Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2025 i Country Style

MOTHER’S DAY IS APPROACHING and it’s a special day – or weekend, in fact – in our family. For the past eight years, my mum has travelled from Northern NSW to Sydney to go to the Mother’s Day lunch organised by my daughters’ high school. Now that they are both at university, my mum and I celebrated differently, and earlier, this year. We went on a 10-day trip to Singapore and Malaysia. We’ve never been on a holiday for that long together, just the two of us. It was wonderful! In Singapore, we took a trip down memory lane as I moved there when my youngest was four weeks old (was I crazy?) and Mum visited several times in the four years that I lived there. Then we boarded the…

Subscribe and download our app Download the Country Style app (it’s free!) to read our online stories, or combine it with a digital subscription to get every issue. Our digital magazines are as beautiful as print, plus you can customise font sizes and listen to an audio version. On the App Store Country Style magazine On Instagram This beach house on the Yorke Peninsula, SA, belonging to sisters Emma Read and Sarah Hall recently got a lot of Instagram love – read all about it online. Visit homestolove.com.au NEWSLETTERS homestolove.com.au/country-style Get updates straight to your inbox with Country Style newsletters. They’re filled with sneak peeks. Scan the code, right, to sign up. PHOTOGRAPHY MARNIE HAWSON…

WELL READ Life on earth starts with marvellous mushrooms, and ecologist and photographer Alison Pouliot’s book Funga Obscura ($49.99, NewSouth) documents their beauty. The Rose Book ($69.95, Phaidon) is another stunning botanic book. Visit unsw.press and phaidon.com classic appeal With a fresh, white finish, OzDesign’s new Hamptons range of bedroom furniture (from $359 for this timber one-drawer bedside table) brings a breezy, coastal feel to your space. Visit ozdesignfurniture.com.au extend a hand An extending dining table gives the best of both worlds, with a space-saving option and a feed-the-whole-family option, too. Harvey Norman’s Hampshire Oval Extension dining table, $999, is made from satiny and durable rubberwood – gorgeous. Visit harveynorman.com.au boot it Prep for winter with the Tully boot, $179.95, Merry People’s much-loved chunky-heeled option. This is the Coral shade:…

“It’s about prioritising the spaces that will be seen and enjoyed regularly. That’s where you should create interest and invest in special features.” GENEROUS IN SCALE AND SPIRIT, this sprawling estate sits atop a natural escarpment some distance from Sydney, on its green north-west surrounds. The design and construction company Cadence & Co developed the two hectares for a large family who loves to entertain. The impressive outcome is a haven where kith and kin gather while soaking up valley views and seasonal rhythms. The homestead perches on the acreage’s highest point, with a sweeping panorama that captures a national park to the south. To the western-oriented back of the dwelling, by the tennis court, you’ll find a pool and a resort-style pavilion flanked by two towering Canary Island date…

BLUE-EYE IS A FISH that many Tasmanians are familiar with. It is often called trevalla, blue-eye cod, Antarctic butterfish, bluenose warehou or sea bass. Sound confusing? Thankfully, some years back, the CSIRO published a great book on the actual names of Australian seafood and their related marketing names. On an island girt by deep seas containing a plethora of edible sea creatures, travellers are often surprised by the lack of diversity available in the state’s few fish stalls, markets and providers. It seems much of Tasmania’s seafood bounty heads over to the mainland and to international destinations where suppliers and diners are prepared to pay for its unique provenance. However, this doesn’t leave much for the local market. Many people also routinely go fishing, so they are less likely to…

GORGIA SEALEY AND STEPHEN CRAIG’S wedding proves that with a positive attitude – and help from your nearest and dearest – you can always find the rainbow in the rain. One of Gorgia’s cherished memories of the day is “dancing with my maid of honour in our Blundstones in the mud.” Gorgia, 28, and Stephen, 29, met at school, but, recalls Gorgia, “We were intimidated by each other and only had a few nervous conversations.” When life took them both to Adelaide in 2015, they met up. “We played Mario Kart and the loser had to shout the winner ice cream,” Gorgia says. “I won, and we’ve always argued whether he let me win so he could take me out, or if I beat him fair and square.” Either way,…

CLOCKWISE, FROM LEFT Shiloh Blossom & Redwood Drapery, from Warwick. Redemption Body Scrub, $47, from Aēsop, contains finely milled pumice to buffskin, along with aromatic rosemary leaf oil. Nourish lips and add a hint of pink with Tinted Lip Butter in Raspberry Blossom, $26, from Alive Body. Botanique Lotion, $65, from Mukti, is packed with aloe vera, shea butter and jojoba oil to hydrate skin and restore elasticity. The MicroCelle Delivery system in Dr. Dennis Gross DermInfusions 3D Visible Fill + Repair Serum, $123, from Mecca, enhances the absorption of hyaluronic acid, leaving skin plump and smooth. Lightweight and hydrating, Nutri-Define Supreme Restorative Light Cream, $164, from Jurlique, restores the skin’s radiance with soothing calendula. De-Stress Organic Massage & Body Oil, $46.95, from Ikou, is infused with calming lavender and…

Editor KYLIE IMESON Creative director MIA DAMINATO Deputy editor HANNAH JAMES Senior designer JUDIE SIU Stylist KATE LINCOLN Senior copy editor GRETA DUMBLETON Feature writer RACHEL WHITE Queensland contributing editor CLAIRE MACTAGGART ADVERTISING AND PRODUCTION Commercial brand manager, Homes MICHELLE O’HANLON Brand executive MIKAELA LEZCANO Head of sales – NSW BLAKE WRIGHT Head of sales – Vic, SA, WA WILL JAMISON Head of sales – Qld JUDY TAYLOR Advertising production manager KATE ORSBORN Head of directories REBECCA WHITE Head of creative CLARE CATT Head of events and sponsorships CATE GAZAL Production controller KARA STEAD Advertising production controller DOMINIC ROY All advertising inquiries ADVERTISING@AREMEDIA.COM.AU MARKETING AND CIRCULATION Director of marketing CARLY BOWRA Senior brand and communications manager JENNIFER BURKE Circulation and insights manager NICOLE PEARSON Senior subscriptions marketing manager ELLIE XUEREB…

Mother’s day GIFT IDEA PRIZE PACK INCLUDES: 1 x $500 Daily Blooms Gift Card; 1 x AUD $2,000 David Jones Gift Card; 1 x AUD $2,000 Myer Gift Card; 1 x Set of Three Luggage Bags from Victorinox valued at $2,477; 1 x $2,000 Beauty and Spa Gift Cards; 1 x $4,000 All Accor Gift Card; 1 x $5,000 Cash; 1 x HP Laptop valued at $1,699; 1 x Jewellery Set valued at $1,999; 1 x Breville Coffee Machine valued at AUD $3,199; 1 x Handbag and Wallet Set valued at AUD $299. ENTER AT: magshop.com.au/MUM20 OR call 113 116 and quote M25MACS Conditions apply, see magshop.com.au/competition. Commences 27/03/25. Ends 11:59pm AEST/AEDST on 31/05/25. AU and NZ residents 18+. Drawn at Greeneagle Distribution and Fulfilment, Unit 5/9 Fitzpatrick Street, Revesby…

WEARING OVERALLS, BOOTS AND A GARDEN TOOL BELT equipped with secateurs and flagging tape, Rachael Hardy weaves through rows of flower beds, ducking into the greenery to masterfully snip and strip whatever bloom she has her eye on. The garden bursts with colour, shape and texture. Open flowers and buds about to unfurl create an untamed, exuberant symphony, with Rachael conducting every note. “Everything has its perfect time to grow,” she says. Rachael’s flower farm, The Love Garden, nestled in the Numinbah Valley, Queensland, covers less than a hectare. The bio-intensive micro-farm is invisible from the neighbouring Lamington and Springbrook National Parks – but there’s nothing insignificant about this unpretentious flower farm. As the founder of The Love Garden, Rachael wears many hats – flower farmer, florist and educator. Her…

AFTER MOVING TO THE BLUE MOUNTAINS in 2009, Bridget and Brad Carmady quickly grew to know – and love – the beautiful part of New South Wales they now call home. Early on, town planner Brad discovered a large parcel of untouched land near Blackheath, a traditional meeting place for the Darug, Gundungurra and Wiradjuri nations, that particularly sparked his interest; so much so that he dreamt of buying it one day. “My husband had his eye on this land for quite some time – he thought it was the best block in the area,” says Bridget, the founder of Clémence Organics, a certified organic and naturopathically approved luxury skincare company. In 2016, that block – all 40 hectares of it – was put on the market. But the timing…

HAVE YOU EVER HAD A MOMENT where you look at your garden in total dismay, wince at the number of jobs required to get it looking presentable, despair at the enormous weed load, and wonder if you should just dig it in and plant a lawn? That’s not just me, right? I love my garden, and if you’re a regular reader of this column, you know I do. I’m deeply grateful for gardens, for what they bring us in terms of fresh abundance, exercise and joy. But the truth is, if you’ve been a gardener for long enough, there will be at least one season when you completely fall out of love with it. At Buena Vista Farm we have LOTS of gardens: vegetables, flowers, cottage, orchard. I ran right…

COUNTRY WEDDINGS ARE VERY different to the nuptials of city folk. In the city, it’s a big, splashy event with cautious speeches designed to ensure everyone is thanked, acknowledged and no family feuds are reignited. The happy couple are toasted, change into their ‘going away’ outfits and wing off to some exotic honeymoon location. The guests go home. You make a commitment when accepting an invitation to a country wedding – travel, accommodation and days off work. Commitment made; it’s time to party. Not just at the reception but at the prenuptial get-together, where you’ll see long-lost cousins, catch up with old friends and make new ones. Then there’s the afterparty and recovery party, before the guests drift hazily off to their home town, rural property or back to the…

DISTANCE PROVED NO OBJECT to Sally Turner and Andrew Horne’s love story. After meeting at a New York bar in 2015 and becoming engaged in 2019, the pair were separated for more than a year. “When we were beginning to plan our wedding, I received a call from my mum telling me her cancer was stage four, and her time was coming to an end,” says Sally, 37. “I immediately returned to Australia, anticipating Andrew joining me shortly. We could never have predicted what would happen next: COVID hit, and Australia closed its borders. It would be 15 months until Andrew and I were reunited. In the meantime, I planned the wedding alone while taking care of my mum, who sadly passed away three months before we had planned our…

HUMAN NATURE Jane Rawson, NewSouth, $34.99 From the very first paragraph you warm to her. You may not agree with her, but by gum she’s brave. The author is, still, a devoted townie, but Melbourne got noisier and noisier and more and more hoonish, and in the end she and her husband couldn’t sleep. They moved to Tasmania, where the barriers between species were permeable and they saw the living world in a different light. (In the first few weeks, 24 species visited their property.) They slowly realised that our current policies vis-a-vis the vanishing ecosystem are often inappropriate. We need to imagine what it’s like to be an owl or a wallaby. Sounds woo-woo? It won’t once you’ve followed Rawson’s discoveries interspersed with history and science, and blended with…

AN APPROACHING TASMANIAN WINTER has its upsides. Colder days make it easier to sit and stay at my desk without sneaking out to move a sprinkler, and returning an hour later because a lily caught me with her scent and a bunch of twitch has intruded on the poppies. Shorter days mean more sitting by the fire with bowls of soup. They mean earlier nights and more sleep. May doesn’t call for 5am wake-ups to get my youngest daughter to rowing training. May means footy has started, and I quite like footy. The snakes have gone away (hopefully not into the potting mix). The persimmons are ripening, and will soon be a lovely burst of orange against the grey skies. But those are all the upsides I can think of…

TASMANIAN TREASURES I loved reading the March edition of Country Style while on vacation on Bruny Island in Tasmania over a recent long weekend. It was the perfect companion to slow mornings and relaxing sunsets (pictured below), while soaking in the island’s beauty. I especially enjoyed the feature on artist Gemma Rasdall. The island’s rugged landscapes and quiet magic make it easy to see why she is drawn to move to this beautiful place. Your magazine always captures the beauty of country life and the creative souls who embrace it. Thank you for sharing such inspired stories. Lisa Wright, Launceston, Tas ARTISTIC EYE I received my March issue of Country Style last week. It is by far my most favourite issue of the year. Your annual Art Issue brings me…

MACARLA CHURCH SOURCES HOMEWARES AS EXOTIC AS THEY ARE ETHICAL FOR HER GLOBAL BAZAAR IN MURWILLUMBAH, NSW. “I WAS LIVING IN PERU 13 years ago, volunteering with an NGO, and working with a group of women who were weavers,” says Macarla Church, co-founder of Murwillumbah homewares bazaar Basera. “These women would spend a month weaving something – it was a whole process. They would look after the alpaca, shear the wool, then dye the wool with berries and plants they’d grown and harvested. Finally, they’d get to the actual weaving. The whole process was really community based and lovely, but for a month’s work weaving beautiful textiles, they would end up selling at a tourist market for something like 20 US dollars. It kind of broke my heart.” Spurred on…

A CRUMBLING 150-YEAR-OLD HOMESTEAD with peeling paint, cracked floorboards and ramshackle additions would strike fear into the most ambitious renovators, but Emelie Lizotte, 32, and Alexander Nolan, 33, were undaunted by Eyrie Bowrie. Broadly meaning ‘eagle’s nest’, or a home on a high and commanding place, the storied house on the outskirts of Milton, on Yuin Country on the NSW South Coast, overlooks pastures, bushland, the Pacific Ocean and Green Island. When Eyrie Bowrie hit the market for the second time in two years in early 2021, Emelie and Alexander seized the opportunity to restore it by hand. “Em found the place online and fell in love with it,” recalls Alexander, builder and founder of AJ Nolan Construction. “It was pretty run-down, and we knew it’d be a lot of…

Set the scene with a beautiful mural backdrop and layer your bed with linens in complementary soft blues, whites and greens. Earthy neutrals and botanical prints add a grounding element, while dusty pinks create a feminine, romantic feel. Elegant settings invite rest, reflection and pampering. Surround yourself with your favourite fragrances, books and artworks. Create warmth and cosiness with stacks of cushions, throws and blankets. Baskets are ideal for storing seasonal bedding and spare pillows. A GOOD NIGHT If choosing bed linen is important to ensure a good night’s sleep, choosing a mattress is absolutely crucial. + Koala Luxe Mattress follows the contours of your body, providing ultimate support and comfort from your head to your toes thanks to its seven multi-layered zones. Order online and have it delivered anywhere…

THEY MAY HAVE MET IN MELBOURNE, but Caroline Lowe and Gabriel Cullen are both country kids – and their wedding was all about their shared love of rural life. Caroline, 26, met Gabriel, 27, in 2018 while they were both studying in the city – but as Caroline had grown up on a sheep and crop farm north of Albury, and Gabriel on a dairy farm in Victoria, “We bonded over our shared love for the country and farming lifestyle,” says Caroline. “In 2023, Gabriel took me back to New Zealand (his family are from Whangārei), where we completed the Diamond Lake & Rocky Mountain hike. At the summit of Rocky Mountain in Wanaka, with panoramic views of the stunning lakes and snow-capped mountains, Gabriel got down on one knee…

JUST OUTSIDE THE PRETTY heritage town of Braidwood, NSW, lies Mona Farm: 50 hectares of rolling paddocks, dotted with striking sculptures; clusters of beautifully restored historic buildings; a flower-sprinkled woodland; a rose garden; and a lake, complete with hand-built humpback bridge. Unsurprisingly, it’s a hugely popular wedding venue – but you don’t have to be a wedding guest to stay here. I recently checked in to the Shearer’s Quarters, one of the seven accommodation options on the farm, for a luxurious weekend away. The corrugated iron exterior and brick chimneypiece aside, I’m not sure those 19th-century shearers would recognise their old quarters now, with its sleek kitchen, vast Japanese bathhouse-inspired bathroom (complete with underfloor heating, of course), and glorious cedar-clad hot tub on the deck overlooking Mona Creek. We explored…

BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL Amanda Brooks paints vibrant original pieces on canvas, and offers prints and commissioned artworks. She opens her studio in Noosa Heads, Qld, by appointment, and ships art interstate and worldwide. artbybrooks.com.au GATHER FOR LUNCH Based in Tamworth, NSW, Long Lunch Linen produces pure French linen tablecloths and napkins in timeless colours. Add elegance to long or round tables with varied sizes. Free shipping Australia-wide. longlunchlinen.com.au WRAPPED IN STYLE Monty and Moo stocks Australian and international knitwear brands made from fine wool and wool blends. Enjoy impeccable quality and functionality in their luxurious cardigans, jumpers, vests and jeans. montyandmoo.com.au FIVE-STAR INDULGENCE The family-owned Riversdale Estate winery, near Hobart, offers an elegant High Tea with unparalleled views over the Coal River Valley. Enjoy delicious house-made sweet and savoury treats,…