Country Style

I WAS BORN in Kyogle, did some of my primary schooling in Byron Bay and went to high school in Lismore. In all three towns, Norco loomed large. Established in 1895 in Byron Bay, Norco was the place we walked to from Nan’s house in Kyogle to buy flavo

WA Abrolhos Long Table Lunch/Midwest Paddock to Plate Sun-drenched Geraldton hosts the Shore Leave Festival, from April 24-28, offering more than 30 events. This year’s focus is on sustainability, with a choice of fine-dining experiences, foodie far

This Soli Display Cabinet from Domayne is just as useful in a dining room or living room as it is in a kitchen or bedroom, while its woven rattan and oak veneer construction means it’s equally at home in a coastal, traditional or modern-styled home.

CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT Freddy Australian cotton tea towel in Nutmeg, $14.95, from Country Road. Herringbone tea towel in Khaki, $24, from Aura Home by Tracie Ellis. Summer Lily White linen tea towel, $29, from Kip & Co. La Vie en Rose tea towel, $4

IN THE LOVELY countryside of Millthorpe, just south-east of Orange in New South Wales, Renee Sinclair has been delivering Burtons Lane Curry Pastes since 2015, making dinnertime for local families extra special. Growing up on a dairy farm on the outs

A DEAR FRIEND sent me a well-loved copy of Farmhouse Fare: Recipes from Country Housewives (Hulton Press, London, 1947). I keep it close by, on my writing desk rather than the bookcase, because there’s something so comforting about it. It features an

PLAYING THE WIFE of a farmer may be Leila McDougall’s first-ever acting role, but she’s got plenty of real-life experience under her belt. The former high-school teacher, mother of two and wife to farmer Sean lives on a 1214-hectare sheep and cattle

MANY GROWERS HOPE that at least one of their kids will follow in their footsteps. For viticulturalist Peter Brown, whose grandfather established the first Brown Brothers vineyard in 1889, all three of his children did so. And when Peter died suddenly

“IT’S MY JOY TO bring a home to life,” says Nonnie Aldridge, a property stylist who lives in the mountain village of Leura, 100 kilometres west of Sydney, on Dharug land. Contrary to the cookie-cutter aesthetic often associated with real-estate styli

A post office built in the 1800s in Moruya, NSW, is now an elegant family home with a Gallic aesthetic. PHOTOGRAPHY LEAN TIMMS ■

OFTEN IN LIFE, when one door closes, another one opens. In Sue and Michael Franklin’s case, many doors (and many Victorian sash windows) opened. Acquiring the Post and Telegraph building in Moruya on the South Coast of NSW – on the traditional lands

WHEN RODNEY DUNN and his wife, Séverine Demanet, opened a restaurant in Tasmania’s New Norfolk in 2017 – a new chapter in The Agrarian Kitchen’s iconic farm-to-plate journey – their kitchen garden and cooking school were still located at The Old Scho

TIM AND LAUREN SAYCE never planned to live on a farm with horses, cattle, chickens and pigs. But when they spied a beautiful vacant block in Mount Marrow, near Ipswich in Queensland, while visiting family, an idea began brewing. “We just thought, ‘We

ON TABLE French flax linen tablecloth in Pinstripe, $135, and Ruffles French flax linen napkins in Natural, $59.95 (set of four), from I Love Linen. Twist pillar candle in Sage, $19.95, from Bed Bath N’ Table. Round rattan placemat in Antique, $39.50

When renovating their cottage outside Ipswich, in Qld, Tim and Lauren Sayce took an impressively data-driven approach. “My thing was, how can we make this small home function for family better, so we don’t feel we’re drowning in things everywhere,” e

Plan an autumn picnic in a picturesque spot with homemade quiche, terrine, cheese and cakes.  PHOTOGRAPHY LEON SCHOOTS STYLING KIRSTEN JENKINS ■

IT WAS WHILE working as an apprentice for food educator and kitchen garden pioneer Stephanie Alexander that Annie Smithers first discovered a passion for fresh produce and a reverence for small growers. Later on, she would run a cafe for Carol White

BELIEVE IT OR not, there was once a time when one had to travel overseas to gain experience in order to be taken seriously back home in Australia. This bias affected numerous professions and career trajectories. “What country did you work in after gr

A journey through Tasmania’s north-west region reveals incredible scenery and gastronomic delights. For more, turn the page. PHOTOGRAPHY IMAGE COURTESY OF TRAILGRAZE ■

Classic French kitchenware brand Le Creuset has launched a new colourway and, fittingly, it’s inspired by red wine. Called Rhône, after the wine region in south-east France that grows chiefly shiraz and grenache grapes, it’s a warm, rich shade that l

Just an hour’s drive from Melbourne CBD is the Lancemore Lindenderry Red Hill, a country estate set among the vines at the award-winning Lindenderry Wines. Explore the gardens, then enjoy hatted fine dining at the Dining Room, paired with the estate’

THESE DAYS, it’s common for people to juggle multiple roles, but what’s rare is for an old factory to take on the ethos without losing its charm. For Milk Haus, that’s exactly what happened, with the converted 19th-century cheese factory becoming a s

Wool rib dressing gown in Rosewood, $400, from Smitten Merino. Annabelle shirt dress in Faded Rose, $185, and Eva floral linen pants in Pale Pink, $165, from Miss Rose Sister Violet. Taralga ribbed local merino/alpaca/silk loose-top socks, $49, from

Introducing Smeg’s Neptune Grey, a sleek neutral with a matte finish designed to balance the simplicity of Linea appliances. smeg.com/au Relish a deep, restorative sleep on a customised Sealy Posturepedic Exquisite Princeton Queen Mattress. domayne.

TOP SHELF, FROM LEFT Sand & Sky Australian Pink Clay Porefining Face Mask, $54, from Adore Beauty, gently draws out impurities and pollutants, stimulates collagen and leaves skin with a natural glow. Sulwhasoo Overnight Vitalizing Mask, $77, from Ado

Anne Buist & Graeme Simsion, Hachette, $32.99 Buist is Chair of Women’s Mental Health at the University of Melbourne. In 30 years of clinical practice she’s seen ‘isms’ come and go, fashions in treatment, fashions in training, and fashions in patien

KLYTIE PATE CREATED THIS VASE IN 1950 TO CELEBRATE MELBOURNE HOSTING THE UPCOMING OLYMPIC GAMES IN 1956. KLYTIE PATE’S High Diving vase is a wonderful example of her skill as a potter. Its tall, elegant form seems perfect as the platform from which t

Panic over news that the future of our planet is threatened by greenhouse gas pollution is masking an even greater threat to life as we know it in rural Australia. Insidious forces have sabotaged a priceless icon of country life and struck at the ver