Table of contents for September 2021 in Country Style

I’m writing this month’s letter at home, instead of at the office. Greater Sydney is under stay-at-home orders and I am longing to get in my car and head out of the city. We regularly go away for long weekends to slow down and take in big lungfuls of fresh air. A couple of friends and I sometimes just go for the day to do a bushwalk and have tea and scones. It’s restorative and my way of coping with living in the city. It’ll be the first thing I do when lockdown and restrictions are lifted. I am looking forward to seeing gardens awakened by spring, flowers in bloom and trees with new green growth. From my temporary workspace at home (the dining table, which I share with my…

bird lovers NT Kakadu Bird Week, Sept 25-Oct 2 Kakadu is a UNESCO World Heritage-listed national park, home to more than a third of Australia’s bird species. So where better to explore and learn about these beautiful creatures? Kakadu Bird Week includes birdwatching expeditions, wetland cruises and cultural experiences. parksaustralia. gov.au/kakadu/do/events/birdweek NSW Tulip Top Gardens, Sept 11-Oct 10 Spring means tulips, and Tulip Top Gardens, as you might guess, is brimming with them. Owners Pat and Bill Rhodin have spent the past 27 years lovingly nurturing their four-hectare garden just outside Canberra, which features not only tulips but plenty of other spring flowers, as well as 1000 blossom trees. There’s even a waterfall and a lookout point. It’s one of the Yass Valley’s finest gardens – and it’s all looked…

EMMA AYLIFFE HAS ONLY HAD HER OWN FARM for four years, yet she has already won the Young Farmer of the Year Award. If you consider the 28-year-old’s short but glittering resume, though, which is bursting with boots-on-the-ground experience, the honour comes as no surprise. “We bought the farm in 2017, which was right at the start of the drought,” she says of the property in Lake Cargelligo, NSW, she owns with her partner, Craig Newham. “If only we’d known!” In fact, Emma and Craig were perfectly positioned to see their 688-hectare farm, which they run as half fat lamb production and half dryland cropping, through the drought. After gaining her Masters of Science in agriculture in her home state of South Australia, Emma moved to Central West New South…

THE KITCHEN IS EMMA READ’S FAVOURITE PLACE in their 1910 brick cottage in Willunga, South Australia. Open shelves hold a collection of vintage oil paintings, vessels and ferns, while the skylight and colonial windows drench the open-plan kitchen and living area in natural light. “For me, a kitchen has to have art, lamps and flowers. Everything I touch has to be really nice, whether it’s old wooden spoons or mismatched crockery,” 42-year-old Emma explains. “I love being in here and I can oversee everything that’s happening with the children,” she adds of the vantage point to the backyard and pergola. Emma and her husband Matt, 48, have three children – 13-year-old Tuesday, Reggie, 10, and Abel, seven – who often help bake, create artworks in the living room or play…

• Exterior paint colours are Dulux Timeless Grey, Surfmist, Male Quarter and Monument. • Nikki’s favourite places to shop locally include: My Country Escape at Canungra, mycountryescape.com.au; Outland Denim at Tamborine Mountain, outlanddenim.com.au; OWL Wholefoods at Canungra, owlwholefoods.com.au; Scenic Rim Farm Shop at Kalbar, scenicrimfarmshop.com.au • Nikki’s favourite online stores are: Miss Amara (floor rugs), missamara.com.au; Fat Shack Vintage (pendant lighting), fatshackvintage.com.au; Hobbs Home, hobbshome.com.au…

PEEK OVER THE FENCE OF NORWOOD ROSES, the fairy floss-coloured cottage positioned on a street corner in Queensland’s ‘Garden City’ of Toowoomba, and flower bombs of sweet hues and sugar puffs of blooms reveal themselves. Caitlyn Mason, a registered nurse, bought the property in 2016, romanced by its long history starting as a general store and residence in 1897. Along with her partner, Sam Clothier, a business analyst, the quietly determined Caitlyn started renovating the run-down building, but was quickly sidetracked by the bare yard. “I just wanted it to be full and lush, and for every area to be beautiful,” she says. “My vision was to grow flowers that I could cut and give as gifts or thank yous.” Norwood Roses is now flush with the gorgeous florals and…

DAVID FAIRCLOUGH KNOWS MORE THAN MOST the healing power of animals. Nine years ago, after a series of life-threatening strokes, he used his three horses as a kind of rehab to get his body and brain back on track. “I had to learn to walk and speak again,” David says of the four strokes he suffered in 24 hours back in 2012. But he used his richly diverse life experiences to help him make a full recovery – and embark on a new career. And those experiences are extraordinary. Born in Lancashire in the UK, David started his professional life as a builder who was also a keen student of kung fu. This brought him to Australia for the first time, in 1986, to study with William Cheung, the teacher…

IN SEASON: ASPARAGUS It’s the ‘hungry gap’ – the time of year when there’s nothing much edible in the vegie patch. But asparagus is here to save the day. In her new book Futuresteading: Live like Tomorrow Matters (Murdoch Books, $39.99), a guide to seasonal, sustainable living, farmer and podcaster Jade Miles suggests enjoying these seasonal spears in several ways: • Roasted asparagus with grilled almonds and bacon • Cream of asparagus soup • Fresh asparagus with a squeeze of lemon • Poached eggs with hollandaise sauce • Soft-boiled eggs with toast soldiers • Scrambled eggs with wilted greens • Hard-boiled eggs for picnics. SETTING SOUTH The South Coast of NSW hasn’t had too many gourmet diners to choose from – but The Whale Inn at Narooma is set to…

THERE’S A PARTICULAR KIND OF WIND-WHIPPED, salt-stung, sun-bleached feeling that the Eyre Peninsula specialises in. It comes from spending endless days eating oysters fresh from the cool, clear waters of Coffin Bay; watching emus and kangaroos frolic on the long, white beaches; and scudding across the waves on an adventure boat in search of sea life. It’s the ocean that drew Ben Catterall to the Peninsula. “I’ve always had an affinity with the water,” says the builder turned oyster farmer, who opened Coffin Bay Oyster Farm Tours six years ago. “I’d been building my whole life and I wanted to do something different before I got too old.” After spending 15 years building remote housing for Indigenous people in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) lands of South Australia, he decided…

FIONA WALMSLEY From a multi-generational farming family, writer, photographer and farmer Fiona penned our new gardening column on page 86. Our new gardening columnist Fiona, 47, is lucky enough to live on the family farm, where her heritage goes back for more than 150 years. “I love the community, the space, the clean air, the pretty light, the people. Clichéd maybe, but true,” she says. “Everything that I hated about small towns as a teenager I love as an adult.” Now the farm in Gerringong, NSW, is at the centre of a busy life, which Fiona shares with her partner Adam, their three children Henry, 17, Matilda, 14, and Ivy, 11, plus cats Sebastian and Smoko, dogs Holly and Ace – “and a truly enormous pet pig called Sage”. CHERYL…

WHEN I MOVED TO TASMANIA to start a new chapter in life, I brought with me two small children and a menagerie. The house I was to make my new home was filled with the remnants of The Farmer’s family, floating like flotsam and jetsam on a high tide. It was a tightrope to settle in, to make room for myself and my kids in a house that had sheltered and watched over three daughters, now grown up and making their own way in the world, but still very much attached to their home. In those early years, the garden and the paddocks were my refuge, but gradually I have come to layer new memories over this old house. And because of its age and because it’s seen it all…

LIGHT TOUCH From shades to shutters to venetians, Luxaflex offers practical window coverings for the kitchen which seamlessly transform light, offer privacy at night, filter out odours and are easy to clean. luxaflex.com.au…

IT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE IT, but the newest thing in Athol Salter’s house may very well be the house itself. “It was built in the ’80s as a project home,” says Athol, an antiques dealer and co-owner of the legendary Dirty Janes antique markets in Bowral and Canberra. (His colleague in the business is his daughter Jane Crowley, whose house featured in the February 2021 issue of Country Style.) “That’s what I do very well: rescuing things.” “I like things to blend together. I like to know what I’m looking at and not get distracted by dark colours.” “That wasn’t a very good time for house building,” Athol adds. “It had aluminium windows and was a sandstock-y, bricky-looking thing with a tiled roof. The only reason I bought it was…

I HAVE A GARDEN THAT I CHERISH. In fact, I’m incredibly lucky to have more than one, because as well as my beloved kitchen garden, I have a reasonably sized medicinal tea herb garden and a commercial cut-flower garden. We’re on an old family farm and I share these gardens with dogs with no manners, ducks with no sense of personal space and, very occasionally, extremely unwelcome goats. And pigs. And that one time: the cows. At this time of year, springtime, the goats are usually too busy having babies to bother with my vegetables, and I can be found in the kitchen garden happily tidying up winter: pulling out the leggy ends of broccoli and cauliflower; cutting the pretty red cabbages that I’ve kept in too long because I…

HAVE A LOOK IN YOUR GARDEN. How many of the plants you grow actually flower, and how many just have nice green leaves and not much else? The things you plant in your backyard, on your balcony or by the roadside can be beautiful, practical, low-maintenance and also provide excellent forage and habitat for a whole range of insects and birds, and even human food – all at the same time. This is the fun bit: building a bee-friendly paradise, right in your own backyard. Those maintenance-free spiky plants and grass verges much preferred by commercial landscapers need to be replaced by (or at least intermingled with) flowering plants of all shapes and sizes. Mix it up between exotics and natives: the idea is to produce a cornucopia of forage…

DON’T YOU JUST LOVE the change of seasons? Those wonderful moments when you wake up and realise it’s a bit warmer in the mornings. Or you notice the days becoming a little longer, the birds seem to trill louder and the bees provide a welcome buzz in the background. Gardens are awakening, and it’s time to venture forth and reconnect with the soil. This is, of course, if you’re lucky enough to have a garden. But it still stands if you’ve got a balcony of plants or a few small pots – it’s time to get your hands dirty! Many of us in the know appreciate just how physical gardening can be. In fact, next to yoga and Pilates, gardening is the ‘sleeper’ fitness regimen that tends to fly under…

GETTING THERE CAR It takes nearly four hours to drive to Port Augusta from Adelaide; and three and a half hours to get from Port Augusta to Port Lincoln, at the southern tip of the Peninsula. FLY Rex Airlines flies to Ceduna in the Peninsula’s north-west, Port Lincoln in the south, and Whyalla in the north-east (QantasLink also flies to Port Lincoln and Whyalla). rex.com.au; qantas.com WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK THE FISH BOX KIOSK It’s perhaps not glamorous on the outside, but inside the blue-and-white-painted donga is deliciously fresh, light seafood. Eat it on the deck with a view of the ocean it all came from. 1 Causeway Rd, Cowell, (08) 8629 6000. L’ANSE CAFE A French cafe and croissanterie in Port Lincoln? Believe it! Chef Marvin Lattrez is…

HIGH-TECH LAUNDRY Take the stress out of laundry day with Electrolux’s wi-fi enabled 10kg Washer and 9kg Ultimate Care Heatpump Dryer. harveynorman.com.au MADE TO LAST Mia Fratino’s range of luxurious, ethically made and sustainably sourced cashmere knits includes the V-Neck Boyfriend Sweater. miafratino.com COOKED TO PERFECTION ILVE’s built-in ovens feature a touch control display and humidity control, which gets perfect results every time, no matter what you cook. ilve.com.au SWEET DREAMS Created in Tasmania from pure merino wool, Smitten Merino’s soft, lightweight pyjama set makes sleeping a pleasure. smittenmerino.com PERENNIALS IN BLOOM Winter roses (hellebores) are tough perennials, perfect in semi-shaded areas in temperate regions. Order yours! postofficefarmnursery.com.au SPRING INTO SUMMER This Sandra Viden Design linen/ cotton-blend jacket is cool and comfortable. Available in black, navy and white. sandravidendesign.com STYLISH…

LIGHT IN LOCKDOWN I have been an avid reader/collector of Country Style magazine since 2006. So here I am, in our latest Sydney COVID-19 lockdown, pulling out my old magazines and re-reading all your amazing articles. I am so happy that I have kept my collection as I find the stories and photos just so inspirational. Thanks again, Country Style, for your continuing source of happiness! Oh yes, meant to say that I have been removing all the delicious Heirloom recipes to maybe try out while we are confined at home. Jennifer Cashman, North Manly, NSW From Kylie: We love receiving Heirloom recipes from our readers. Please send them to: kylie.imeson@aremedia.com.au THE JOY OF SHARING Each month, for a number of years now, I wait in anticipation for my Country…

ROSES HAVE LONG BEEN A SYMBOL of love, but for Amy Erbacher, the flower represents a deeper joy beyond looking pretty in her garden in Orange, NSW. “My daughter’s name is Rose, my mother’s name is Rosanne and my mother-in-law is Rosalind,” says the celebrity beauty therapist turned perfumer. So it’s no surprise the fragrance inspires her work. Growing up in Toowoomba, Queensland, Amy was drawn to nature and its scents. “I remember my nana’s rose garden and I was in awe of her little greenhouse beside their home. I have many fond memories of climbing out the window onto the trellis to pick grapes,” she says. A self-confessed foodie and keen cook, Amy could have become a chef, but her passion for beauty was ignited by her mother. “She…

“MY EARLIEST MEMORIES ARE OF FLOWERS,” says Pretty Produce owner Simone Jelley. “I think it’s because I am a creative, visual person, and flowers are an absolute showcase of the beauty and perfection of nature for me.” No wonder, then, that Simone, 52, has built a life around blooms. Growing masses of zinnias, cosmos and sunflowers on an idyllic property on the edge of Lamington National Park in south-east Queensland, Simone is in her element. But she hasn’t always been a farmer – less than a decade ago, she was a photographer for a newspaper. After a redundancy set her adrift, Simone’s husband Dave, 53, suggested she redirect her creativity into a vegie patch at their home on Macleay Island in Moreton Bay. “I started off with corn and tomatoes,…

SOMETIMES, WHEN ONE DOOR CLOSES, another opens, as was the case for Luke and Nikki Hobbs of Canungra in south-east Queensland. Six years ago, the pair had their hearts set on a colonial weatherboard cottage, just down the road from where they now live, but they narrowly missed out on purchasing it. They’d hoped to live along Lamington National Park Road, due to its pretty location tucked against the range and Canungra Creek, so instead turned their attention to a brick, 1990s-era house on two hectares, which had been on the market for more than a year. In a bold move, the couple made an offer, sight unseen. “We settled on this very overgrown five acres,” Nikki, 35, recalls. “But Luke had a vision for the property when he saw…

Window on spring With the arrival of warmer weather, the rich colours and cosy fabrics of winter can go into storage, replaced by bright, breezy cottons and linens in shades of pearl, alabaster and ivory – try Luxaflex for a wide selection of fabrics and weights for summer windows. In this 1960s cottage in Anglesea, Victoria, stone linen curtains are set off by simple black metal rods. See more @moonliters_ Pale and interesting The ancient timbers of Coombs Hill Barn in Victoria are set off by clean-lined furniture in pared-back shades of ash and bone. Bouncing the light around this massive structure (imported from America, where it was built in 1860) are the steel-framed windows, which also give onto views over the property’s 40 hectares of rolling farmland and out…

With enough sun, most herbs are really easy to grow – they will grow like weeds in the right circumstances and you’ll find new ones popping up to replace the ones that are reaching the end of their cycle. You have to resist the temptation to trim off all the flowers and leave at least half behind so you get the seeds to allow the plant to continue, and of course provide pollen and nectar for the beneficial insects. SWEET BASIL (Ocimum basilicum) This is one of those plants that you’re taught to pinch the flowers off so it doesn’t bolt (go to flower), but don’t! Let it grow and flower; let it bolt if it needs to. When it flowers and drops seeds these will sprout into new plants.…

NIKKI HOBBS INTERIOR DESIGNER AT HOBBS BUILDING & INTERIORS, 35 Nikki lives on a picturesque property in Canungra, Qld, with her husband, Luke. What do you love about living in the country? Our creekside location nestled in the Canungra Valley. We love the local Scenic Rim community and the simple, relaxed environment. I grew up on chicken farms and I’ve been riding horses since I can remember. How would you describe your style? My fashion and interiors align into a modern country style, comprising layers, textures, linens and neutrals. Oh, and whatever comes in my size, as I’m six feet tall. Who are your style influences? Designers Lauren Liess and Shea McGee, jewellery designer Samantha Wills, and stylist Kara Rosenlund. What’s the best style advice you’ve ever received? I learnt…

YOU’RE RIGHT, OF COURSE. I haven’t written much about the mouse plague. What mouse plague? The one that is costing our agricultural industry around one billion dollars. I guess that deserves a little more attention than it’s been getting here in my column. The reason I’m in denial about the mouse plague is guilt. I feel kind of responsible for the explosion in mouse numbers over the years. Back in the days when Tom and Jerry came into our lives, the treacherous cat was forever tempting the cheeky mouse into perilous situations with a nice, plump wedge of Emmental cheese. That’s about all we knew about mice – you could entice them to do anything with a cheese reward. Mice weren’t a big issue in the city, but when we…