Indholdsfortegnelse for June 2023 i Country Style

THE GREAT SEASONAL changeover is complete at my place. I am ready for winter, and so is my house. Floaty dresses and linen shirts are packed away in the top of my cupboard until summer. Fans are disassembled and stowed under beds, replaced by oil heaters in the corner of every room. My woolly jumpers are neatly folded in my chest of drawers. Doonas lie in wait, folded at the end of the bed so they can be pulled up in the chilly early hours of the morning. It won’t be long before I add a blanket and flannelette sheets – oh, how I love flannelette. Is there a more comforting fabric? Perhaps super-fine merino, like the throw on my sofa, perfect for nights spent with a glass of red…

MEMORIES OF MUM Our dear mother passed away recently at nearly 93. She bought Country Style for as long as I can remember, and when Mum developed dementia, my sister gave her a subscription every year. Even as she slowly declined, your lovely magazine still brought Mum so much joy, as she loved animals and had always been an avid gardener. We will continue to enjoy our copies of Country Style and cherish the memories of sharing it with her. Annette Mitchell, Goolwa, SA VITAL CONNECTION I often read letters in Country Style about how important its arrival is each month – and I heartily agree. But on a recent trip through outback Queensland, seeing how far the mailboxes are from the homesteads, this city slicker realised exactly what that…

IT WAS A PINCH-ME MOMENT when Emma Gibbons, co-founder of Coolum Beach-based pet treat company Huds and Toke, saw her products pop up on an American late-night TV show last year. “We did a collaboration with Krispy Kreme, which was amazing; to have such a large, global brand pick up our brand to work with them,” Emma says. “I think they saw our photos on Instagram, then they emailed us about making doggy donuts for International Dog Day. I rang back, saying, ‘Absolutely, yeah, silly question! As long as it’s all co-branded.’ And they said, ‘Absolutely’.” As if that partnership wasn’t exciting enough, the doggy donuts were then featured on The Late Late Show with James Corden. “They did a little skit about it. It was very cool. We were…

FOR ARTIST AND CHILDREN’s apparel designer Fleur Harris, fairytales and imaginary play informed much of her childhood and are now a source of inspiration in her work. “We were read to a lot as kids – particularly the Enid Blyton Magic Faraway Tree series. They were in a similar setting to our property, which added that extra layer of magic,” Fleur says. “I genuinely believed that fairies were real and my imagination ran wild. That fantastical thinking was a big part of my childhood play.” Fleur grew up on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. When she was six, her family moved to a 21-hectare farm. “My dad and uncle bought the land and they started a vineyard,” she explains. “More than 90 per cent of it was under vine eventually…

ELEGANT VARIATION Old-world beauty with new-world comfort: that’s the key to this bathroom at Heartwood Farm, in the Byron Bay hinterland in NSW. “Our farm was established in 1905, so we wanted the bathroom to be reminiscent of times gone by but also bring in modern functionality,” explains owner Nicole Spencer. “My husband, Craig, created wall panelling above the subway tiles which he replicated from the pattern on the walls in the original sitting room of the main homestead.” Craig also modified a sideboard from McKee’s Antiques in nearby Casino to act as a vanity, choosing Astra Walker Olde English tapware for its “warmth and elegance”. The bespoke claw-foot bath (from a since-closed company) invites a leisurely soak, while underfoot are Australian-made tiles from Southern Cross Ceramics, in a pattern…

LIFE DOESN’T ALWAYS go as planned, as I know you know, and for me this is never more obvious than in the garden. Those tulip bulbs that just never came up… so frustrating! Or the feverfew that just keeps coming up everywhere. The trays of Geraldton Wax seeds that never germinate, on repeat. The elder, which self-seeded in the middle of the herb garden that I neglected to remove before it grew absolutely enormous, and now the cats rely on it to get onto the roof and I can’t take it out. The garden is a microcosm of the universe of outcomes you didn’t expect; of policy made on the fly and of making the best of things as you find them. Gardening is a lifelong lesson in resilience and…

IN THE EARLY 20TH century, china painting was a popular pastime for many women. They took lessons at the various colleges of Applied Arts and Mechanics Institutes which flourished around Australia. Some established themselves as professional china painters and earnt a living from their skills. Painting on blanks manufactured in England, France and Germany, they decorated vases, as well as domestic items such as tea sets. Some also painted plaques to be set in brooches, and Australian flora and fauna were popular subjects – particularly wattle and kookaburras. Mildred Esther Lovett (1880-1955) hand-painted this vase in 1909, the year before she replaced landscape painter Sydney Long as second-in-charge at Julian Ashton’s Art School in Sydney. The decoration, inspired by Long’s paintings, is one of the best examples of Art Nouveau…

GEORGIE MANN Based in Caramut, Vic, photographer Georgie captured beautiful images of Anna Brand, founder of The Woolly Brand, for this month’s Women on the Land feature. For more, turn to page 40. “Growing up in the country gave me a real sense of self. It has also given me a huge appreciation for the natural world,” Georgie, 45, says. “It’s been a wonderful place to raise a family – lots of animals, wide open spaces and time spent together.” Georgie now lives in Western Victoria with her husband Bobby, 53, children Dougal, 18, Olivia, 16, and Jack 13, and their Jack Russell terriers. “I have felt a love affair with country Australia for as long as I can remember. I love the space, the landscapes and lifestyle. My mind…

WESTERN AUSTRALIA Mullewa Muster and Rodeo, June 3 Get set for an epic day of mustering and music at the Mullewa Muster and Rodeo, held at the Mullewa Recreation Grounds, one hour’s drive north-east of Geraldton. Events include the Australian Bushmen’s Campdraft and Rodeo, the Beaut Ute Competition and, of course, the Country Music Concert, which this year features The Wolfe Brothers; singer/songwriter Travis Collins; country rock’n’roll singer Monty Cotton; and Indigenous musician Fred Ryan. Buy tickets online at: mullewamuster.com.au Truffle Kerfuffle, June 23-25 Deep within the forests of Manjimup lies a prized delicacy: the black truffle. Each year, foodies and foragers descend on Fonty’s Pool Caravan Park in Manjimup to partake in a three-day festival celebrating the harvest of this sought-after “black gold”. Activities include: long table feasts featuring…

MANY OF US HAVE SPECIAL memories of our grandmothers. Anna Brand, who lives near Caramut in Victoria, recalls her grandmothers were always knitting. “As they aged and their hands deteriorated, the knits changed, but it didn’t alter the love that went into every stitch,” she says. “I’ll never forget an outfit that one of my grandmas made for my doll for my birthday – a little cardigan, dress, singlet, underwear and booties. I recently found it, and now my girls dress their doll and bunny in some of the pieces.” Growing up on a farm with mixed merino sheep, in the Riverina region of NSW, Anna and her three siblings always got “stuck in” to help. “We were often picked up from the school bus stop and went straight onto…

WE LEARN A LOT FROM OUR MOTHERS. Most of these teachings stay with us well into adulthood. For Ineke Stephens, that lesson was: anything you want, you can create yourself. Forever a creative, Ineke has long been “mucking around and making things”, but it wasn’t until her first child was born that she found herself at the sewing machine more than ever. “I bought a few pieces of leather and made a handbag because I couldn’t find something I liked,” Ineke, 41, says. “A friend saw it and asked for one herself, and that’s kind of how it all started.” In 2015, while looking after her young children – Chelsea, now 15, Albe, 12, and Sid, 11 – at their home in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Ineke…

PLEASE ALLOW ME A moment of humblebragging. Years ago, when Adelaide was (I’m not saying it isn’t now!) basking in the golden glow of a vibrant food scene, having gifted to the pantheon of Australian cooking deities the likes of Phillip Searle, Christine Manfield, Lew Kathreptis, Maggie Beer and Cheong Liew, I was rattling the pans in my first proper head chef job at a fashionable joint in the good part of Rundle Street. These professionals cast a looming shadow of enviable accomplishment over journeymen and women like myself, and they were an inspiration. So, imagine my excitement when we were visited by the pre-eminent food critic of the day, Terry Durack. Cooking three courses for his table went without a hitch, though I was in equal parts terrified and…

JUDY CROAGH PIG FARMER, 61 Judy lives on a cattle property (up the road from her pig farm) at Mount Mercer, Vic, with her husband Tim, 65, and their beloved pets: Jack Russell Rosa; cat Tilly; horses Ellie, Bella, Rupert, Rosie, Tess and CJ; plus many chooks! (Their children, Bridget, 35, Tim, 33, and Will, 29, have left home.) What do you love about living in the country? I love the space, the landscape, and how real it is. I have always lived on the land. I grew up on small acreage. What inspires you? The people I work with, and the desire to improve and learn all the time. How would you describe your style? My fashion is fairly simple. What’s the best style advice you’ve ever received? Be…

I’VE HELD ON to this item, bought at a garage sale, for many years as I’ve always been curious about what it is. Could you please tell me its purpose? Lyndal Petersen, via email I have no idea what this is. I am stumped! My guess is that it might be part of a toy. Is it a pink pig dressed up in a top hat? Perhaps holding something now missing, a pipe? Could the holes have once been part of a mechanism to make the pig jump or blow water or smoke from a pipe? I am afraid without a few more parts to offer clues as to its original purpose, I can make no further suggestions. Its value is now that of a curiosity. John McPhee is an…

CONTRIBUTORS Cute piglets causing mischief at a picnic at Judy and Tim Croagh’s property at Mount Mercer, in Victoria, grace our June cover. For more on Tim and Judy’s work at Western Plains Pork, where they raise 4000 sows, see page 56. With thanks to Pork Australia. COVER PRODUCTS Antique French cane chair, $95, Zinc oval bucket, $249, and Antique copper pot, $195, all from Found at Hepburn. ON CHAIR Elio Amaretti cushion, $108, from L&M Home. Billabong fringed throw in Check, $119, from Creswick Wool. ON GRASS Ceres Homestead 100 per cent Australian wool blanket in Caramel Check, $349, from eCasa Daylesford. French hemp linen cushion, $299, from Found at Hepburn. Floral vintage cushion, $99, from eCasa Daylesford. Città cotton velvet round cushion in Toast, $79.95, and Città Audrey…

global gathering Is there any better shopping thrill than finding the perfect piece in a far-off brocante or souk, buying it and shipping it home? Early Settler has done all that legwork with its artisan-made From Our Travels range, in strictly limited quantities. Like something? Best get clicking! Visit earlysettler.com.au JUST IN TIME Sometimes, old technology really does beat new. It’s far quicker to check the time with a glance at a kitchen wall clock than a hunt through bags and pockets for your phone, which you must then dab with a floury finger to wake from its slumber. We like this Number One timepiece; visit hardtofind.com.au AN OLD FLAME In the NSW Southern Highlands, the locals know the most comforting way to combat the winter chill: a…

A DAY IN THE COUNTRY IT’S WINTER, AND I’M TORN between welcoming the quiet and dreading the cold. It’s the same every year: the short, dull days; the frigid air like a slap against bare skin; the constant job to keep the fire stoked and the wood basket full; and the knowledge that down here in Tasmania, the season only gets stronger as the days grow longer. So June always feels a bit daunting. We rush towards the shortest day and then have to face the fact that we won’t be warm until mid-September. For more than a decade, I’ve made a ritual to have an early morning swim on winter’s solstice. There’s an increasingly popular annual solstice swim in Hobart that is part of the Dark Mofo festival, but…

MT MERCER VIC FORAGING THROUGH GRASS and straw, wallowing in mud and trotting around lush paddocks with mates – the pigs at Western Plains Pork in Mount Mercer, Victoria, live an idyllic, free-range life. This isn’t just good for the pigs, it’s great for the environment as well. Pork is a particularly sustainable protein to produce – especially the way Tim and Judy Croagh farm. Their drove of 4000 healthy sows live in paddocks or special straw-based eco shelters as part of a nine-year paddock rotation cycle in which the pigs are moved to a fresh site on the farm every two to three years. Western Plains Pork leases land from neighbouring farmers, who then grow crops in the pig manure-enriched paddocks. “They utilise all the nutrients that the pigs…

“THE WORK ON THIS HOUSE was more of a resurrection than a renovation. We live in a throwaway culture where new and fashionable designer stuff is desirable. I wanted to do the opposite, without being confined by trends,” reflects Dapper De Wet, owner of this 160-year-old house in the hamlet of Philadelphia, near Cape Town in South Africa. He bought the house, part of which was being operated as a general store, on a whim five years ago. The pandemic propelled his plans to relocate from Singapore, presenting an opportunity to transform the building while living in it with plenty of time on his hands. First converting a tractor shed into a rustic, barn-like wing, he drew out the house’s full potential, replacing and repairing heritage features and infusing it…

YANDOIT VIC THE BEAUTY OF SOME gardens is that they send us to far-off places: a breath of Provençal lavender; a line of tall Tuscan cypresses; a flash of tropic-bright hibiscus. Some gardens can even transport us to far-off times: the feverfew, rue and sage of a medieval physic garden; the intricate topiary of an Elizabethan knot garden; the pools and fountains of a 2000-year-old Persian paradise garden. But the beauty of this garden in Yandoit, Victoria, on the traditional lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung people, is that it is entirely at home in its own place and time. “It’s surrounded by the Australian bush,” says garden designer Tim Pilgrim, “and my clients’ brief was to create something that would both speak to its heritage and harness those beautiful…

TILLY’S TABLE FOOD I LOVE THE COLD. Brisk mornings, mist, and layers (of clothes and pastry); winter makes me feel alive in a way that summer never does (unpopular as that opinion may be). It also makes me want to bake – more – and I already bake a lot. But when the weather sets in and the temperature drops, there is something I crave: puddings. Warm, gooey, spoonable comfort. Anything hot you can puddle in cream or melt a scoop of ice cream over. Therapy in a bowl. Which leads me nicely to bread and butter pudding – a dependable, if slightly old-fashioned bake, but a real therapy pud if ever I saw one. This was not something I loved as a child, I have to admit. The thought…

MAKE AN ENTRANCE Feel confident and comfortable in gorgeous garments by Australian label Blue Bungalow, which also offers personal styling. bluebungalow.com.au LIGHTS OUT Enjoy excellent support and pressure relief with the luxurious Beautyrest Comforpedic West 28 Medium Queen Mattress. harveynorman.com.au PAMPERED PETS With stores in Vic, NSW, Qld, SA and Tas, Pets Domain stocks all your pet essentials, such as the Dan and Sam Lahana Harness. petsdomain.com.au FLEXIBLE SOLUTION Control grass runners and maintain angles, curves and straight lines in your garden with EverEdge Flexible Steel Garden Edging. everedge.com.au LUXURIOUS WARMTH Cosy up in cashmere with Mia Fratino’s sustainably sourced and ethically made knits, including the Harriett Cable Crew in Buttermilk. miafratino.com CUTE AND COSY Kids love Beddie’s premium, 100 per cent cotton bedding, such as the vibrant Petal Pure…

IT IS MORE KITCHEN THAN confessional, but that’s where I found myself recently, head bowed in humble contrition, mumbling my confession, pathetically seeking forgiveness and praying for guidance, crippled by the shame of an offence more against myself and my sense of community than against God. And, to complete the despondency of the scene, my hot dog was as cold as a cadaver. Today, I’ll ask you to join with me in the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation known to all of us who never bothered to master the microwave and who have suffered the ensuing shame and guilt. The microwave oven was first sold for consumer use around the time I was born. Okay, it wasn’t a plaything for infants, so I’ll allow myself a few years’ grace. Even…