Table of contents for October 2018 in Country Style

I first visited the tiny NSW town of Carcoar when I was a student living in Bathurst. I have always remembered how pretty and perfectly preserved it was so I completely understand why someone would love to live there. Throw in the beautiful historic flour mill on page 38, already renovated, and Carcoar proved to be irresistible to Belinda and Stephen Satterthwaite. “As soon as the real-estate agent started showing us around, Stephen and I were looking at each other,” Belinda says. “At the end of the inspection Stephen said we wanted to make an offer and we hadn’t even spoken to each other yet!” Today, the pair are happily giving the 1850 building a few of their own personal touches but their home is not their only focus. Belinda’s…

IMAGINE YOUR LIFE in the form of four gas burners. One represents your family, the second is your friends, the third is your health and the fourth is your work. American writer David Sedaris suggests that to be successful you have to cut off one burner, and to be really successful, you have to cut off two. I’d say family and work flames are where my heat is at, while the others are on simmer. I recently upped the intensity of the work flame to a rolling boil, starting a podcast with a friend, Gillian Bell. It’s called Dispatch To A Friend and it’s based on the letters we write to each other. It’s simply an audio correspondence between two friends who like cooking, eating, reading and gardening. And because…

About 30 minutes’ drive inland from Coffs Harbour on the mid-coast of NSW, this town sits on the beautiful Bellinger River, in a valley of emerald green at the base of the Great Dividing Range. A creative and engaged community sees an interesting mix of enterprises in the main street: old, new, unconventional, traditional and a little boho. The Hammond & Wheatley Commercial Emporium building, finished in 1909, is one of the few examples of this commercial building type left: pop in to admire the pressed metal ceilings and cedar joinery.…

SEASONED COLLECTORS MEG and Neil Thumpston have a knack for unearthing hidden treasures, and they certainly struck gold when they stumbled across this historic property in 2015. The Sydney couple had been scouting for a new base in the NSW Blue Mountains when the homestead near Lithgow came up for sale. “We hadn’t thought of coming out this far, we didn’t even know the area,” recalls Meg, “but the house just looked fantastic. We couldn’t resist it.” The huge 18-room house in Clarence didn’t just have good bones and a charming English garden, it also came with a vibrant history. It originally started life as two connected mirror-image timber cottages, built in 1879 by entrepreneurial brothers Richard and William Richards, who also grew crops, raised cattle, operated a sawmill and…

Memories of her childhood on a farm in Roma, Queensland, inspired Robin McLay (below with Staffordshire bull terrier, Bungee) to create a big country garden at her home in Brookfield to Brisbane’s west. Robin’s rambling one-hectare garden features sweeping lawns, a rose garden, a massive vegetable patch and a tropical walk. Plants have always been an abiding passion for Robin, even as a teenager at boarding school. “I’d rescue plants and grow them in water in the dormitory,” she says. Marrying a farmer meant moving further west to a sheep property at Tambo. Robin had their cottage fenced off from the paddocks and, after giving birth to her first daughter, she propagated cuttings of the chrysanthemum flowers she’d been given in the hospital, planting them all around the home. “There’s…

ON THE ROAD If you were glued to the TV when Adam Liaw made this paperbark-wrapped barramundi with saltbush wild rice during his SBS series, you’ll love his new book, Destination Flavour: People and Places (Hardie Grant, $50). As well as recipes from the show, the author and presenter includes stories about the food growers and cooks he met on the road, and nicely gives credit where credit is due. LEST WE FORGET Chef and author Peter Gilmore champions farmers’ markets and specialist greengrocers, as that’s where you’ll find a greater choice of vegetables and different varieties of each. His new book, From the Earth: World’s Great, Rare and Almost Forgotten Vegetables (Hardie Grant, $80), celebrates heirloom varieties, which delight with their names, looks, texture and flavour. It’s wonderful to…

Angie says the market is stable in Gerringong at the moment and reasonably priced properties are selling well, with demand for family homes in the area. “People are attracted to the mix of lifestyle that the area offers,” she explains. “You have a beach/ocean culture: gorgeous beaches, rock platforms, fishing and surfing on one hand; and on the other hand a rural natural lifestyle: rolling green hills, farming, national parks and lots of fresh air. It truly is where the mountains meet the sea. People are also attracted to the proximity to Sydney. It is an achievable day trip for cultural activities and all the amenities that a major city offers.”…

ENDURING STYLE Update tired old towels with fresh plush versions from Aura Home. These Stripe towels in Smoke and Blush offer a classic look in easy-to-match tones. The towels start at $19.95 for a hand towel up to $79.95 for a bath sheet. aurahome.com.au . The Zen bath is from Apaiser. apaiser.com ROYAL TREATMENT An elegant design from Perrin & Rowe, the Princess bowl, $765, is impressive with a thick wall tapering to a thin top edge. Hand glazed and triple fired for a lustrous finish, this basin will suit both modern and traditional homes. Available from The English Tapware Company. 1300 016 181; englishtapware.com.au ENOUGH ROPE Since launching her business offering all manner of door handles, pulls and knobs, Queensland-based Alison Wyatt has built…

PALISA ANDERSON RESTAURATEUR AND FOOD PRODUCER, 36 Palisa, her husband, Matt, 48, and their children Soraya and Archie, love life on their 46-hectare Tyagarah property in NSW. What’s your favourite country escape? Boon Luck Farm, our farm in the Byron Shire. In the past year I have fallen in love with Cygnet in Tasmania. I adore Wharekauhau Lodge in Palliser Bay and Kaiteriteri in New Zealand. How would you describe your style? It’s not something I think about. My family and friends would say it is free-range, natural and eclectic but, above all else, functional. What are your wardrobe essentials? For the city, 7 for All Mankind denims, Watson x Watson shirts, Cos basics (like tees), affordable cashmere knits, my old Paul Smith calfskin ankle boots and Sophie Digard knitted…

I READ A WHILE AGO about a bloke whose father used to tell his kids, “If you hear a kookaburra in the morning, you know it’s going to rain.” “He was always right, too,” said the now-grown-up kid. “The longest we had to wait was eight months.” I haven’t recounted that story for a while for fear of making light of the tragic drought out here. Drought has that effect on country people. When half the rural community is facing impossible hardship, the other half wears a respectful mantle of sympathy… almost a guilt for not sharing the baggage. For many families out here, the wait for rains needed to maintain healthy stock and crops has been twice as long as that for the kookaburra callers. And they used to…

DANNY WOOTTON This Daylesford-based photographer didn’t have to travel far to shoot our story about Trentham General on page 110. Originally from South Africa, Danny moved to Melbourne about six years ago to pursue a career in photography. “I love how I can make people so happy with what I do, and I love how most of the time it really doesn’t feel like a job,” he says. Danny and his wife, Zara, recently relocated to Daylesford in search of “fresher air”, so he only had a 20-minute drive to the location of our Enterprise story in Trentham. “It’s an amazing town in a beautiful part of Victoria,” he says. But the best part of the job was working with Lynda Gardener and Mark Smith, owners of café and homewares…

AS A PHOTOGRAPHER, Edwina Robertson is well versed in the art of capturing rural landscapes and people through her lens. Last year, the intrepid Toowoomba-based 33-year-old embarked on her Wander of the West project around Australia, documenting people in exchange for food and fuel. But in June this year, it was the daily, desolate images posted on Instagram by a friend, feeding hay to sheep on his drought-affected farm, that stopped Edwina in her tracks. “I knew it was dry, but I wasn’t aware of how bad it was in some places,” she recalls. Edwina, who grew up near Glen Innes, NSW, began making phone calls and, within two weeks, she was visiting affected communities to share tales through her awareness campaign One Bucket that supports Drought Angels and Rural…

weekends away SA Kangaroo Gully Retreat With its picturesque coastal views, beautiful scenic walks and access to a private beach, this four-bedroom home on Kangaroo Island is perfect for an idyllic, peaceful getaway. The recently completed retreat features a large open-plan kitchen, dining and living area and sleeps up to eight people. Rates from $425 per night. airbnb.com.au/rooms/17579508 TASMANIA Captains Rest Lettes Bay is home to sailor Sarah Andrews’ tranquil waterfront getaway. The charming one-bedroom cottage, filled with rustic and unique finds, makes guests feel instantly at home with a clawfoot tub and daybed. Book ahead for 2019 and stay at least a few nights to explore the island’s west coast. $350 per night. captainsrest.com BOOK A TABLE NSW Margan Restaurant Make the most of spring at…

FOR A COUPLE OF accomplished renovators, the old flour mill in Carcoar in NSW’s Central West wouldn’t seem an obvious choice for a new home. The paint on a major overhaul had barely dried when Belinda and Stephen Satterthwaite decided to “have a stickybeak” one afternoon. “As soon as the real-estate agent started showing us around, Stephen and I were looking at each other,” Belinda says. “At the end of the inspection Stephen said we wanted to make an offer and we hadn’t even spoken to each other yet!” The Satterthwaites were clearly smitten. For retired mine worker Stephen, 56, it was the mechanic’s garage for the cherished BSA Golden Flash motorcycle and FX Holden restored by his late father — plus an additional shed for crafting his metal sculptures…

• The interior of the house was originally more colourful — a mix of Victorian pinks and greens. The Thumpstons painted the walls Dulux Whisper White and used Taubmans Ostrich Feather on the doors and architraves.dulux.com.au; taubmans.com.au • The exterior of the house is painted in Wattyl Colorbond Bushland. wattyl.com.au • The kitchen tiles are from Biga+ and the duel-fuel Belling oven is from Harvey Norman. bigaplus.com.au; harveynorman.com.au • Meg and Neil are often found rummaging through local antique shops and beyond. Their favourite haunts include Victory Theatre Antique Centre and Café at Blackheath in the Blue Mountains and Lydie du Bray Antiques at Mittagong in the NSW Southern Highlands.victorytheatre.com.au;lydiedubrayantiques.com.au • The Thumpstons enlisted Paramount Floor Sanding from Mount Victoria to repair the floors. (02) 4787 1668.…

FITZROY STREET, IN THE BLUE Mountains village of Leura, NSW is a dead-end. In some towns or cities, the passage might be described as a cul-de-sac or a no-through street, here the description is unerringly accurate. That’s because any driver who crashes through the barrier at the end of the bitumen is certain of a dead end — the street finishes only metres from of one of the most spectacular gorges in this World Heritage-listed area. The owners of number 32, the last house in the street, Robert Brain and Neal Blewett, have named their property Dead End House in a touch of Monty Python-esque humour. Jokes aside, the blue abyss on their doorstep is not the reason they bought the property some 20 years ago; the allure of Leura…

SALTED DARK CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE Serves 8–10 2½ cups self-raising flour, sifted ½ cup cocoa, sifted 1½ cups caster sugar 4 eggs 1½ cups milk 250g unsalted butter, melted 200g dark chocolate, melted 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 teaspoons black sea salt flakes* MILK CHOCOLATE GANACHE 1 cup sour cream 400g milk chocolate, melted Preheat oven to 180°C. Line two 20cm round cake pans with baking paper. Place flour, cocoa, sugar, eggs, milk, butter, dark chocolate and vanilla in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Divide mixture between prepared pans. Bake for 40–45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into centre of cakes comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn onto wire racks to cool completely. To make milk chocolate ganache, place sour cream and milk…

BATHROOM AND LAUNDRY design has come a long way in the past decade. These once purely functional rooms have become more inviting with handmade materials and finishes and custom choices that lend a more bespoke feel. Ultimately, it is the way that the design complements the rest of the house, and the surrounding environment, that sets our approach to these spaces now apart from the bathrooms and laundries of the past. The renovation of a Capertee Valley cottage in rural NSW highlights the way its designers sought to create harmony between the interior and exterior. Felicity Slattery and Sarah Cosentino, from Melbourne’s Studio Esteta, say their client wanted to create an interior that complemented the existing sandstone cottage and reflected the landscape of Capertee Valley, three hours west of Sydney.…

IN AUSTRALIA we’re well aware of the damage the sun can do, but scientists are digging up ever more dirt on a less visible concern: pollution. Around 91 per cent of the world’s population is exposed to air quality levels that exceed the World Health Organisation (WHO) limits. “Today, pollution is the largest environmental cause for premature death and illness, associated with nine million deaths worldwide in 2015,” says Dr Barbara Sturm, a specialist in aesthetic medicine and molecular cosmetics with a skincare range in Mecca. “Several medical studies show that pollution is associated with many symptoms connected to the ageing process.” Studies have shown that poor air quality increases age spots by up to 25 per cent, aggravates inflammatory conditions like eczema and acne, and even damages DNA. “Ozone…

STORIES OF THE LAND My husband and I have often dreamt of moving to the country, but because of his work we haven’t been able to do so. Instead, we bought a home in beautiful Grays Point [Sydney], which in our minds is the next best thing. We wanted our young boys to grow up in a home surrounded by gums and close to a river, where they could skim pebbles, kayak and fish. Perhaps that’s why reading about Jackie French’s life, in your August edition, resonated so much with me. Since my boys are big fans of Jackie’s books, I read the article to them. Their eyes widened at the thought of bunya nuts shooting out of a fire and being allowed to stay out ’til nightfall. We all…

• Belinda is an enthusiastic forager and makes many of the wreaths and floral displays in her home and store. • Photographs show the buildings originally painted a heritage cream with green trim but as part of the renovation, the mill was painted Dulux Antique White USA, while the cottage in Dulux Timeless Grey and Dulux Grey Pail. The interior walls are in Lexicon Quarter. dulux.com.au • The James Stewart Furniture Nevin recliners in Old Saddle leather in Nut have a welcoming lived-in look. Available from Tomolly. • Floorboards throughout the old flour mill are stained in Feast Watson Black Japan. feastwatson.com.au…

FAMILY IS WEAVED into the very fabric of Jette Witzke’s holiday home. Built in 1955, the house originally belonged to her parents before Jette bought it from her father in 2015 and embarked on a fairly major renovation. Located on Bornholm, an island in the Baltic Sea off the east coast of Denmark, the house is positioned high up on the cliffs with panoramic views of the ocean. The island is a perfect holiday retreat that Jette and her family, including children Mads, 15, and twins Julius and Tobias, 12, have been visiting every year since the children were small. The light-filled house is a comfortable family escape that Jette has styled to feel fresh and airy. While the beloved old house had served the family well, it needed updating…

NATURE LOVERS A swag of country artists are featured in this year’s Artisans in the Gardens, a›celebration of the wonder of the natural world, at The Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney. There are more than 2000 artworks on display, including Botanica Modesta (left), a paper sculpture by Colleen Southwell, who’s based in Orange, NSW. The exhibition runs from October 13th–21st and entry is free. Visit daily from 10am–4pm at Lion Gate Lodge, Mrs Macquaries Road. (02) 9231 8182; rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au hanging gardens Looking for a gift for a garden-loving friend? Or bringing a touch of nature indoors without the maintenance factor? This vintage print from Erstwhile could be the answer. A large-scale Cacti and Succulents artwork, $295, will help plant-ify any indoor space. erstwhile.co ON THE TOOLS I’ve got…

WHEN MAKING RISOTTO, the go-to rice for most people would have to be arborio. Although there’s nothing wrong with arborio, it’s really a kind of ‘gateway’ rice that eases us into the realms of risotto making. For instance, remember when it was okay to eat quick oats for brekkie? Then, as our awareness grew, we moved on to wholegrain rolled oats and now, for some of us, it’s freshly milled steel-cut oats or nothing. Well, it’s like that with risotto. Vialone nano, carnaroli, baldo, cal riso and maratelli are some of the other short-grained and starchy rices favoured by the risotto-rati, with vialone nano regarded as the king, due to its superior texture and creaminess. I recall a holiday, a few years back, when my wife Cate and I visited…

TUCKED BETWEEN HEADLANDS on the NSW South Coast, the small village of Gerringong hugs Werri Beach and is surrounded by rolling hills and farmlands. Less than two hours from Sydney, the town has a population of about 4000 people and its natural beauty, great food and wine, as well as a relaxed vibe is attracting a growing number of holiday-makers. It’s not just the beaches and surf that people come to experience; it’s a flourishing agritourism industry that builds on the region’s proud farming and dairying heritage. Fiona Weir Walmsley of Buena Vista Farm grew up here and returned with her husband Adam and their three young children six years ago. Fiona, 44, and Adam, 46, offer cooking workshops at their seven-hectare farm, which is part of the original land…

AS LYNDA GARDENER and Mark Smith have discovered, there’s a lot to love about Trentham, the charming picture-book village snuggled in the forest on the crest of the Great Divide, 95 kilometres north-west of Melbourne. Sometimes shrouded in mist or blanketed in snow and then in summer, transformed into a refreshing retreat — reminiscent of a 19th-century hill station — it’s a place the couple have spent a lot of their time since opening bespoke accommodation and events property The Trentham Estate in 2015. “It’s such a sweet little town that has one of everything,” says Lynda, a Melbourne-based interior designer who has created a succession of beautiful spaces including The White House in Daylesford. “We are invested in this town spiritually and emotionally,” explains Mark, former marketing and events…

CAPERTEE VALLEY COTTAGE Design studio Studio Esteta studioesteta.com.au Designers Felicity Slattery and Sarah Cosentino Builder Pirie Homes piriehomes.com.au Benchtop Caesarstone in Fresh Concrete Bath For a similar bath, try the Posh Solus freestanding bath, from Reece Doors Custom design by Studio Esteta, custom built by Pirie Homes Cabinetry Stained American oak Flooring Antique Smoke and Limed timber flooring, from Woodcut Flooring Shelving Navurban veneer in Sherwood, from New Age Veneers Skylight Velux Tapware and showerhead Brodware Tiles Travertine from Teranova Wall lights Anchor Ceramics TERRACE Design studio Studio Prineas architectprineas.com.au Designer Eva-Marie Prineas Builder Focusbuild focusbuild.com.au Doors Custom built by Focusbuild Storage baskets Howards Storage World Tiles White subway wall tiles and Popham Design floor tiles, from Onsite Supply + Design BEACH BATHROOM AND ENSUITE Studio Tom Mark Henry tommarkhenry.studio Designer Emma…

1. An antioxidant powerhouse, SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Serum (30ml, $214) combines 15 per cent vitamin C with vitamin E and ferulic acid to protect the skin against free radical damage. 2. Clear out your pores with Elizabeth Arden Prevage City Smart Double Action Detox Peel Off Mask (75ml, $99) to help remove toxins, oil and dirt while exfoliating and boosting your skin with antioxidant idebenone. 3. Target pollution with a daily ampoule to protect your skin. A lightweight fluid, Mesoestetic Pollution Defence Ampoules (10 x 2ml, $106) is a mix of antioxidant idebenone, hydrating hyaluronic acid and vitamin B3. 4. It takes just 30 seconds for Nu Skin AgeLoc True Face Essence Ultra Uplifting Cream (50ml, $142) to create a protective barrier across your skin using tropical red algae…

Acre of Roses acreofroses.com.au Anchor Ceramics 0413 456 981 anchorceramics.com Antique Textiles Company antiquetextilescompany.co.uk Artia 1800 008 591 artia.com.au Astra Walker (02) 8838 5100 astrawalker.com.au Beacon Lighting (03) 8561 1599 beaconlighting.com.au Bettina Willner-Browne curatorialandco.com Biome 1300 301 767 biome.com.au Bison (02) 6257 7255 bisonhome.com BoConcept (02) 9437 0066 boconcept.com Brodware 1300 800 300 brodware.com Caesarstone 1300 119 119 caesarstone.com.au Cargo Crew (03) 9411 9850 cargocrew.com.au Castle 0424 734 583 castleandthings.com.au Clinique 1800 556 948 clinique.com.au. ColorTile 1300 265 678 colortile.com.au Country Road 1800 801 911 countryroad.com.au Cult 1300 768 626 cultdesign.com.au Cultiver 1300 016 772 cultiver.com.au Dennis Jones and Associates (03) 9762 9100 dennisjones.com.au Di Lorenzo Tiles (02) 8818 2950 dilorenzo.com.au Dinosaur Designs (02) 9698 3500 dinosaurdesigns.com.au Dulux 132 525 dulux.com.au Eco Tile Factory (08) 8363 4666 ecotilefactory.com.au Ecology Homewares (03) 9765 5700 ecologyhomewares.com.au Elk elkaccessories.com Euroluce (02) 9356 9900 euroluce.com.au Eva’s Sunday (03) 9417 5482 evassunday.com.au Fiona Schofield Millinery 0427 150 172 Ghost Wares ghostwares.com.au GP…

ITALIAN JOB The Smeg Portofino freestanding cooker is a keen entertainer’s dream. The cooker features Thermoseal technology to create ideal conditions for juicy roasts and crisp pastries. Learn more and find out where to buy at npr.reviews/italian-style EFFORTLESS STYLE For a chic and elegant wardrobe update, look to the collection of clothing at Jungle Road in Port Douglas. jungleroad.com.au COLOUR CRUSH Smeg’s Victoria freestanding induction cooker combines a traditional look with innovative technology. With a five-zone induction hob and two 70-litre ovens, the cooker is now available in the new colours of pastel green and red wine. smeg.com.au ESCAPE TO THE STABLES The Stables at Byronsvale features three restored and renovated self-contained apartments surrounded by picturesque farmland overlooking water views and Bendigo’s earliest shiraz and cabernet vines. Close to the…