Issue #22.6 December 2019

Australian Country

Your Contemporary Country Lifestyle Magazine

Australian Country2 min read
Editor’s Letter
as this issue went to press, I received a lovely, but heart-wrenching, letter from Taya Michalski, who, with her husband, Steve, runs Diamondvale Cottages on the outskirts of the Granite Belt township of Stanthorpe. Photographer Ken Brass and I had t
Australian Country3 min read
Diary Notes
An exhibition of diverse media artists from remote parts of Queensland converges on the Roma on Bungil Gallery in Roma under the umbrella title of Petals, Pots and Personalities. See works by Sandra Allen, Anne Cameron, Mary Cochrane, Sandra Macdonal
Australian Country5 min read
Quintessential Queenslander
Leah Stirton cheerfully admits she had never been west of the Brisbane suburb of Indooroopilly when she applied for a teaching position in Charleville. Freshly returned from London and nursing a broken heart, she wanted to move as far away as possibl
Australian Country5 min read
Growing Country
ilfradale means in a valley between rugged and rolling hills, which makes sense because the Quinn family farm is located between the upper Mount Lofty and lower Flinders Ranges. “Our children are the fifth generation to live in the home we live in no
Australian Country6 min read
Bright Spark
meg Bignell tells it like it is. The Tasmanian novelist says she started blogging to save her sanity and reassure other young mothers that they weren’t alone in the battle against the mind-numbing mundanity of parenthood. “I’d always written things d
Australian Country4 min readEconomics
At Rainbow’s End
With her strong media background, Helen Swinton says she thought she was way too pragmatic to be swayed by a photograph. But there she was, standing on a hilltop on the western side of the NSW Blue Mountains, looking at views of the Kanimbla Valley,
Australian Country5 min readDesign
A Shining Example
They say the more things change, the more they stay the same. That’s certainly the case for Coomber Bros Jewellers in the south-western Queensland town of Roma. As the home-grown jeweller in the town’s main street celebrates its centenary this year,
Australian Country6 min read
Splashing Out
With a hot shower, a kitchen with a gas cooker and bunk beds in two shipping containers, it was pretty classy camping. But after a few years visiting the remote bushland block near Briagolong in the foothills of Victoria’s high country, Sharon George
Australian Country3 min read
Colour Run
dave Roberts-Thomson confesses that he only knows four words of Dutch, so visitors to his family’s tulip farm hoping for a Dutch D&M will be sorely disappointed. Dave and his sister, Meredith, represent the fourth generation of their family to work a
Australian Country5 min read
Balancing Act
It takes 152 bottles of sparkling wine to fill a bathtub. I haven’t actually tested this assertion, but it’s a piece of information I picked up on a highly informative tour of the drives, as the underground cellars at the Seppelt winery in Great West
Australian Country5 min readCooking, Food & Wine
High-country Gem
most people move to Hampton, perched on an escarpment of the Great Dividing Range, to get away from the hustle of city life. But since chef Amanda Hinds arrived in town, population 300-odd, and opened Emeraude, there have been traffic jams in the tin
Australian Country4 min readFashion
Christmas Gift Guide
Deriving its look from the Sydney Opera House, the Opera rose-gold watch, $240, is a tribute to Jørn Utzon and all the architects who invigorate our day-to-day lives with their stunning work. aiverc.com Keep him classy in a 100 per cent cotton We
Australian Country2 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Celebrating The Great Outdoors
Create height using different platters and stands to give your table dimension. Start from the back and work from highest to lowest — a flat table is a no-no. If possible, stick to just a few colours for your boards and platters. The colour will come
Australian Country7 min read
Hats Off To The Bush
She’s battled family dysfunction, depression, bulimia and the tragedy of her husband’s workplace accident that rendered him paraplegic. Yet every morning, Waltraud Reiner practises gratitude for the things she has rather than the things she hasn’t. W
Australian Country3 min readFashion
Store Strolling
Admire this this beautifully crafted red spiral Dancer teapot with trivet, $65, as you enjoy a relaxing pot of tea with loved ones. leuramall.com This 1200ml teapot, $65, from Inner Space Furniture has a black dotted finish and will make a statem
Australian Country4 min read
Off The Shelf
As an investigative journalist, Michael Robotham has worked with clinical and forensic psychologists, who help police investigate psychologically driven crimes. In this novel, protagonist Cyrus Haven, a forensic psychologist with his own traumatic pa
Australian Country2 min read
Mailbag
I’d like to acknowledge the wonderful support Australian Country has provided the Granite Belt over the past two issues. The feedback has been very positive and exciting for us all. For a small region and our family to be featured in your magazine is

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