Inhaltsverzeichnis für July 2016 in Country Style

Watching Scout Smith’s pet lambs crowd around her recently reminded me of how lucky I was to grow up with a menagerie of animals — just like Scout has. I was responsible for bringing home many pets over the years. From the tabby kittens abandoned at the local vet to the just-hatched bantam chicks I would keep warm on a cold night under a lamp on my desk before putting them back under their mother, I seem to have a talent for finding animals to this day, which my mother will attest to. (She still has two dogs, the puppies of Rouge, my Jack Russell, and, as I write this, is probably out now walking them in an effort to tire them out!) Like Scout, I also had a grey…

AN OLD WEATHER-BEATEN GREEN LAND ROVER CRAWLS SLOWLY ALONG THE TRACK TO MEET US. “I MADE MY FIRST FEW TABLES IN DAD’S SHED AND I REALLY ENJOYED DOING IT.” Silvered by years of exposure to the elements, the narrow footbridge creaks as we walk along its splintery planks. Water gently laps the narrow piers while a heron, with its long spindly legs, happily paddles in the shallows of this beautiful waterway near Raglan, a village on the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island. Looking ahead, an old weather-beaten green Land Rover crawls slowly along the track to meet us. When the tide is this high, furniture maker Will Worsp has to down tools in his workshop, a former surfboard factory on top of the hill, to pick up…

If there’s need for a helping hand down Hamilton way, Jackie O’Brien is most likely the one to pitch in. “I can knit and I can sell cattle yards, and I’m great at talking,” she quips. Actually, Jackie, who loves nothing more than to gather people together to knit and whose full-time job is selling stockyards for a Hamilton business, wears quite a few more hats than that. For someone who’s lived in the heart of Victoria’s wool-growing district, it’s not surprising that she never misses a chance to promote the natural fibre, and the industry. For the past four years, Jackie has been involved in the Australasian Young Designer Wool Awards at Sheepvention, Hamilton’s premier sheep and wool show, in August. “Entries for the award have to be at…

HAMILTON IS PROUD of its wool-growing heritage. You can’t miss the connection in a town whose laneways are named after sheep breeds. The small regional city, population 10,000, sits on the idyllic red gum plains of western Victoria, 300 kilometres west of Melbourne. In 1836, the explorer, Major Thomas Mitchell, inspired by the fertility of the region, called it ‘Australia Felix’. The township was declared in 1851 and Hamilton became known as the wool capital of the world. However, for those newcomers now making Hamilton their home it’s often the lure of a relaxed, affordable lifestyle, good schools, art and cultural offerings and employment. Hamilton has a number of high-end attractions including Botanic Gardens, laid out in 1881, and the Hamilton Gallery with its notable collections of Australian and international…

A TREE CHANGE to the lush, balmy surrounds of the NSW northern rivers region would be a dream come true for many Australians, and when work brought Ben Rickard and his wife, Anna, from Brisbane to Alstonville in early 2013, the couple embraced their new surrounds. But soon after the move, a camping trip with friends changed the family’s life forever. Ben, 35, a doctor, and Anna, 34, an occupational therapist, have three children — Lola, seven, Violet, four, and Eddie, six months — and on that trip, Violet, then 14 months old, became very ill with a stomach bug and unexpectedly began to lose her motor skills. “We’d had a few concerns about her physical development, but nothing really alarming at that stage,” says Anna. “She’d met all her…

SOUVENIR SHOP In a nod to the holiday souvenir tea towel, photographer, stylist and author Kara Rosenlund has created a range that celebrates the Australian landscape. “My work is nostalgic,” Kara says. The linen tea towels, from $49 each, are printed with images you’ll recognise from your own travels — ‘Clothesline’ (left), ‘Highlands’, ‘Nurture’ (a mother kangaroo with her baby on the beach), and ‘Summer Road Trip’. Kara has also designed a range of beautiful spoons, which are hand-carved from Australian timber. The measuring spoon (above), $125, combines a metric teaspoon and tablespoon. kararosenlund.com french collection Inherent practices in French provincial cooking — the idea of eating responsibly, buying food direct from the grower at markets, eating fresh and preparing food simply — are captured by cookbook author and…

 Here’s a note on the desk about farm etiquette: Paddocks containing bulls should never be entered. There’s no need to warn the Country Style team about the perils of such an activity, but it’s a little reminder that behind the luxury at Kauri Cliffs, there is also a working farm. Driving along the unsealed road into this luxury lodge, perched on the edge of Matauri Bay on New Zealand’s North Island, we have already passed emerald green paddocks dotted with grazing Black Angus cattle. The lounge feels just like a private home and is especially popular during cocktail hour. “The farming side is really a very significant part of the business,” explains Garth Solly, Kauri Cliffs’s general manager, who grew up on a dairy farm on the tip of the…

FOR UK-BORN beauty entrepreneur Jo Horgan, it was love at first sight when she travelled to Western Australia with her family as a teenager. “I found the light to be quite magical. The beaches were the stuff of an English girl’s dreams,” she says. “I remember being drawn to how open, friendly and positive the people were. We started with a grand tour from Cape Tribulation to Perth, and we all fell in love with the country and were delighted to call it our new home.” Decades later at her South Yarra home, Jo, 46, is still drawn to the beauty of the outdoors. “Our ‘secret garden’ is my favourite place to be — it separates us from the hustle and bustle of the city that’s just on the other…

1803 0411 765 662 1803.com.au Abode 1800 022 633 abodeliving.com Armadillo&Co armadillo-co.com Arne Jacobsen available from Living Edge 1300 132 154 livingedge.com.au Artek available from Anibou (02) 9319 0655 anibou.com.au Aura 1300 304 269 aurahome.com.au Birdie Cashmere birdiecashmere.com Birdsnest 1300 696 378 birdsnest.com.au Brownlow Interior Design (03) 9826 0062 brownlow.net.au Cannon Gas Log Heaters 1300 727 421 cannonappliances.com.au Celeste Tesoriero celestetesoriero.com Citta Design cittadesign.com COS (02) 9231 3944 Country Road 1800 801 911 countryroad.com.au David Lawrence 1800 100 366 davidlawrence.com.au Dinosaur Designs (02) 9698 3500 dinosaurdesigns.com.au Domayne 1800 366 296 domayneonline.com.au Donald Judd juddfoundation.org Dyson 1800 239 766 dyson.com.au eb&ive (02) 9667 1991 ebandive.com.au Ercol available from Temperature Design (03) 9419 1447 temperaturedesign.com.au Everyday Cashmere (02) 9958 5725 everydaycashmere.com fallenBROKENstreet fallenbrokenstreet.com Fujitsu 1300 882 201 fujitsugeneral.com.au Great Dane (03) 9682 2777 greatdanefurniture.com Grown Alchemist (03) 9023 8851 grownalchemist.com Hale Mercantile Co (03) 9939 1267 halemercantileco.com In Bed inbedstore.com Jac + Jack (02) 9380 6630 jacandjack.com Jag 1800 993…

IN THE BUSH, OF COURSE THE INDICATOR IS NEVER USED, BECAUSE EVERYONE KNOWS WHERE YOU TURN OFF ANYWAY. THE LOCAL Made n’ Grown Market is a very social affair. Well, social and commercial, I suppose, because, when you meet someone new, you sort of have to buy a jar of the choko pickles they’re famous for. A neighbour introduced me to someone new recently. “Have you met Rob?” she asked the someone new. “He and his wife bought the old courthouse.” “Yes,” I confirmed, “but that was in 1984.” “Is it that long ago?” exclaimed the neighbour. “We always think of you as newcomers.” The how-long-does-it-take-to-become-a-local question is an inescapable part of Australian tree-changing. In some places it’s when the third-generation girl child is presented at the central school debutante…

MICHELLE BALL Inspired by a holiday, Michelle’s artistic eye draws the best from the New Zealand stories in this issue. A holiday with her daughter last year prompted this talented Sydney-based painter and magazine art director to return to New Zealand for our special issue. “I was drawn by the allure of walking wild coastlines, swimming and riding horses on black beaches,” Michelle says. “It was inspiring and breathtaking.” The two houses she found for this issue were equally impressive. “They truly reflect the characters of the women who live in them, and their families,” Michelle says. “Their style reveals interesting and well-travelled lives, and embraces a country lifestyle.” Another highlight from her trip? “The best swim all season on the northern tip of the North Island near Kerikeri,” she…

Join us on a tour of some of Australia’s most beautiful gardens. This book features stunning photography, detailed behind-the-scenes stories and expert planting tips — a true collector’s edition. ON SALE NOW AVAILABLE AT BOOKSHOPS…

“As we sat on the couch, we just looked at each other and said, ‘This is our home.’ ” Nestled amid the green, rolling pastures and bush-clad slopes of Paremoremo, Auckland, with sweeping views across Waitemata Harbour to the city’s western suburbs, this weathered timber house is home to a talented and interesting family. There are many clues dotted around the four-hectare block: an ice-cream factory in what was the stables; the vintage ambulance parked outside; a tree house left over from a television shoot; and a dressage arena scattered with jumps. Life here could definitely never be boring. “Well, we are ideas people,” quips Craig ‘Jacks’ Jackson, a film-editor-turned-food-entrepreneur who shares the spacious two-storey, five-bedroom home with his partner, television commercial director Mel Bridge, and their two sons, Elmo,…

CROWD FAVOURITES Sheepvention Hamilton’s premier sheep and wool show, includes a fashion award and parade held the first Monday and Tuesday in August. Hamilton Showgrounds, Shakespeare Street, Hamilton. (03) 5572 2563; hamiltonshowgrounds.com.au Lake Hamilton Thirty-eight hectare lake with a walking and running track, picnic areas, boat ramp and playgrounds. Rippon Road, Hamilton. Hamilton Gallery Renowned for its outstanding collections of Australian and international paintings, prints and decorative arts. 107 Brown Street, Hamilton. (03) 5573 0460; hamiltongallery.org Hamilton Botanic Gardens One of the earliest provincial botanic gardens set in four hectares with significant trees, fountains and bird enclosures. Corner Thompson and French Streets, Hamilton. Waterfalls Wannon Falls cascade over ancient lava flows just off the Glenelg Highway, 18 kilometres west of Hamilton. Three kilometres along the Wannon River, Nigretta Falls are…

ONE WINTER’S MORNING in 2003, John Zito arrived at my kitchen door with a delivery of fresh hazelnuts and a jar that appeared to contain tissue paper. Smiling like a crazy person, he offered me the jar. I opened it curiously and was rewarded with a supercharged waft of earthy mustiness that’s quite difficult to describe, other than to say it was a totally unique, penetrating and intense aroma. This was the first time I had ever smelled a freshly dug black truffle — the fruit of an edible subterranean fungi — and I immediately understood what all the fuss was about. After that introduction, I read everything I could about truffles, which are native to the forests of Europe and have been prized by French and Italian cooks for…

Being mistaken as an expert on New Zealand’s North Island brown kiwi wasn’t exactly what I had expected on my first visit to Russell, the historic town that is at the heart of the Bay of Islands. The ladies of the Russell Gardening Club, who meet on the second Thursday of each month at this holiday town’s Christ Church Hall, are a delightful lot. “Well, we would love to hear about an Australian magazine, that sounds just as interesting as native birds. Come on in,” says Margaret Pasco, as she tries to persuade me to be a last-minute replacement for the wildlife expert who, luckily, turned out to be only running a little late. Stepping inside the hall, we are offered a cup of tea — or two — and…

 The courier driver who pulls up at the back door of Tony Sly Pottery, loaded down with bags of clay, has an easy smile and greets the tight-knit team of artisans by name. Raglan, a beachside town 160 kilometres south-west of Auckland, is that sort of place. Small and quiet, it’s a balm for the creative mind, but also buzzy enough to inspire. “I love the diversity here,” says Tony. “We have surfers, baby boomers, European immigrants and a very strong Maori community.” “I STOPPED THINKING LIKE A POTTER AND STARTED THINKING LIKE A COOK.” Today’s delivery of red terracotta, from Abbotsford in Dunedin, is destined for his French-inspired ‘Rustic’ range. The maker is in his studio this morning, as he has been for the past five years, to sit…

“A fireplace is generally a focal point in the lounge or dining room.” PICTURE A COSY living room in your mind. Which elements do you consider essential for a true sense of comfort? A sofa, armchair and — especially as the chill of winter is in the air — you’re probably dreaming of a fireplace, too. It’s a beautiful way to add a sense of focus and, literally and decoratively, warmth to your space. “I think it’s difficult to separate a fireplace from the concept of the hearth, which was traditionally fundamental to the concept of a home,” says Alison Nobbs, principal architect at Nobbs Radford Architects. “It wasn’t just a source of heating, but also for preparing food. A fireplace still holds that association as a place of gathering;…

WHEN THE BOARDERS at Brisbane Grammar School set a new school record for academic achievement last year (a median score of OP3.5, the ATAR equivalent of 94.5), the school’s director of boarding, Simon Hill, was delighted but far from surprised. “The boarding house’s Academic Enrichment Program represents an integral element of our mission,” says Simon of the culture at the non-denominational day and boarding school for boys in years 5 to 12. “It aims to help our students become thoughtful, respectful and confident young men.” Structured study programs are just the beginning of what boarding schools can offer. Expert tutelage from live-in teachers, state-of-the-art facilities and peer support are additional factors in the academic performance of boarders. In sharp contrast to the outdated idea of lonely, isolated children, boarding schools,…

“After reading your magazine, I feel inspired to create beauty.” INSTAGRAM Our readers certainly felt inspired to make things this month and especially loved our decorating story. Photography Lisa Cohen, styling Tess Newman-Morris. Follow us on Instagram @countrystylemag COVER Our Handmade issue is always popular. Photography Lisa Cohen, styling Tess Newman-Morris. I can’t wait for tomorrow. The handmade issue is always a hit with me. freshdarlingshop Loving this issue @country stylemag so much inspiration (and lovely photography. houseofcherub Yes! Have been waiting patiently for it. piccadillypatch This issue arrived in my letterbox on my birthday on Friday — it was a very nice birthday surprise mon and mia LIFE IS TOO SHORT My work over the years has taken me to many cities across Australia, but when you’re born-and-bred country,…

WEEKEND AWAY WA Empire Retreat and Spa The luxurious suites at this Margaret River retreat are designed for relaxation and romance, while the atrium-style dining room has spectacular views of the vineyard. Take advantage of the current Empire Experience Package, from $1090 per room, which includes two nights’ stay and breakfasts, two bottles of wine, a gourmet hamper on arrival and $450 worth of spa treatments. For this month, Monday to Thursday bookings are 20 per cent off. (08) 9755 2065; empireretreat.com VICTORIA DULC Nature Retreat Cabins In the Grampians, the Down Under Log Cabins (DULC) have been architect-designed to blend into the bush and give the impression of natural luxury. Inside there’s a spa bath, king bed and gas log fire. The view isn’t bad, either! This…

“COMING HOME ALWAYS MANAGES TO PUT A SMILE ON MY FACE.” “I THOUGHT I MIGHT BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT LIFESTYLE I’D ALWAYS WANTED.” The stocky grey pony gently nuzzles the girl’s arm as she slips on his halter. He waits quietly, standing as still as possible so she can scramble up onto his broad back. Once she’s safely ensconced, he ambles off towards the tall kahikatea forest fringing his paddock while Barney the caramel-coloured spoodle trots faithfully after them, keeping his fair-haired mistress in sight at all times. Along the way, the little band passes Plum and Peach, two hand-reared orphan lambs who pay them no heed — they’re too busy headbutting their feed bucket in search of the last morsel of pellets. It’s an idyllic life for…

To characterise Greg Lyons’s garden is a challenge. It doesn’t fit into any particular genre: romantic, formal, cottage or native. It’s such a dramatic surprise and so daringly different. Greg describes his garden as a dry inland jungle; a nursery owner who lives nearby thinks it is “arid tropicana” but perhaps the phrase “the startling jungle” seems most appropriate. Among the cottage gardens with their roses, perennials and spring bulbs in the old gold-mining town of Creswick in central Victoria, it stands out. Glimpsed from the road, it appears to be a ‘jungle’ of palms, agaves and aloes, dark green hedges and towering eucalypts. Yet only eight years ago, when one-time marathon runner Greg moved to Creswick, it was a neglected cottage garden, although two large photinia shrubs at the…

“My passion is food. My grandmothers... have been my biggest inspirations.” THE SUCCESS STORY behind Fiona Wall’s biscuit empire is the tale of a homegrown country baking enterprise that started life in the sheep-grazing heartland of western Victoria. It’s a classic case of ‘from little things big things grow’. Back in 2006, Fiona was married with two young boys, and running catering and cooking classes from her farmhouse kitchen just outside Coleraine, 335 kilometres west of Melbourne. She soon outgrew the farmhouse kitchen and took over an old butcher’s shop in town, refurbishing it as a commercial kitchen, café and retail outlet for her baked goods and fine foods. On weekends she packed up her freshly baked cakes and biscuits, and headed off to regional farmers’ markets. “One weekend in…

ON ARRIVING AT Tom Groggin station, it’s likely you’ll be greeted by a latter-day Man From Snowy River, station manager Wayne Turner; by all accounts a worthy successor to the legendary Jack Riley, who ran the property until his death in 1914. Wayne, 52, is the lone master of a domain sprawling some 878 hectares on the slopes of a valley in the heart of Victoria’s Snowy Mountains, and, like Jack — the Irishman whose exploits were said to have inspired Banjo Paterson after a visit to the property in 1890 — he’s a man more than happy in his own company. “Isolation doesn’t bother me at all,” he says. “Sometimes I can go one to two weeks without seeing anyone.” Granted, his wife, Tonia, who lives in nearby Corryong,…

GETTING THERE CAR The most direct route is to take State Highway 1 from Auckland to Kawakawa. From there, take State Highway 11 to Opua, Russell (via vehicle ferry) and Paihia, or continue on State Highway 1 to Pakaraka, then take State Highway 10 to Kerikeri. The trip takes about three hours — 15 minutes less if you use the Northern Gateway Toll Road. FERRY A vehicle ferry operates between Opua and Okiato (near Russell) every 10 minutes from about 7am daily; a passenger ferry operates between Russell and Paihia. Tickets can be purchased on board. COACH Bus companies such as InterCity, Naked Bus and Mana Bus make stops in key towns, including Kerikeri and Paihia. PLANE Air New Zealand operates two or three flights a day from Auckland to…

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WATCHING A GARDEN tractor and trailer leisurely trundle down a stone path loaded with pots of lilies and campanula is not a common sight — particularly when it’s just to change a potted display at the front door. But then, this is how they do changes at Great Dixter, the world-renowned garden and historic home of the late Christopher Lloyd in East Sussex. A crew of young gardeners bundle off spent snapdragons and phlox, among others, to the nether regions of the garden, while an entirely new collection of flowers and foliage is installed in skilful scene-shifting worthy of the opera. Most of us are hard-pressed to emulate this passion or have the know-how to undertake horticultural decoration on this scale. We think we are doing reasonably well if we…

BRISBANE GRAMMAR SCHOOL This city-based boys’ school is currently ranked number one for academic excellence in Queensland. Boarders (years 5–12) follow a structured prep-time program with expert help, and additional micro-teaching sessions for specialised subjects. Gregory Terrace, Brisbane, Queensland. (07) 3834 5200; brisbanegrammar.com TARA ANGLICAN SCHOOL FOR GIRLS With some 50 boarders in years 5–12, this independent day and boarding school is developing a residential program based on practical life skills. There’s additional support for struggling and gifted students. Last year, 68.5 per cent of students gained an ATAR over 80. Masons Drive, North Parramatta, NSW. (02) 9630 6655; tara.nsw.edu.au WESLEY COLLEGE MELBOURNE Last year, 98 per cent of Year 12 students at this independent, coeducational day and boarding school for years Junior–12, received a first-round university offer, with 18…