Country Style

AS MY DAUGHTER Ally and I left the Evandale Market, she said to me, “I could see you living here. You’re always here!” While it is an exaggeration that I am always in Tasmania, I do feel at home there and it’s a place I would love to live one day. Th

Editor KYLIE IMESON Creative director SARAH FARAGO Deputy editor HANNAH JAMES Art director BERNHARD SCHMITZ  Queensland contributing editor CLAIRE MACTAGGART  Stylist KATE LINCOLN  Feature writers REBECCA HOOTON, RACHEL WHITE  Junior writer LISA EASE

Anyone who’s in the thick of family life (or farm life) knows how often they find themselves in the laundry room. A reliable, large-capacity washing machine is an essential that underpins the whole kit and caboodle – and LG’s new 14kg front-load mach

CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT St Kilda Matt White Octagon with Burgundy Dot porcelain period mosaic tile, $75 per sqm, from The Blue Space. Chanel Le Vernis nail colour in Rouge Noir, $48, from David Jones. Vesper Amber Red rug, $499, from Ruggable. Kone

THE VISUAL LANGUAGE of Australia’s rural landscape speaks of weather-battered textures and the rolling lines of fenced paddocks that sweep as far as the eye can see. Multidisciplinary artist Susan Simonini, 56, is inspired daily by this patinated poe

AS THE YOUNGEST of 10 children, Michelle Payne’s childhood on a 16-hectare horse-training property at Miners Rest, just outside Ballarat in Victoria, was anything but dull. Her dad, Paddy, raised Michelle and her siblings after her mum, Mary, was tra

Shinju Matsuri, Aug 17-Sept 1 Japanese for ‘festival of the pearl’, this event held in Broome celebrates the town’s pearling history and multicultural community. Shinju Matsuri opens on August 17 with a Yawuru Welcome to Country, followed by the Dah

THERE ARE HISTORIC buildings in paddocks all over Australia that are left to wither away, taking their stories with them. Sadly, the cost to restore them often outweighs the benefits of the job, especially for those making a living on the land. That

IN AUSTRALIA’S DEEP southern reaches, Tasmania bursts with historically significant properties and the conservation-minded folk who carefully restore and revive their fading character. Thorne Cottage is one of these storied locations, refreshed and r

PHOTOGRAPHY OLIVIA SATTLER ■

EMMA AND STUART BURGESS have always felt drawn to the land. Stuart’s family were dairy farmers in Gerringong on the South Coast of New South Wales, while Emma grew up in nearby Jamberoo. But it was Tasmania that stole their hearts. The couple moved t

WITH ITS GOLDEN sandstone buildings, antique shops and quaint cafes, it is little wonder Karen Miles was enchanted by the town of Oatlands, around an hour’s drive north of Hobart, during a work trip in 2018. “There were these beautiful, wide country

A NEW ACQUAINTANCE of ours came to dinner in the middle of one winter and brought with her an enormous bunch of bright yellow flowers picked from her garden. They were the most cheerful and fragrant thing, like daisies but with a strong citrusy smell

TAKE A BITE Fresh from the oven, this cheesy, leek-filled flamiche is a tasty treat on a chilly winter’s day. For recipe, see page 97. ■

WINTER IS SUCH a wonderful time for snuggling up at home and eating comfort food. Meals that can simmer long and slow on the stove are ideal, especially if you’re lucky enough to have a wood-burning stove. It’s also the perfect time to make comfortin

SOME PAIRINGS GO hand in hand: Kim Kardashian and publicity; Elon Musk and stock tumbles; John Farnham and goodbye tours. The cornucopia of flavour combinations is no different. Over millennia of endeavour, from the very first tools to atomic energy,

AS A KID, my little brother was powerless in the face of a country-bakery custard tart. He just loved them. I never understood it – the pale, wobbly, nutmeg-freckled custard held no appeal to me whatsoever. And certainly not in competition with a pie

TASSIE IS COOL – think MONA, fabulous seafood, prime beef, quality cheeses and (especially) wine. And cool is the word, for it is Tasmania’s cool climate that is enticing some of the country’s best winegrowers to the Sparkling Isle; an apt renaming o

WILD WONDER Spot the cute locals amid the spectacular scenery on King Island, located in the Bass Strait. For more, turn the page. PHOTOGRAPHY MARNIE HAWSON ■

Basq House is Byron Bay’s newest boutique hotel (left), and it’s a goodie – a stylish and serene spot from which to explore NSW’s glorious Northern Rivers region. Visit basqhouse.com.au Family-owned Tassie business Lake Leather makes beautiful leathe

A STAY AT Leighton House in northern Tasmania can take any form you like. For owner Genevieve Campbell, it begins with a walk through the 121-hectare property to the South Esk River, a renowned local fishing spot heaving with trout. On her return, sh

I’M STANDING ON A narrow strip of sand on the west coast of King Island. In front of me is a pyramid of serrated rock. It’s the sort of rock you need to be careful of as you climb. If you trip or miss a step or let your gaze wander, the rock will sna

Prepare for the warmth of spring with core Lauren Ralph Lauren pieces in sporty yet classic Parisian styling. Embrace tailored designs, layered, striped fabrications and floaty georgette looks. This advance preview of the Lauren Ralph Lauren summer c

CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT Luminosité Dry Face Oil, $52, from Selkia Skin, infuses the skin with nourishing Kakadu plum, jojoba and rosehip oil. Brass dish is stylist’s own. Origins Nourishing Avocado Lip Butter, $30, from Mecca, contains eight plant o

CATTLE BREEDER AND father-of-three Sam Fryer is in a good spot right now, but he hasn’t always been. After a series of traumatic events, Sam, 34, “broke down” at his parents’ kitchen table in outback Far North Queensland, when he was just 22. “I thin

Time travel – what nonsense. It can never happen. But Einstein stated that all time is simultaneous, and Bradley pitches her novel not as science fiction but for real. A hush-hush government group ‘expatrifies’ individuals from the past and rehabilit

The Hisense 12kg Series 9 Front Load Washer lets you set and control wash cycles via an innovative touchscreen display. harveynorman.com.au The elegant, 30cm-tall Elena Dinner Taper is crafted from pure Australian beeswax and harvested with zero was

THIS MORNING ON MY WALK, I stepped over a scattering of carrot sticks. They were freshly cut, vibrant against the grey footpath and kind of hopeful. Some of them had fallen into the gutter. A little further on, I passed a primary school. I tried to p

WHILE A FROST sparkles on the lawn outside, Belle Binder curates the chaos of her five children with the well-oiled mastery of an orchestral conductor. With the oldest four out the door of their 120-year-old farmhouse in Spreyton, Tasmania, Belle cha