THE SEA HAS ALWAYS REASSURED Australian author Tim Winton. At lunchtime in his Perth primary school, Tim’s boyish anxieties were soothed by the sight of the bombora – the large sea waves breaking out over a submerged reef. His family may have lived f

We’ve seen shiraz gin, but from the home of sauvignon blanc, New Zealand, comes this new grape-based gin. Sauvignon blanc layers aromatic, fruity notes onto the classic juniper flavour. As a gin fan, this is my new favourite; $89.99 from Dan Murphy’s

IT WAS THE HEIGHT OF THE MILLENNIUM DROUGHT on Mywurlie, a 7081-hectare sheep station on the outskirts of the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it village of Gunbar in New South Wales. In the worst drought recorded since European settlement, feed had dried up, t

A SHARED PASSION FOR SUSTAINABLE FARMING and healthy living led chef and holistic nutrition and performance coach Scott Gooding and his wife, actress and director Matilda Brown, to launch The Good Farm Shop in 2021. Their Sydney-based company produce

IN JANUARY, I LET OUT A SIGH OF RELIEF. The excitement – and stress – of Christmas is over, and NYE is the final celebration of the season. The rest of January is for relaxing, responsibilities allowing. Long days and high temperatures mean trips to

“I WASN’T GOING TO DO ANOTHER food business,” insists Cherie Bevan. The New Zealand-born chef and cookbook author was worn out from a 40-year career in hospitality when she sold her Sydney bakery and cafe and escaped to the Northern Rivers of NSW mid

THE ONLY WAY TO GET TO MARGARET, a 120-year-old cottage at Milsons Passage on the Hawkesbur y River in New South Wales, is by boat. The weatherboard beauty sits on the traditional lands of the Darug people in an enclave of about 40 river-fronted shac

JANUARY: THE WEATHER IS HOT, the days long and balmy and, if you’re lucky, you have a little time to slow down and digest the year that was – both metaphorically and literally. Time to puddle about outside, move the sprinkler around the thirsty garde

LOOKING UP RUDE WORDS in the dictionary was a favourite pastime of mine as a kid. I would also interrogate my parents as to the validity of some words or idioms that I thought they’d made up. For example: ‘elbow grease’, ‘proof is in the pudding’, ‘s

Landscape artist Nat Anderson picked an inspiring spot to live with her husband, Shane, and their three daughters: a hectare in the rolling Barrabool Hills, behind Victoria’s Surf Coast. Architect Robert Troup designed the home to fit its site: “It w

GROWING UP IN THE RIVERINA district of New South Wales set Ruby Lucas off on her rural career – but it doesn’t look quite like the path carved out by the three generations of farmers who came before her. Instead, she owns a fashion store, Ruby’s Bout

THE PATH LEADING TO MELINDA AND CRAIG DW YER’S 1920s Borradale Homestead, in Tasmania’s north-west Circular Head, involves driving through paddocks up a steep incline to the crest of an emerald-green hill. At 100 metres above sea level, the house ove

TO CELEBRATE THE CENTENARY of the Queensland Art Gallery in 1995, an extraordinary example of Queensland cabinetmaking was purchased. Known as the Glengallan sideboard, it came from a property of the same name near Warwick in the Southern Downs area

HAVE A PLAN. THAT’S THE FIRST ADVICE landscape designer Jason King, of King’s Gardens and Pools, gives clients when creating their own green Edens. “A master plan will ensure the spaces connect and coexist in all seasons and at all times of the day,”

King Living’s Plateau Outdoor Sofa, from $2843, is comfortable, durable and totally flexible – the backrests move to suit your preferred position. Visit kingliving.com.au New year, new pillows! Drifting off is easier with Domayne’s range; whether you

As subscribers to Country Style for many years, my husband and I have often envied the wonderful ideas people have for a structure in their garden that is designed to have a practical purpose as well as being an attractive feature of the garden. My h

Outside Beauty & Skincare’s SPF50+ Face Mist, $55, is a non-greasy mist infused with refreshing Kakadu plum, vitamin E and raspberry seed oil. Dermresults Soft Focus Veil SPF 30, $74, from Arbonne, is mineral-based and offers a subtle tint for skin r

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 is facing

A Dictionary for Painting: Margaret Olley, Robert Malherbe, Keith Burt, until Mar 2 Hosted by the Margaret Olley Art Centre at the Tweed Regional Gallery in Murwillumbah, A Dictionary for Painting presents the life and legacy of Australian painter

I WOULD APPRECIATE you having a look at my Wade Ceramics breakfast set. I acquired this beautiful china about 20 years ago from a collectables shop in Mount Dandenong – they had purchased the set from a large vineyard estate in Victoria. It is a sett

BUFFETED BY THE TEMPESTUOUS WINDS that give Victoria’s Shipwreck Coast its forbidding name, Port Farm is a hilltop home bolstered against the weather by firm foundations and lofty ideals. Located near the seaside village of Port Campbell on the Great

1 The Premium beach tent in Lauren’s Navy Stripe, $299, from Business & Pleasure Co. 2 Cozumel beach towel in Cloud/Multi, $80, from Città. 3 Luxury parasol in Sage/White, $550, from Basil Bangs. 4 Premium beach umbrella in Breton Stripe, $274, from

A PERSON’S CONNECTION TO THEIR SCHOOL can span generations, continents even, and be incredibly meaningful. This certainly rang true for Sydney-based GP Dr Alexandra White in 1994 when, as university students, she and a friend journeyed to Africa for

“BEING ON THE BEACH IS FUNDAMENTAL to my life,” says artist Jo Victoria from her home and studio in Mossy Point, a laid-back hamlet on the South Coast of New South Wales. “It’s the beautiful light, the colours of the ocean, the direction of the wind,

A wholesome brunch is enjoyed on the verandah at a family farm in the Nambucca Valley, NSW.■

FOR 150 YEARS, THE LIGHTHOUSE at Sugarloaf Point has been guiding ships safely past the treacherous coastline of Seal Rocks, NSW. It’s a function the building still performs today. Back in 1875, the lighthouse keeper and two assistants lived onsite,

As the creator of television series Prime Suspect, Widows, The Governor, Trial & Retribution and The Commander and author of 52 novels, there’s hardly been a year since 1983 when La Plante wasn’t front and centre in the world of fictional crime. This

I LOVE THE WAY SOUND CARRIES in summer. It’s something to do with the extra degrees in the air temperature giving sound particles more energy. All the noises – the crack of a cricket bat, the hoorays and howzats!, the hum of machines and moos from th