Table of contents for September 2018 in Country Style

There’s always an image in an issue that lingers with me. This time it’s the picture of Lilla Oehm feeding her chickens on page 49 by photographer Abbie Melle. I think it’s because it brought back memories of the hours I used to spend when I was her age making sure the eggs still hatched when one of my hens grew tired of sitting on them. A night under a reading lamp on my desk usually was enough and then I’d rush to the chook shed to gently put the chicks back under their mother. After having a childhood like that myself, I can understand why Lilla’s father Scott wanted a country upbringing for the nine-year-old and her brother Jack, 12, and made the move to Mayfield, a 2000-hectare property…

KAILANI CRAINE WAS eight years old when she went to a friend’s birthday party at the local ice rink in Newcastle. She fell in love with figure-skating and her desire to improve has led to national and international success including her debut in February at South Korea’s PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics. “Being on the ice makes me feel very free, it’s the best feeling in the world — like you’re flying and you can portray any emotion,” the 20-year-old explains. There’s the technical side to it as well and I have a lot of respect for the process and technical ability. But there’s also this passionate side and I like to see someone really perform and make you feel different emotions — that’s what I love about it.” Born in…

SCOTT AND SALLY OEHM can trace the history of their homestead back to the 1920s. “The house was built by Scott’s family in 1925,” says Sally. “We know this because we still have the farm diaries that note when the bricks for the chimney were purchased.” It’s that strong family connection that enticed the couple out of their city life and landed them in the vast open spaces of Tooraweenah in Central West NSW. Scott left the country behind at 13 years old when he headed to boarding school. After he graduated, work kept him in Sydney, where he met Sally, who had grown up on the city’s North Shore. The pair married in 2003 and that same year decided to pack up their home in Sydney’s Enmore and move…

• Most of the rooms have been painted Antique White USA. Kitchen and scullery dressers and cupboards are in Leadman, both by Dulux. 13 25 25; dulux.com.au • The black AGA is a major feature of the large farmhouse kitchen. Today, these iconic stoves are available in many different colours, ranging from Blush to Duck Egg Blue. (03) 9521 4965; sales@AGAaustralia.com.au • Photographs by Kate’s sister Libby Holmsen, who is based in Perth, hang in the hall. libbyholmsenphotography.com…

When Sandy McKinley found her 1860s cottage in Trentham, Victoria (story on page 36), she had no idea the garden would flourish into what it is today — home to 1500 roses and a f lower farm under the banner of Acre of Roses. She grows mainly David Austin varieties and hybrid tea roses (some pictured below left). Inspired by her family’s connection to an old castle in Ireland, she asked local stonemason Tom Hamlin to create a brick ruin in the garden (pictured far left). Tom is well known for his work in the area and was given creative freedom on this project. He incorporated bluestone-edged openings in the walls as a nod to the wild goldfields days when many buildings had gun slits in the walls for protection.…

WHEN LOOKING FOR INSPIRATION for dishes to offer non-flesh eaters, many chefs of a certain age find themselves reaching for their tattered copy of the Moosewood Cookbook, a collection of recipes from a celebrated vegetarian restaurant that opened in Ithaca, New York, in 1973. For disciples, this cookbook was a game changer that heralded the acceptance of vegetarianism by mainstream society. Sceptics, on the other hand, considered it a hippie manifesto. I was once indentured to one such hard liner, an old and grizzled chef whose vegetarian repertoire consisted solely of one dish › the nut cutlet. Such was his contempt for the few vegetarians who unknowingly stumbled into his shrine to animal protein that he would dispense the preparation of the nut cutlet to the lowliest of chefs which,…

CHAMPAGNE, the sparkling wine from the Champagne region in France, is often described as the most glamorous wine in the world, and Australia’s love affair with the drink continues to grow with Australia ranked as the sixth largest market for Champagne exports. This year Country Style will present a series of special Champagne events with the Champagne Bureau Australia to shine the spotlight on a diverse selection of Champagne wines, alongside menus created by two of our great regional chefs. The Champagne season in Australia will start with our Champagne dinner at The Byron at Byron Resort and Spa, held on International Champagne Day on October 19. Chef Matt Kemp will source the best local produce from the area to complement a carefully selected range of Champagne wines. The season…

HOME COOK, FOOD WRITER and Italian teacher, Julia Busuttil Nishimura spends most of her time planning, writing and cooking at her Melbourne home, where she lives with her husband Nori and their three-year-old son, Haruki. She creates beautiful dishes from simple ingredients and shares those recipes on her website Ostro, as well as in her cookbook of the same name, which was published in August last year. “When I’m not working on new creations in the kitchen or hosting cooking workshops, I love to travel,” says Julia. “It’s the source of inspiration for much of my writing and complements the work I do in the kitchen.” While Julia loves to research and plan her trips, she also likes to allow for a little spontaneity. “Wandering around new places and following…

QantasLink operates flights between Melbourne and Devonport seven days a week, with the airport located just 10 kilometres east of Devonport town centre. If you’re driving in, the 102-kilometre drive from Launceston to Devonport, via National Highway 1 takes a little over an hour. From Hobart, 280 kilometres away, it takes just over three hours. Redline and Tassielink Transit operate regular coach services between Devonport and other Tasmanian cities (www.tasredline.com.au or tassielink.com.au). The Spirit of Tasmania ferry sails between Melbourne and Devonport nightly, with additional day sailings on select dates between September and April. Vehicles and bicycles can be taken on board, and the vessel has a range of accommodation options (spiritoftasmania.com.au).…

It’s 6.03pm on a Wednesday and I’ve just shown my last client out of my naturopathic clinic into the winter gloom. Fortunately, she’s feeling anything but gloomy. Four weeks ago, she came to see me complaining of low energy, congested skin and bloating. Brain fog and mood swings were also part of the equation, although she saw these symptoms as somewhat innate — more a bad attitude than a sign of ill health. “We’ll see,” I said, handing her a herbal remedy, seasonal cleanse plan and trio of teas. This afternoon, I sat across from a new woman. Apart from the bright eyes, smooth digestion and flat belly, the most startling and unexpected change she’s experienced has been in her mind. She feels clear-headed, focused and sharp, like her brain…

JULIA BUSUTTIL NISHIMURA This cook and food writer shares her travels in Japan on page 102. Julia started her food blog Ostro in 2014 after returning to Australia from a stint living in Tuscany. “It began simply as a space to share recipes with family and friends,” says Julia. Her book of the same name featuring Italian-influenced recipes was published last year. For this month’s Holiday Hunter, Julia, her husband Nori and their young son, Haruki, travelled to Kyoto. Nori was born in Japan and the family make the journey back at least yearly. “The Japanese landscape is very lush… Sculpted pine trees and neatly arranged rice paddies are a stark difference to the dry paddocks and gum trees I’m accustomed to from my teenage years living in country Victoria.”…

THE LATE WINTER sun filters through the trees casting long shadows across the pastures where horses are grazing in a secluded valley at Glenlogie, 190 kilometres north-west of Melbourne. The paddocks run up onto a plateau and to the boundary fence above the valley, and from here a thick wall of forest starts climbing the dark slopes of the omnipresent backdrop, Mount Cole’s looming granite form. The place is Brumby Junction, a 64-hectare property that’s home to Colleen and Dave O’Brien. The couple live here alongside their children Josh, 14, and 12-year-old Bridie, their four dogs and numerous other creatures that have found their forever homes here. It’s also a sanctuary and rehoming facility for brumbies that have been trapped as part of management programs in Victoria’s Alpine and NSW’s…

SANDY MCKINLEY KNEW she had found her home as soon as she saw her 1860s cottage in Trentham, 95 kilometres north-west of Melbourne. It was like a sixth sense; an innate sensibility of knowing, which Sandy calls “fey” — something she links back to her Irish heritage, although she was born in New Zealand. “Our family had a level of knowing and when I grew up there were always stories in my family.” Sandy’s late father David McKinley, who was a designer in the aviation industry in New Zealand, and Sandy’s inspiration, picked up on the same vibe when he visited the cottage. “His family were very, very Irish, and he really connected with this land and the cottage, it had a sense of relaxation and calm and for a…

Dulux Natural White, while the exterior weatherboards are Warm Grey with Natural White and Woodland Grey trims. 13 25 25; dulux.com.au • The floorboards are vinyl planks in Mid Limed Oak by Karndean Flooring. 1800 331 170; karndean.com • In the kitchen, benchtops are Talostone Artic White and Talostone Carrara Gioia features on the island benchtop and splashback. (02) 8783 0600; talostone.com.au • Kitchen cabinetry is by Stuart Peart of Castlereagh Cabinets. “A very patient and true artisan,” says Sally. (02) 6848 5885; castlereaghcabinets.com.au • Scott made the garden gates from an old iron bedhead and bedfoot that the family found in a building on the farm.…

HOW TO DO coastal chic No.1 NATURAL SELECTION Choose a light- or blonde-washed wood to complement coastal tones. No.2 HIGH CONTRAST Create emphasis by building a look with white, glass, neutral and natural textured accessories and furnishings. No.3 TONAL TEXTURES Add interest to your room with a customisable Australian-made sofa in an unexpected, and textured fabric such as relaxed denim blue. No.4 LAYER UP Tie the look together by layering textured accessories like rugs and cushions in complementary coastal shades. No.5 PARQUETRY INLAY Choosing a statement piece for your coastal look will inspire the rest of your design choices, like this beautiful customisable parquetry table – great for entertaining.…

MEET THE PRODUCER John Picone, Picone Exotic Fruits, Tyagarah, NSW The exotic fruit orchard at John and Lyndall Picone’s farm at Tyagarah, northern NSW, is the result of an insatiable curiosity and hard work. John worked as a graphic designer before he and Lyndall left Sydney with their children 30 years ago. First stop was a 6000-tree macadamia farm at Tintenbar where, to supplement the macadamias, John also planted 3000 dragon fruit cacti. When customers began asking if he had any other fruit, he planted tropical and sub-tropical fruit trees — “For something different,” he says. Lyndall and John moved to their existing 50-hectare farm in 2008, planting hundreds of trees. Today it’s a lush Garden of Eden with about 400 tropical and sub-tropical fruits, including sugar apple (left, a…

KYOTO • Aritsugu A shop that has been in handcrafting knives since 1560. Nishiki Markets, Kyoto. • Hitsuji Interesting doughnut flavours like sweet potato and earl grey are a regular occurrence at the small doughnut shop Hitsuji, near Kyoto’s Imperial Palace. The ones rolled in cocoa are not to be missed — get in early though as they usually sell out. Corner Tominokoji and Ebisugawa streets, Kyoto. • Kitone My favourite shop to visit when I am in Kyoto. They have a wonderful collection of ceramics, wooden objects and fabric from artists in Japan. As well as the homewares, there’s a restaurant where the chef produces simple home-style meals, all served in ceramics from the shop. kitone.jp • Monk Tucked in the foothills of Kyoto, Monk is a real escape…

Key industries are agriculture, freight, logistics and transport. While Burnie is Tasmania’s largest port, Devonport is also a major freight and passenger hub. Tourism is a growing employment sector, and financial services, while still relatively small, is also growing. “Retail and tourism has been steadily climbing for the last three years, and Devonport is tracking in line with the rest of the state,” says Stacey Sheehan, principal of One Agency Collins Real Estate and president of Devonport’s Chamber of Commerce. “Devonport has a lot of private enterprise in the form of families who trade through good times and bad. If people coming from a mainland state are entrepreneurial, they can do well here. The Chamber of Commerce is really active and the office space is affordable, there are networking opportunities,…

1. Set your intention. Before any cleanse or life change, ask yourself how you want to feel. For help tapping into authentic desires rather than false ideals, I recommend you read The Desire Map: A Guide to Creating Goals with Soul by Danielle LaPorte (Sounds True Publishing). 2. Declutter your living space. Don’t underestimate the effects of clutter on your state of mind — your external mess occupies mental real estate. Studies show that people with untidy or unfinished homes feel more depressed and have elevated cortisol, a hormone that helps the body manage stress: so take time to declutter. 3. Replace coffee with organic green tea. Green tea provides much of the stimulation of coffee, without the crash. L-theanine works with natural caffeine to›improve cognition and promote a state…

THIS SWAN NAPKIN RING was given to me as a Christening present in 1979. It was unboxed. It says on the bottom of the ring: EPNS, Falcon Plate Co, Made in England. I think ‘EP’ (if that’s what it says) means electroplating, which means it’s a silver-plated ring. Could you please tell me which era it is from and if it was originally part of a set? If I ever found another in an antique shop I’d love to buy it. Rachel Brouff, TAMBORINE MOUNTAIN, QUEENSLAND EPNS (electro plated nickel silver) napkin rings are a reminder of a time when each member of the family had their own ring to identify their table napkin from meal to meal. Your elegant example was made in the early 20th century, probably in…

PERFECT SETTING Add elegance to your outdoor area with the Vincent Sheppard Monte Carlo dining chairs and Avignon side table. Available in a range of colours, from Cotswold InOut Furniture. 1800 677 047; cotswoldfurniture.com.au ITALIAN STYLE Engineered with Thermoseal technology, the Smeg Portofino cooker produces a balanced cooking environment to help you create juicy roasts and crispy pastries. Learn more and find out where to buy at npr.reviews/italian-style INTRICATE DETAIL Make a statement with the exquisite Richardson range of ethically sourced bone inlay furniture from Provincial Home Living. Entirely handcrafted, each piece takes skilled artisans over a month to create. Priced from $399. provincialhomeliving.com.au COUTURE KITCHEN ‘Sicily is My Love’, the collaboration between renowned Italian brands Smeg and Dolce & Gabbana, sets a new trend in interior design. The collection…

FRIENDLY ENCOUNTER I would like to compliment the Country Style team on your inspirational magazine. I recently met one of your writers, Claire Mactaggart, on a flight to Broome and we discussed many topics. Claire mentioned a story about Mollymook she had written. I was so interested in her stories and writing that I bought the July issue of Country Style. I was also pleasantly surprised to read about Soul of Gerringong, also not far from where I live. I was captivated for hours, reading it from front to back. The stories were so uplifting and the photography made you feel as if you were sitting in people’s homes or standing right there in the landscapes. I purchased the latest issue and again enjoyed all the stories and scenery. I…

• Local interior stylist Belle Hemming collaborated on the interior. thebellebrightproject.com.au • Sandy chose Dulux colours Blue Ridge, Self Destruct and Hog Bristle quarter-strength for the exterior. Whisper White was used on the interior walls. 13 25 25; dulux.com.au • Stonemasonry work was done by Tom Hamlin of Hamlin Landscapes. 0419 407 107. • Sandy admires French painter Pascal Amblard so she wrote to him, asking to buy copies of his work.pascalamblard-atelier.com…

CUTTING EDGE Do you want to learn how to take cuttings from rare or hard-to-grow plants? Curious about growing plants from seed? Then this masterclass with propagation expert and Botanic Gardens of South Australia Nursery curator Matt Coulter is for you. Offering practical tips, this class will set you on course for a lifetime of plant fun. Tickets $201.54. September 23; 10am-3pm; Mount Lofty Botanic Garden Nursery; 16 Lampert Road, Piccadilly, SA. Book at eventbrite.com.au RAIN ON I’m hoping that by the time you are reading this there will have been plenty of nourishing rain over rural Australia, and that there’ll be a need for wet weather gear like these Hunter wellies. First introduced in 1956 and handcrafted from natural rubber, these iconic boots will keep your toes…

WHEN SPRING ARRIVES in Tamsin’s garden, it heralds a season of regrowth, but it’s too early for stone fruit and too late for apples and pears. So she turns to her faithful rhubarb crowns (“I choose carefully, looking for the shiniest, most luminously red stems, which are the most tender.”), the last of the lemons and any pumpkins that escaped winter’s soups for making tarts, crumbles and scones. Hardy herbs, such as rosemary and verbena, add fragrant notes to the not-too-sweet cakes, which are her favourite things to eat after a day of gardening. LEMON VERBENA & POLENTA SYRUP CAKE Serves 8–10 This tray cake is quick and easy to make, and so satisfying to eat with the tang of the lemon and the lemon verbena, and the slight crunch…

NOTHING BRINGS a couple together more than the birth of a child — especially when that child arrives in the car on the side of the road, 30 minutes from the nearest hospital. While John and Karolyn Blackburn thought they had plenty of time to get to the maternity ward in Bathurst, their second son had different ideas. “When Karolyn’s labour started the hospital said to just make her comfortable at home until things move along, but I told them I’d bring her in just in case,” John recalls. “It was 11.30 at night with fog everywhere. We got as far as Rockley and I had to pull over.” Despite little hiccups like this over the years, John, 59, and Karolyn, 47, have no laments about living in the tiny…

TIM HANSEN DEER FARMER, 42 Tim lives on a deer farm just outside of Orange, NSW, with his wife Sophie and their children Alice, 10, and Tom, eight. What do you love about country life? We are surrounded by great producers here and I enjoy being part of a community that values what we do and works together well. Being my own boss on the farm is really satisfying too. I love that now the kids are getting older, we can involve them in our livelihood. Describe your style. My mates will laugh at me here because I’m known for not really being one to follow fashion — blue shirt and jeans is my go-to. Not really pushing any boundaries, I know! It’s work clothes on the farm and ‘good’…

ONCE UPON A TIME, make-up trends changed with the seasons and were variations on a similar theme: red lips for winter, bronzed skin for summer, pastels in spring and earthy hues in autumn. Things aren’t quite so predictable anymore. “Trends cycle in and out a lot faster than they used to,” says Revlon make-up artist Mia Hawkswell. “We are strongly influenced by celebrities, especially those that use social media to share their glam secrets and looks.” Thankfully, this season there is one dominant style we can confidently say everyone should adopt: ‘make it mine’ beauty. “This spring, make-up trends are all about celebrating individuality, while the bold, more avant-garde looks, are taking a bit of a back seat,” says Gemma Rogers, retail education manager for Estée Lauder. According to Mia,…

OUT OUR WAY we have more Abbotts than the entire Order of Saint Benedict. OK, ours are two-t Abbotts, but that’s not all that makes them superior. Dunedoo without Abbotts would be like Alice Springs without Alice. There’s John Abbott and Jack Abbott and Ed Abbott. Heidi Abbott, Sharyn Abbott, Brian Abbott and Jason Abbott. The Leadville Abbotts and the Elong Abbotts. Any more Abbotts and we’d need to build an Abbott Proof Fence. Dunedoo wouldn’t have the character and characters it has today if it wasn’t for the Abbotts. At the top of the podium, you’d have to place Maria Abbott. She recently retired as a much-loved teacher at Dunedoo Central School. From her second year as a teacher till the last day of her teaching career, she talked…