Yallum Park’s stately stone homestead and 20 acres [eight hectares] of parkland gardens may resemble an aristocratic English estate but, to Andy and Annie Clifford, it’s just home, a place where every room and everything that’s in them are made to be

ph: 0417 913 192 e: melissa@bellecouleur.com.au w: bellecouleur.com.au ph: 1300 696 378 w: birdsnest.com.au 1195 Osborne St, Stoneville WA 6081 ph: (08) 9204 4436 e: info@ bronzeandmarblegallery.com w: bronzeandmarblegallery.com 589 Moss Vale Rd,

Although Ruth and Dzint Jurevicius tell people they’ve retired, the truth is their lives couldn’t be busier. Admittedly, Ruth has given up her demanding role as general manager of a training organisation and Dzint, his long-time career as a high scho

John Sarkissian picks a blade of grass from the lawn and lets it drop gently. The CSIRO Parkes Radio Observatory scientist with an OAM (Order of Australia Medal) for his services to astronomy explains that the energy expended by that tiny leaf when i

Nikki Williams has several outstanding memories of growing up on a farm at Upper Turon near the historic NSW gold-mining village of Sofala. One is of being obsessed with fashion. Another is a fascination for leatherwork and being “pony-mad”. In many

When Boston Global investment group founder and executive chairman Bill Moss and his wife, Lata, went looking for a weekend retreat in 2003, they unsuccessfully scoured the eastern seaboard from Tasmania to the NSW central coast. Then a friend sugges

Kim Muffet is taking us on a tour through the enormous food garden at the home he shares with his wife, Wendy, on the rural fringes of the historic NSW gold-mining town of Forbes. We walk past trees laden with citrus, beds filled with salad plants an

These mini mushrooms are crafted from glass by Sarah Williamson of Gallery Lavande from Bright in Victoria’s alpine region. They’re available in a selection of bright colours and priced from $25 each, plus postage and packaging. Order online from gal

They were young, idealistic and utterly unprepared for the waters into which they dived so enthusiastically. In 2005, a trio of young Queenslanders started a charity supporting Nepalese orphans. One of them had done a stint volunteering as an English

Set around the Yankalilla district among the rolling hills and sparkling shores of the Fleurieu Peninsula, the biennial Festival Fleurieu is in its 18th year. The diverse program encompasses everything from literature, performance and film making to

Louanne Wright candidly confesses there’s nothing like hosting a garden wedding to give you a kick in the pants to get your backyard in order. Not to mention the front yard, with its urns and stone edging framing a giant claret ash, just perfect for

We’ve travelled far and wide (thank goodness, at last we can) in search of some great stories for your reading pleasure. We headed to the Monaro region of NSW to visit artist Lucy Culliton with her menagerie of rescue pets and visited Jim and Libby L

We appreciate your thoughts and in each issue, one correspondent wins a prize. Simply email Kirsty at kmckenzie@umco.com.au or write to us at Australian Country, Locked Bag 154, North Ryde NSW 1670. We reserve the right to edit lengthy letters before

For as long as he can remember, Will has loved to tinker. He makes sculptures from repurposed farm machinery, firepits from plough discs and giant pears from horseshoes. He’s a dab hand at furniture restoration as well, so it wasn’t surprising that a

As Binna tells the story, the idea for a luxury retreat on Willunga came like a bolt from the blue when she and Jaime were travelling across Canada on the Rocky Mountaineer train. “Most of the passengers were from Vancouver or other cities,” Binna re

64 Thompson St, Hamilton Vic 3300 ph: (03) 5572 2516 e: info@baimbridge.com.au w: baimbridge.com.au ph: 0417 913 192 e: melissa@bellecouleur.com.au w: bellecouleur.com.au ph: 1300 696 378 w: birdsnest.com.au 1195 Osborne St, Stoneville WA 6081 ph: (0

Blueberry farmer Kellie Potts likes to tell her kids that if she were to get a tattoo, it would be a tree with the equation 6CO2 + 6H2 O + (light energy) C6 H12 O6 + 6O2 written on the trunk. “Why not?” she says. “It’s the formula for photosynthesis,

Lighthouses are a curious contradiction: they symbolise hope and trust, but also solitude and hardship. These remote beacons have saved thousands of lives over the centuries and provided comfort to those on ships and on land, steadily blinking their

Laura Dalrymple and Grant Hilliard are the first to admit they are unlikely people to be running a butchery. In 2006, Laura had a satisfying, if not demanding, job as a graphic designer and Grant was an aspiring filmmaker when they stumbled into a ca

Natural for Birds cotton relaxed shirt, $119.95, birdsnest.com.au The Smitten Merino Obi belt, $129, cinches in your waist and is double-sided and reversible for two great belts in one. smittenmerino.com Must-have accessories from Belle Coule

All proceeds from the sale of Smitten Merino’s Tasmanian Devil, $250, made from the company’s wool off-cuts, go to the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program to find a cure for the deadly facial tumour disease that threatens the species’ population. smitte

French Consul’s Provencal tea towel, $34, is handcrafted in soft, natural linen with a woven-grain sack stripe in red. frenchconsul.co The Bondi Icebergs bowls, $250 for a set of four, are created by artist Jennifer Lia. jenniferlia.com Make