled, architecturally designed one-bedroom apartment brings guests back to the present, its considered interiors providing the perfect base from which to explore Hobart and its surrounding suburbs. Alix and John Davis can be thanked for giving this historic building its new lease on life. Having moved from Sydney to Bonnet Hill, 15 minutes’ drive south of Hobart, in 2018, they quickly realised they were here to stay, and decided to look for a second base in Hobart. “This old bakery is in a really picturesque neighbourhood of workers’ cottages and…

In 2019, bushfires swept through the New South Wales Blue Mountains, destroying more than one million hectares of World Heritage bushland, homes and habitat. But like a phoenix rising out of the flames, Chalets at Blackheath has emerged from the charred earth to herald a new chapter for the area. The private retreat, which joins the exclusive Small Luxury Hotels of the World portfolio, consists of four eco-sensitive chalets perched on an escarpment and immersed in nature. The interiors replicate the rugged surroundings, with rammed earth walls, a boulder-like bathtub and stone feature wall behind the indoor fireplace. Creature comforts are not forgotten, with silky Frette sheets on the bed, a mini SubZero wine fridge replete with top drops and remote control blinds to block the light but not the…

Driving from Melbourne to Dunkeld at the south end of the Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park, in Victoria, takes three hours. It’s an easy, pleasant drive as it’s mostly flat, with roads that cut through paddocks bleached golden and dry by the sun, typical for this area in late February. Sheep and rounds of hay dot the landscape. Approaching Dunkeld, Mount Sturgeon (Wurgarri) rises up seemingly from nowhere, with the rest of the mountains making up the Grampians behind it. Pulling up in front of the Royal Mail Hotel, the peak, covered in green, contrasts with the rest of the landscape. The Royal Mail Hotel sits at the edge of Dunkeld but has become the centre of this small town. Bought in the 1980s by the Myers family, who live in…

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When you think of Tamworth, two things spring to mind: country music and that giant Golden Guitar. And while the city’s iconic Country Music Festival – which has helped launch the careers of Keith Urban, Lee Kernaghan and Kasey Chambers, among others – has certainly earned its place on the Australian events calendar, it turns out there’s a whole lot more to this dynamic regional hub. Located in the New England region of New South Wales, just under five hours’ drive from Sydney, Tamworth is the traditional home of the Kamilaroi people. Proclaimed a town in 1850 with about 250 residents, Tamworth is now home to a diverse community of around 65,000. In recent years, it has become a thriving destination for dining, shopping and sightseeing, with a choice of…

Sustainability was a guiding principle when designing two luxury cabins at Box Hill Esperance, a working farm located just 12 kilometres from Esperance on the south coast of Western Australia. A sense of history was also key for owners Anna and Alex Martins, who incorporated repurposed materials – reclaimed jarrah beams, recycled railway sleepers and corrugated iron from a century-old shed – into the dwellings. The fully off-grid, one-bedroom cabins – named Yate and York after eucalyptus trees – also feature stone fireplaces made from fossilised rock, open-plan kitchen, dining and living areas, king-sized suites, rain showers and stone bathtubs. Creature comforts include Baina bathrobes, Carlotta + Gee linens, Hunter Lab amenities, Mayde teas and Micrology coffee, while outdoors, fire pits are a treat at sunset. Visit boxhillesperance.com.au…