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20 4 Australian Country HOMES

6 Editor’s letter 8 Marketplace 10 A passion for Provence A move to the Sunshine Coast kindled a passion for all things French for Frieda and John Smith 20 A resurrected manse Chance led a couple of history buffs through the creaky front door of a heritage-listed manse in Ipswich, Queensland’s oldest provincial city.

And so began a new chapter for a crumbling but glorious relic of 19th-century architecture 30 American beauty Ele and Bruce Fraser have built a little outpost of Great Barrington, Massachusetts, not far from the verdant hills of the NSW Barrington Tops 40 Fit for a queenie A hands-on owner with an eye for retro has transformed an ugly duckling cottage into a flamboyant flamingo 50 A labour of love From upcycling old furniture to restoring an almost derelict cottage, Lisa Post says her work is a pleasure as it allows her to be creative 58 Hilltop hideaway Michelle Simons has traded her city existence for a cowgirl cocky’s life on a farm in the middle of a volcanic caldera in northern NSW 68 Making a splash The George family lives off-grid and on-point in a wonderful weekender in the Victorian wilderness 76 The bargain farmhouse A resourceful ex footballer and his style-savvy wife transform a demountable office building into a bright and breezy family farmhouse in the gentle hills of Queensland’s old gold rush country 84 Precision planning With equal measures of good luck and good management, Ian and Alicia Cooknell have built their dream home in rural Victoria

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84 Subscribe today Receive four issues of Australian Country Homes plus a bonus copy of the 2020 Australian Country Gardens Diary for $25. Turn to page 98 for offer. details of this fantastic fanta

58 92 Kitchen confidential All the latest appliances, tools and accessories to elevate your kitchen to the cutting edge 100 Inside information How do they make it look so easy?

Three celebrated Aussie cooks share their tips and recipes for achieving great results and appreciative comments in your home kitchen 106 Silver linings Vicki Dreier salvaged a holiday home

and a happy outcome from the sadness of a family loss in Victoria’s Grampians district 114 Pastiche of the past The much-travelled Brennan family and their menagerie of pets and livestock have come home to roost near the wine country of Mudgee in the NSW central-western slopes 120 Plantsman’s paradise A historic bluestone cottage flanked by an ancient date palm, a 500-metre

row of towering olive trees and year-round colour in the expansive garden ensure there is always a feast for the eyes at this property on south Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula 130 Work in progress Nicole and Michael O’Connor have gained a whole new perspective on country life and hard work since they bought a heritage-listed property on the Monaro Plains on the NSW side of the Snowy Mountains Australian Country HOMES 5

A

s the year draws to a close, we’d like to acknowledge your continued support and feedback on the stories we feature in the magazine. Thanks to your interest, in

future issues we’ll be incorporating increased content about traditional homes and the process of restoring them. While Australia’s European history is relatively short, we have a remarkable repository of historic houses and homesteads. Many correspondents have suggested they would like to hear more about them and the journey their owners have taken to restore them to their original condition, or at least, a reflection of their past lives. In this issue we feature a historic manse in the Queensland city of Ipswich, a traditional home on acreage in the wine country near Mudgee in NSW and a heritage-listed property on the Monaro Plains on the NSW side of the Snowy Mountains. As always, we appreciate your input so, if you know of any historic properties in your part of the world, we’d love to hear about them, for possible inclusion in future issues. I’d also like to take this opportunity to wish you and your families a very happy and safe festive season and all the best for 2020. We look forward to bringing you the next issue, which goes on sale April 9.

KIRSTY MCKENZIE, editor

kmckenzie@umco.com.au

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Editor Kirsty McKenzie Design Bianca de Ocampo Features Editor Cassandra Elliott Photography Ken Brass, Commission Studio, John Downs, Anastasia Kariofyllidis, Jeremy Simons, Ross Williams Contributors Simone Barter, Bronte Camilleri, Tamara Simoneau

Chairman/CEO Prema Perera Publisher Janice Williams Chief Financial Officer Vicky Mahadeva Associate Publisher Emma Perera Finance & Administration Manager James Perera Circulation Business Development Manager Mark McTaggart C Creative Director Kate Podger Marketing & Acquisitions Manager Chelsea Peters To subscribe visit universalshop.com.au or ring 1300 303 414

Australian Country Homes (No 9) is published by Universal Magazines, Unit 5, 6-8 Byfield Street, North Ryde NSW 2113. Phone: (02) 9805 0399, Fax: (02) 9805 0714. Melbourne office, Suite 4, Level 1, 150 Albert Road, South Melbourne Vic 3205. Phone (03) 9694 6444 Fax: (03) 9699 7890.

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ISSN 1323-9708/2208-1100 Copyright © Universal Magazines MMXIX ACN 003 026 944 umco.com.au

6 Australian Country HOMES

at the time of printing. They are not, however, in a position to make a guarantee to this effect and accept no liability in the event of any information proving inaccurate. Prices, addresses and phone numbers were, after investigation and to the best of our knowledge and belief, up to date at the time of printing, but the shifting sands of time may change them in some cases. It is not possible for the publishers to ensure that advertisements which appear in this publication comply with the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) and the Australian Consumer Law. The responsibility must therefore be on the person, company or advertising agency submitting the advertisements for publication. While every endeavour has been made to ensure complete accuracy, the publishers cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. * Recommended retail price

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8 Australian Country HOMES

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A PASSION FOR PROVENCE A move to the Sunshine Coast kindled a passion for all things French for Frieda and John Smith.

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by KIRSTY MCKENZIE, photography ANASTASIA K ARIOFYLLIDIS, styling SIMONE BARTER

Australian Country HOMES 11

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he old saying that every cloud has a silver lining proved true for Frieda and John Smith. John’s health had been deteriorating for months when the couple decided to take a holiday at Noosa on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. They fell completely under the spell of the resort town’s benign climate, laid-back lifestyle, proximity to the beach and relative lack of traffic compared to their home in inner Sydney.

“We went back to Sydney, put our house on the market and bought up here,” Frieda recalls of that fateful holiday in 1997. “Just as well we did because shortly after the move, we also found a doctor who was able to set John on the path to recovery. It wasn’t as if we hated our Sydney life, as we had a lovely 120-year-old cottage in Glebe and a good business in a giftware and coffee shop. But the time was right for a change so we embraced it.”

They very quickly found a property for sale on a large block at Noosa Outlook in Tewantin. “We liked the fact that it was a solid, almost modern Mediterranean in style, stucco-rendered building,” Frieda recalls. “It was one of the original houses of the area, built in the late ’50s or early

These pages: Frieda and John have created an outpost of the south of France in their home on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Crisp whites and neutrals create a classically elegant ambience.

12 Australian Country HOMES

›

These pages: Frieda started collecting props with a French accent for a wedding business, but some of them migrated to the house and the style gradually permeated both indoors and out.

14 Australian Country HOMES

’60s and it kind of set me on a whole new path in terms of decorating style. The house led me from favouring a colonial country look to finding a passion for all things with a French provincial accent.”

Ironically, in a former life with her first husband, Frieda had lived in Dublin and they took numerous short breaks in Paris. Yet Frieda says while she enjoyed being a tourist there, she wasn’t really aware of the sun-drenched, slightly weathered, provincial look of the south of France until she had moved back to Australia.

“My heritage is Maltese but it turns out I had a French great-grandfather,” she says. “Perhaps it was this latent thing in me that the house awoke because now I am a complete Francophile and even my preferred clothes and shoes are French.”

Shortly after the move, Frieda sensed a gap in the bridal market and started a business from home selling wedding gowns and hiring out suits and formal wear. “I also started buying props that we hired out to give wedding venues more character and I kind of stumbled into that rustic Provençale style because it goes so well with outdoor weddings and country-style venues,” she explains.

“Inevitably, some of the pieces I bought ended up staying in the house and gradually it developed more and more of a French accent.”

Frieda adds that the home is a bit of a work in progress and she constantly updates rooms and introduces new pieces. “A friend of mine runs an online business called The Find Antiques, so I buy and sell through that,” she says.

“She’s planning a buying trip to France in the not-too-distant future, so I’m hoping I might be able to join her. Who knows, there might even be a business in it for me somewhere down the track.”

For the time being, however, Frieda and John are enjoying a break from the demands of the wedding industry and have a trip to the south of France on their horizon. With a bit more time ›

on her hands, Frieda is taking French lessons and they’ve also recently bought a small caravan and plan to travel around Australia as well.

“The van allows us the freedom to go on the road and when we find a place we like we can just pull up and stay for as long as we wish,” Frieda says. “John grew up in country NSW and he still has family there. Plus we have relatives in Sydney, so we go down there to get our city fix. But it’s always great to have this place to come back to. It’s where my heart is, not to mention our grandchildren and we are very involved in their lives. However, we haven’t ruled out the possibility that some day we might actually live in France. At our age and stage, you learn that you never know what’s around the corner. You just have to stay alert to opportunities and make the most of them when they come.” ACH

This page: Subtly distressed timber furniture and stone floors are counterbalanced by chandeliers, ornate statuary, gilded mirrors and tapestries to recreate a classic Provençale style that fits well with the climate.

16 Australian Country HOMES

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18 Australian Country HOMES

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A RESURRECTED MANSE Chance led a couple of history buffs through the creaky front door of a heritage-listed manse in Ipswich, Queensland’s oldest provincial city. And so began a new chapter for a crumbling but glorious relic of 19th-century architecture.

---------------------by TAMAR A SIMONEAU, photography ANASTASIA K ARIOFYLLIDIS

Australian Country HOMES 21

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ndrea and Peter Ferrando never know who might knock on their front door.

Their home has stood since 1883, built as a manse for the Central Congregational Church during the pioneering days of Ipswich. It has sheltered scores of people in its time, some who can’t help opening the rustic front gate to take a trip down memory lane.

“We had a man who was in his 90s visit us, and he had lived in the home in the 1930s as a young boy,” says Andrea of one particularly memorable guest. “In fact, he and his family were the last to live in the building as a manse. His dad was a pastor and after his family left, the house was turned into flats.”

The old man’s visit soon turned into a journey back in time for the couple and their three kids, Emily, Alice and Henry, who were all intrigued with his tales of days long gone within the walls they now call home. “He even remembered the camellia bushes [at the entry] and told us how he and his brother used to pull the buds off the bushes and throw them at each other,” Andrea says. “He gave us a photograph of him and his dog at the front of the camellia bushes — just as they are today. He also sent us photographs of his family outside the house and told us many stories about life in the street and which room was which.”

His stories, and any part of the old manse’s history that Andrea and Peter

These pages: Andrea and Peter have chosen to embrace the time-worn imperfection of the house and restored rather than renovated, retaining features such as the weathered brick kitchen fireplace surround.

22 Australian Country HOMES

can manage to dig up, is cherished, and woven into their quest to bring the home back to its former glory. They’ve embraced every time-worn imperfection — opting for restoration over renovation. “We want the house to look its age and to capture the narrative of the home,” Andrea explains.

“We have repaired where we can. We have had to resist the temptation to follow the latest trends and let the house guide us.”

Paint scrapings from heritage architects have been colour-matched, floors have been stripped on hand and knee to their original boards, and wallpaper and drapery sourced from the archives of Victorian period design kingpin, William Morris.

Even weathered and rotting supports that had to be replaced have been reborn as ›

›

kitchen benches. “We have treated the house as if it is an antique — don’t remove the patina and just repair where absolutely necessary,” Peter says. “We have remained true to the home’s design, respecting the architect’s original intent and the features of the Victorian period.”

The home was designed and constructed by a member of the original church, architect Samuel Shenton, who later became the mayor of Ipswich. His brief was to create something that would be a credit to the denomination — the first of its kind in Queensland, joining

several similar faiths to form one parish due to the low population at the time.

In the 1930s it was sold and turned into flats, later housing returned soldiers after World War II. Rooms were rearranged, and Andrea and Peter have found telltale signs on the old timber floor. “There were markings in the floor where there was a bath in the big lounge and many little rooms were created,” Andrea says. “We have had many people come by saying they lived in the house when there were flats here and one gentleman told us that he was one of the people who removed the original stairs to build an air-raid shelter in the backyard. Another guy told us that he had a tiny room under where the stairs had been.”

Remarkably, the exterior has endured and it was heritage-listed in 1992. Decades on, the interior has become a living tribute to the architecture, resourcefulness and design trends of the time, thanks largely to Andrea and Peter’s passion and persistence. And thanks to a fateful day seven years ago when a meeting with a builder to discuss the beginning of a renovation on another home fell through at the last minute. With their morning now freed up, the couple made what turned into a life-changing decision.

“We went to see the manse for its first open house. Peter walked through and said, ‘Let’s buy it’,” Andrea recalls. ‘‘We

These pages: The former manse was constructed in 1883 by a member of the church’s congregation, architect Samuel Shenton, who later became the mayor of Ipswich. The house is now heritage-listed.

24 Australian Country HOMES

›

›

offered the asking price there on the spot and that was it.” They’ve been toiling away on their diamond in the rough ever since.

“The kitchen floor was 70mm out of level from one side to the other,” Peter says.

“There was a lot of rot and some rotten boards on the verandah had been overlaid with tiles and some of the handrails downstairs were metal.”

They’ve sought out specialist tradespeople to right the wrongs of the decades of adjustments, and spent countless weekends stripping, repainting and polishing. “We have a philosophy of peeling back and revealing the house’s original finishes, along with its scars,” Peter says. It’s a process that has captured the imaginations of Andrea and Peter’s children along the way, and forever stamped the names of a tireless and dedicated couple into the pages of a piece of Queensland history. “We are just passing through,” Andrea says. “There will be just as many people living in the house after us, as have lived in it before us.” ACH

This page: The Ferrandos endeavoured to match paint colours, wallpapers and other details such as a butler’s sink to the Victorian original. They’ve spent countless hours stripping back, painting and polishing.

26 Australian Country HOMES

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28 Australian Country HOMES

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AMERICAN BEAUTY Ele and Bruce Fraser have built a little outpost of Great Barrington, Massachusetts, not far from the verdant volcanic hills of the NSW Barrington Tops.

---------------------by KIRSTY MCKENZIE, photography KEN BR ASS

T

he barns give it away. The first is a towering gambrel-roofed machinery shed complete with an Amish star in white, symbolising purity, the power of the moon and allowing energy to flow.

Which is appropriate, given that this is also the storage room for the solar gel batteries and inverters that allow Ele and Bruce Fraser to live off the grid. The second is a towering double-storeyed structure with a workshop downstairs and an apartment above, where they lived for a year while they built their “main” house. This cluster of imposing buildings that greets visitors as they drive onto the property announces to the world that you can take the girl out of America, but you can’t take America out of the girl.

In fact, that was precisely what Ele planned to achieve when at the bulletproof age of 22 she boarded a plane and headed as far away from her Berkshire County home and family as

These pages: Starting with a bare paddock ,the Frasers have built a cosy homestead and two doublestorey barns on their Barrington property. They live off-grid in a setting inspired by, and partly decorated from, Ele’s childhood home in Berkshire County in the west of the US state of Massachusetts.

32 Australian Country HOMES

she could imagine to a new life in NSW. She worked whatever jobs came her way, bought a motorbike as soon as she could and started a brave new chapter competing in enduro and motocross events all over NSW. “I made so many friends through bike racing,” Ele recalls. “As it’s a sport that attracts thrill seekers, it was hardly surprising that one of my friends suggested I should also try white water rafting on the Barrington River. And that’s how I was introduced to this area.

While I was up here, the chap who hired the canoes saw me looking at real estate notices and next thing I bought 100 acres on the Barrington River. I built a yurt on the property and used it as a weekender for years.”

Inevitably, the property needed maintenance and that was how Ele met Bruce, who had grown up on his family’s dairy and beef cattle property nearby. “I married the fencer,” Ele recalls. “We kept the Barrington weekender for years while we lived in Sydney and built a business manufacturing and selling Jonathon Knowles clocks. We had a retail shop and then gradually it became mail order and ›

online and we started to slowly move up to Gloucester.”

By 2000, Ele and Bruce had left Sydney and they sold the business in 2006, which freed them up to travel and plan their new future. “We eventually realised we wanted to live up here permanently,” Ele explains. “So we ended up buying part of Bruce’s family property up in the hills. We started with a bare paddock in 2014 and put the road in. Then we built the barns and finally the house.”

The low-slung homestead was largely designed to showcase the furniture from Ele’s mother’s family home, which dates

from the early 1800s. Among various antiques and collectables there’s a Shaker bench, an old cedar blanket box, a granddaughter rocker, a dining table, chests, and countless decorator bits and pieces ranging from shoe lasts to grain scoops. “We worked on the design with a draughtsman and had a great time,” Ele explains. “The main thing we wanted to achieve was to open the place to the beautiful landscape. But at the same time we didn’t want a cold house, so we built a beautiful fireplace with a motor attached to the flue to duct the heat through the house. Plus we’ve got sliding barn doors

These pages: A nod to America in the pumpkin-lightshades, red barn door, kitchen splashback, Amish stars and many other rustic details. Ele has a craft workshop on the ground level of the garage barn.

34 Australian Country HOMES

›

that close off spaces and keep the heat in, so it all works very efficiently.”

As do the solar panels. The Frasers were motivated to investigate solar energy when their local provider quoted them $55,000 to install three poles and the transformer needed to connect them to mains power. “That sounded like daylight robbery,” Bruce says. “Instead we invested $58,000 for 32 panels, 24 batteries, three inverters and a back-up generator. We haven’t had a power bill since and we’ve only had to run the generator once in the two years we’ve had it.”

Ele is fond of inspirational quotes and has stencilled some of her favourites onto the stairs leading to the upper storey of the barn. One of them reads: “Mediocrity doesn’t just happen — it’s chosen over time through lazy and small choices day by day.” Following this mandate, Ele threw herself into a DIY frenzy when it came to decorating the house. What she couldn’t find in stores or online, from pelmets and cushions to curtains and rugs, she made. › Australian Country HOMES 35

This page: Some furnishings, including a Shaker bench in a transition hallway, came from Ele’s mother’s family home in the US, which dates from the early 1800s. Others are pieces she has picked up cheaply.

36 Australian Country HOMES

“I’m not a matchy-matchy person,” she says. “And I wanted to play with colour, so I made most of the soft furnishings and bought cheap cabinets and did them up with painted finishes.”

These days the only cattle on the property are agisted, mainly to keep the grass down, and Bruce spends more time on the golf course than a tractor. Semiretired the Frasers may be, but that doesn’t mean they’ve slowed down. There’s always some new trip on the horizon, garden bed to plant or landscaping project to accomplish. Ele keeps up a hectic pace restoring old furniture, making soft furnishings, gifts and decorator items.

Visitors are frequent and there’s plenty of room for guests in the homestead and the barn apartment.

“I don’t have a bike any more,” Ele says.

“I’ve had so much fun and met so many wonderful people, but if I fell off now it would ruin everything. Besides, I’ve got two new knees to look after.”

While Ele says this is their forever home, she adds that she can’t rule out another building project or two. She points to another of the quotes on the barn stairs: “Life is change, growth is optional. Choose wisely.” You can’t help but feel that there’s just too much barnstar energy there for Ele and Bruce to sit still for long. ACH

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FIT FOR A QUEENIE A hands-on owner with an eye for retro has transformed an ugly duckling cottage into a flamboyant flamingo.

-------------------by TAMAR A SIMONEAU, photography ANASTASIA K ARIOFYLLIDIS

40 Australian Country HOMES

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here is much to love about the Tweed Valley town of Murwillumbah. It sits pretty on the verdant banks of the Tweed River in far northern New South Wales — just big enough to entice weekenders for a wander through its streets, and just small enough to be the kind of town where everyone knows, or knows of, everyone else. Rolling hills and rustling fields of sugarcane surround its quaint commercial hub, home to some of the country’s most lovely art deco buildings. The town was a thriving agricultural centre when fire ripped through it in 1907, and what rose from the ashes at the hands of resilient locals is a time capsule of Australia’s offering to the deco period that captivated the architecture world in the early 1900s.

On a street winding up beyond the town is serial renovator Jane Rennie-

Hynes’ pride and joy, Queenie. “I love her shape,” Jane says. “Queenie has curves. She sits up on the hill with beautiful views across the Tweed River and Murwillumbah township.” Her lofty locale and outlook give credence to the name Jane gave the old home when she bought it from the original owners in 2014. But Queenie was stuck in a lost decade with shag carpets, yellowing wallpaper and old double-hung windows that had been sealed shut with thick layers of paint courtesy of years of sprucing. “She was well cared for, but dated,” Jane says. “She needed updating but I wanted to create a home that took you back to holidays as a kid. She needed to be opened up to let in the light and to be filled with character, furniture and colour.” Jane was keen to embrace all the original standouts, instead of gutting the home and starting over. “I absolutely adore the art deco detailing,” she says.

These pages: When fire destroyed much of Murwillumbah in 1907, the town rebuilt in the deco style popular at the time. Queenie is a classic example and Jane renovated to emphasise the original features.

42 Australian Country HOMES

“It’s just stunning and reminds you of an era when people really took pride in how they finished their homes. That’s her history, that’s her story. I wanted to update the house and bring her into the current times and make her functional and loved, but for me, making her modern would destroy all that makes her feel like home.”

Jane is no shrinking violet in the renovation stakes. Her steel-toed boots aren’t for show and she drives a pickup truck for reason (her resume includes the sublime Black Shack that featured as the cover story in Australian Country 20.5).

So, with a clear vision and some help from trusty tradies, friends and family, the transformation from ugly duckling to Queenie began. “We smashed up all the tiles on the front deck and replaced them with a commercial finish which complemented the era of the house,” Jane recalls. ”Inside, there was lots of stripping back. My brother and his mate came and ripped out the wall between the living area and kitchen, which opened up the fabulous view so you could really appreciate it. The whole house was painted inside and out. We stripped all the old shag carpet from the bedrooms and living area and got the floors sanded throughout, and I applied a tung oil and eucalyptus turps finish. I added bi-folding doors at the rear and reconfigured the enormous old laundry into a powder room and more compact laundry.” ›

These pages: Lime greens and leaf motifs feature throughout the house. Jane relishes the thrill of the chase and thinks nothing of driving hundreds of kilometres to pick up the perfect vintage find.

44 Australian Country HOMES

Along the way, she discovered some old gems that were saved from the skip bin and cleverly repurposed. “There was an old gas heater in the living room that had been covered by copper housing as it was no longer in use,” she says. “When I pulled that off, there were the surrounds of what must have been some kind of old heater with beautiful green art deco tiling. So, I pulled those off and scrubbed them down and used them as the feature tile in the bathroom.”

Next, she began fitting Queenie out with vintage finds and sympathetic interior touches, driving hundreds of kilometres to source the perfect pieces.

“I love a drive to pick up finds and exploring places on the way, and not knowing what else they might have when you arrive — if you’re lucky,” Jane says. ›

The result of all her hard labour is a lightdrenched homage to the days of pretzel chairs and afternoon spritzers, a time so well captured by the iconic American photographer, Slim Aarons. A book of his works fittingly sits open on a ’70s-style coffee table in the living room. “Sitting on the front deck and enjoying a drink in the afternoon is just the best,” Jane says.

“The house itself is just a happy place.”

She was recently visited by the family of its long-time owner, Ronnie, who was the local Murwillumbah butcher in days gone by. “I was fortunate enough to have Ronnie’s son and daughter see the house and was relieved to know they loved it and appreciated the character that was still left there after the renovation,” she says. “That was the best feedback. And I met a man down the road who told me his wife was born in the house, which is kind of cool.”

These days, Jane rents Queenie on Airbnb and often has friends and family stay. “They love her, I’m never allowed to sell her,” she says with a laugh. “She’s like this groovy aunty who you want to keep around, who never ages, who isn’t into conforming, has seen it all and smiles as she watches it all over again.” ACH 46 Australian Country HOMES

This page: The deck is perfect for relaxing with sundowner drinks. Jane is delighted that locals who have long-time connections with the house have given her renovation a collective nod of approval.

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1 Java package, $570, ricefurniture.com.au, (07) 3806 8000 2 Alana dining chair in natural rattan, $194, ozdesignfurniture.com.au, 1300 721 942 3 Teacher’s basket in white rattan, $77, satara.com.au, (03) 9587 4469 4 Palms cushion in blue, $200, saltliving. com.au, (07) 5536 7841 5 A Birds Eye View cushion, $100.98, postcardshome.co.uk 6 Koala tea towel by Annabel Trends, $22, thedesigngiftshop.com, (02) 9453 0332 7 Woven bell pendant in white-washed rattan, $249, ozdesignfurniture.com.au, 1300 721 942 8 Teak planters, $264, satara.com.au, (03) 9587 4469 9 Aviary rectangular orange pillow, $64.95, wanderlostandfound.com

48 Australian Country HOMES

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A LABOUR OF LOVE From upcycling old furniture to restoring an almost derelict cottage, Lisa Post says her work is a pleasure as it allows her to be creative.

-------------------by KIRSTY MCKENZIE, photography KEN BR ASS

50 Australian Country HOMES

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isa Post can trace her love of restoration and renovation back to her school days in her home country, England. Inspired by the transformation of some chairs her parents inherited and then restored, at the age of 15 she signed up for wood working classes. Her teacher helped her build the frame, she sourced the upholstery fabric from a John Lewis sale and earned herself an A-grade result as well as a crash course in the rewards of DIY. It was the start of a long career as a fixer upper, and now Lisa and her husband, Nathan, have recently completed a massive renovation on their cottage on a farm near Armidale in the New South Wales New England Tablelands. Lisa is also in the process of turning her hobby into a business called the House of Delapré, with a workshop at the back of the house where she repairs and upholsters furniture and makes accessories such as cushions and lampshades.

“I was an 18-year-old backpacker when I first came to Australia,” she explains.

“It was 2003 and meant to be a gap-year adventure, but my return ticket went out the window when I met Nathan who was working in a bar where I got a job. It turned out to be five years before I went back to the UK.” While Lisa is a relative newcomer, Nathan’s roots go back to 1854 when his ancestors arrived in the country from

Germany. They gained employment as shepherds for surveyor and pastoralist Henry Dangar and eventually bought land of their own in the New England region.

While Nathan grew up on his family’s fine Merino property, he has forged a career off farm and now works in Armidale.

In 2007 Nathan and Lisa, by this stage engaged, headed to the UK and Northamptonshire, where Lisa studied art history and Freddie was born. “Once again, that was meant to be three years but it turned into seven,” Lisa recalls.

“Nathan wanted to come back to a farming environment but we couldn’t have afforded to do it in the UK. When he got the job in Armidale we started our search for land with a house we could do up.”

They got a little more than they bargained for when they found a dream block with a run-down cottage perched on a hill just 15 minutes from Armidale.

“Anyone else would have said the house was a write-off,” Lisa says. “But I felt an emotional attachment to it as soon as we drove in. I worked for a building company in the UK and I’ve lived through a few renovations, but I must admit there were times when I feared we’d bitten off more than we could chew. To start with you couldn’t see the views for the overgrowth.

We had to get a bulldozer in to clear it away before we could even think about starting work.”

With a close eye on the budget, Lisa and

These pages: It’s hard to imagine now, but Lisa and Nathan had to bulldoze the overgrowth before they could start work on the cottage that less-determined owners would have deemed a write-off.

52 Australian Country HOMES

Nathan were determined to do as much of the work as possible themselves, and they lived in a caravan on site until the cottage was waterproof and habitable.

“Most of the timber was rotten,” Lisa recalls. “So we had to take it back to the frame and we were hands-on for the demolition, and tasks including installing the membrane and the insulation. It took 10 weeks to get a new roof on and then we were able to start filling in the details.

I must admit living in a caravan with a baby was a pretty big incentive to get the job done quickly and in the end Nathan and I did much of the painting at night wearing head lamps so we could see what we were doing.”

The end, however, justified the means, and three years down the track, the family, with baby Henry a recent addition, can finally enjoy the fruits of their considerable labours. Nathan has introduced a herd of cattle to the farm — a mix of a Canadian breed called Speckle Park and Angus. Although Lisa continues to work part time in Armidale, she can now enjoy putting the finishing touches to the house and developing a garden. Her upholstering hobby is quietly consuming more and more of her spare time, and she hopes to turn it into a full-time business before too long.

“I started out just doing odd things up for friends,” Lisa explains. “I’d always upholstered and upcycled old wares for myself, but just before I had Freddie I ›

This page: Lisa decorated with pieces she and Nathan have collected through the years. They include a wool-bale stencil recalling Nathan’s family’s long connection with the fine Merino industry in the New England region. It dates to 1854 when his ancestors came as shepherds for pioneer Henry Dangar.

54 Australian Country HOMES

did an upholstery course in the UK. More recently, I started classes with David Barron of Furniture Runway in Sydney. I worked up the courage to tell him I had the idea of taking it more seriously and he was most encouraging. I’ve been doing monthly classes with him and gradually I’ve built things up, and I now have connections with fabric houses and a few local businesses that use my services.”

Appropriately called the House of Delapré, which is both the name of a landmark abbey in Northamptonshire and a French suffix meaning “of the meadow or fields”, Lisa’s business is growing both a following and commissions via Instagram.

“I pretty much work seven days a week,” Lisa confesses. “But it’s creative, so it doesn’t feel like work. It’s hard to believe it all started with that school project. I guess you could say I’m living proof that you never know what’s around the corner.” ACH You can follow Lisa’s journey on Instagram @house_of_delapre.

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HILLTOP HIDEAWAY Michelle Simons has traded her city existence for a cowgirl cocky’s life on a farm in the middle of a volcanic caldera in northern NSW. ---------------------By KIRSTY MCKENZIE, photography KEN BR ASS

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hen Michelle Simons “went browsing” for the perfect site for her new life in the country, her shopping list had very specific requirements. It had to be within 15 minutes of services and a decent cup of coffee, within an hour’s commute to an airport and be able to access a city in a single day’s return trip. The property she found near Tyalgum in the Tweed Valley region not only ticked all the boxes, but added a few extra features that she’d barely dared to imagine.

“Tyalgum is a small village but it has all the services, including a great cafe,” she says. “Murwillumbah is about

half an hour away and it has all I need in terms of shops and restaurants.

Brisbane is less than two hours’ drive away, the Coolangatta airport is 40 minutes away and then it’s an hour’s flight to Sydney.”

The bonus was the truly spectacular setting the farm had to offer.

Surrounded by the Border Ranges, with the towering Pinnacle overlooking her front yard and Wollumbin (or Mount Warning as it was named by Captain Cook) at the back, the property has postcard views in every direction. It’s just far enough off the beaten track to afford an extra level of privacy, yet is within striking distance of civilisation whenever Michelle feels the call.

These pages: Michelle found an incredible property in the middle of a volcanic caldera in the Tweed Valley region. She has since transformed a bare paddock with no services into a fully functioning farm with a handsome homestead and guesthouse, all positioned to take advantage of the amazing mountain views.

60 Australian Country HOMES

›

Local Aboriginal lore holds that Wollumbin is a site of great ceremonial and spiritual significance and it has the distinction of being the first place on the Australian mainland to be touched by the sunrise. The Bundjalung people who lived in the lee of the volcanic plug believed that the spirits of the mountains of the surrounding region were warriors who inhabited the area. Evidence of their battles can be seen in the scars on the sides of the mountains and the thunder and lightning that is common in the area recall their conflicts. Even to the uninitiated, Wollumbin, which translates as “cloud catcher”, is an omnipotent presence. Predictably on the late summer’s day when we visited, both it and the surrounding mountains

This page: The kitchen incorporates recycled timber and pressed metal for a rustic ambience. Michelle says she was lucky to find a builder who understood her brief for a contemporary farmhouse.

were shrouded in cloud. Periodic clearances provided tantalising glimpses of the mountainous battlements that surround her 100-acre (40-hectare) sanctuary.

“I was born in Port Macquarie and educated in Sydney,” Michelle explains. “Dad came from a family of farmers and I grew up loving horse riding.

“I enjoyed a satisfying career in IT, but always I had this nagging feeling that I wanted to go back to the land. I found what I was looking for when I

Opposite: Floor-to-ceiling windows frame views of the cattle in the paddocks and mountains in the distance.

62 Australian Country HOMES

found this property in 2003 and have been here on and off ever since.”

The property had only rudimentary access, no house, no mains power, no fences and no phone when Michelle took over. While the homestead and guesthouse were being built, she continued to commute between work in Sydney and the farm. Then she added a herd of Charbray (Brahman/ Charolais) beef cattle and gradually the tail started wagging the dog, so she scaled back her city commitments until she completed her final contract. ›

“It’s such a different life, but it’s so rewarding,” she says. “It’s much more physically demanding than being in an office, but that was my heart’s desire. Mustering the cattle by horse really is combining my passion for riding with work.”

The homestead is positioned to maximise the stunning views, with picture windows in all rooms framing the outlook. Michelle says she was lucky to find a builder who understood her brief for a contemporary farmhouse and incorporated the many fittings, antique doors, shutters, windows and gates she had collected through the years. “My dad collects and restores antiques and, fortunately, he has been a great support,” she adds.

As idyllic it may appear to the visitor, Michelle is the first to admit that being a “lady on the land” can be extremely challenging at times.

As well as being isolated by flood waters on several occasions, she has had two major accidents, one from her horse and one on a quad bike. Neither has dimmed her enthusiasm for the farm and her new life.

“There’s always work to be done,” she says. “There’s constant ground maintenance in good seasons and hand-feeding in tough times. Cattle work and sales seem to fill up every available spare minute. When I first came here I imagined I’d go back to Sydney at least once a month. But now I rarely want to leave.” ACH

This page: Michelle says she’s lucky that her father has an interest in collecting and restoring antiques and has helped with refurbishing the old doors, shutters, windows and furniture she’s collected through the years.

64 Australian Country HOMES

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66 Australian Country HOMES

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SPLASHING OUT The George family enjoys a wonderful weekender in the Victorian wilderness.

by KIRSTY MCKENZIE, photography KEN BR ASS

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These pages: The warmer months are all about being near the water. Sharon and Richard and their daughters, Freya, Darcie and Tiana, and their friend, Hannah Brooks, enjoy hanging out at the dam.

70 Australian Country HOMES

ith 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 decided there simply wasn’t a firepit big enough to lure her back to stay during winter.

Sharon and her husband, Richard, bought the 14-acre (5.6-hectare) block in 2013. It’s an area popular with alternative lifestylers and outdoor adventurers. Many visitors come to camp and picnic at two popular grounds, Quarry Reserve and Blue Pool, which offer deep swimming holes on the Freestone Creek. When the Georges went looking for a location within weekend-commuting distance of their home in Warragul in west Gippsland, they were delighted when they discovered bushland for sale, complete with a dam created by a previous owner. They moved the shipping containers to the site and enjoyed many happy holidays there with their daughters — Freya, who is now 15, and 12-year-old twins Darcie and Tiana.

“Initially we thought it would be too difficult to gain approval to build a house on the land because it’s in a bushfire zone,” Sharon explains.

“But the appeal of a well-insulated house with a big, roaring fire in the colder months grew. For a while, we

toyed with the idea of buying another property, but we soon dismissed that as we’d found a close-to-perfect site first up. We wanted to build something that had a strong connection to the land, so a solid-wood construction was the obvious way to go, with colours selected to reflect the surrounding bush. We felt incredibly lucky when we found the Ballarat-based company Timberset, which offered kit homes that basically answered all our requirements.”

Timberset houses are carbon positive because they are designed for maximum passive solar performance and built using fast-growing plantation timber, which captures more carbon than slower-growing forest timber. Because timber dampens sound, the acoustics are good and as it breathes naturally, optimal humidity levels are created and mould and bacteria resistance is inherent. The lack of glues and chemicals used in construction also promotes clean air, further adding to a healthy environment.

In terms of construction, Timberset homes are based on a New Zealand model called Lockwood, which is an extremely stable solid-timber building style. The walls are locked together rather than nailed, which means that the buildings are ideal for use in earthquake- and cyclone-prone areas.

“Because of the construction method, every wall is a brace,” Richard says. “The house is rock solid. Timberset homes are built inside-out. The internal walls

go up first, then the plumbing, wiring and insulation are installed and finally the cladding and roof goes on. The only hitch is because there are no wall cavities, you have to be fairly creative with the wiring and you have to decide very early on where you want every power outlet to be. Fortunately, we have a neighbour who is an electrician and he was very helpful with that part.”

Timberset’s carpenters took 15 weeks to build the house to lock-up stage and Richard, who owns a metal fabrication business and admits he’s “pretty handy”, supervised the completion. Timberset laid the blackbutt floors and stairs and

built the deck, which is spotted gum for its fire-retardant properties. Then the Georges and local tradespeople did the cabinetry, plumbing, ceiling lining and painting. Richard was hands-on building the stainless-steel benchtops, wroughtiron balustrading, jetty and barn doors.

From the Antler Laminex on the kitchen benches and the rust powdercoating on the doors and window frames inspired by bark shedding, to the green glass bathroom tiles to match the dollar gums, all colours were chosen with a respectful eye on the outdoors. Local river stones were harvested for the shower recesses and fireplace surround. › Australian Country HOMES 71

To tone down what could have become a sauna-esque interior, the Georges painted the walls with a grey-tinted polyurethane and the ceilings with a white tint. The beams are stained teak

to help break up the expansive ceilings.

Every aspect of the house, from its view over the dam to window location and orientation, is designed to settle it into the surrounding bush and maximise views of the dam.

When it came to internal fit-out, Sharon says she had all the furniture ready by the time they moved in.

“We wanted a rustic ambience, so I scoured antique and second-hand shops, eBay and Gumtree for the right pieces,” she adds. “Our land was at one stage owned by Andy Estoppey, a high-country cattleman who helped build Moroka Hut up on the Dargo plain. So we incorporated old bridles, branding irons and whips into the decor to acknowledge that part of the history. We set pre-decimal currency in resin into the floorboards and there’s even a penny in the toilet floor.

I also like the soft romantic light of

oil lamps and candles, so we’ve added lots into the space.”

The property is off-grid, which means the Georges rely on solar panels for electricity and a bore with a windmill pumping the “beautiful fresh water” into two 23,000-litre tanks. A proportion of that is dedicated for bushfire fighting and they also have the dam water as a backup. “We have two 45-kilogram gas bottles for the stove and instantaneous hot water,” Sharon says. “It took us a year to use up one bottle. Apart from that, we run all the normal electrical appliances on the four kilowatts of energy collected by 14 solar panels and stored in 14.4 kW batteries. You learn to talk kilowatts and all our appliances were chosen for their energy efficiency. We have a toaster, an electric kettle, a microwave and a bread maker. We don’t have an

These pages: The Georges wanted the house to settle into the surrounding bush, so all colours and finishes were selected to reflect the colours of the environment.

The timber walls and ceilings were finished with tinted polyurethane to tone down what could have become a sauna-esque interior.

72 Australian Country HOMES

iron but, then again, we don’t have an iron at home. You do become mindful of not sapping electricity in the evening and we wouldn’t run a heap of appliances from 7.30 to 9.30am before the sun has reached its peak. We have to be a bit more mindful during winter, as there are fewer hours of sunlight, but then we have a wonderful Lopi wood fire which heats the whole house. We do have a dishwasher and we just take care to run it on the threehour cycle and only when it’s full.”

To the naysayers who insist the technology to live off-grid is not yet sufficiently developed, the Georges exhale a collective ‘‘phttt’’. “We don’t miss out on anything,” Sharon says.

“It’s not a hardship to tread on this earth a bit more gently.”

There are no TVs in the house, though the Georges say they had antennas wired in to future-proof it. “I’m old-fashioned,” Richard adds.

“When I’m on holiday, I like to talk to

my family at mealtimes rather than sit glued to a screen. But, of course, if there’s something important to watch, we can always stream it on our mobile devices. We may be off-grid, but we have pretty good mobile reception.”

Weekends are about enjoying the great outdoors — hiking, biking and four-wheel driving as well scouring the bush for remnants of former occupants. About half of their land is part of an area of Aboriginal cultural heritage sensitivity and there are numerous scar trees on the property.

The discovery of gold in the creek in the 1860s led to a brief rush and visitors can find musket balls, rusty tools and other relics of those wild and woolly days if they keep an eye out … or deploy a metal detector. The Georges often invite friends and family to share their patch of paradise and at New Years it turns into party central with guests staying in the house, the containers, tents and campervans.

“We’ve had up to 30 people staying here,” Sharon says. “Everyone pitches in and we have great times.

In summer, it’s all about the water, whether it’s swimming in the dam or in the nearby waterholes.”

When Australian Country Homes visited, the girls and their friend balanced their time splashing about on the dam in kayaks, practising archery on the range and wildlife spotting with indoor activities. There were homemade biscuits and muffins on the bench and a jigsaw in progress on the table. The family had friends arriving for an overnight stay and a big cook-up on the hooded barbecue was planned. “We do get a great deal of enjoyment being up here,” Richards admits. “When people ask if we’d do anything differently, I’m hard pressed to think of anything. We just feel incredibly lucky to have found this amazing place and the perfect house to put on it.” ACH

This page: The Lopi wood fire provides a focal point for the living areas and heats the entire house, which is also designed for maximum passive solar performance.

Local river stones were incorporated into the fireplace surrounds and shower recesses to continue the earthy vibe. Relics from the past recall the region’s rich history.

74 Australian Country HOMES

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THE BARGAIN FARMHOUSE A resourceful ex-footballer and his style-savvy wife transform a demountable office building into a bright and breezy family farmhouse in the gentle hills of Queensland’s old gold-rush country.

-------------------by TAMAR A SIMONEAU, photography JOHN DOWNS

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ichelle Roper was a city girl when she met Kris Kahler — a rising football star who was drafted by the Brisbane Broncos as a teenager.

Marrying him meant living life on the move, as they traded a brief stay in Canberra where Kris played for the Raiders for the more temperate climes of the Gold Coast when Kris signed up to be on the inaugural Titans squad.

Then there were stints in France and England. “We moved to Gateshead in the UK when the season in France ended,” Michelle recalls. “Kris played for the football team Gateshead Thunder. It was the first day of summer the day we arrived and it was like our winters over here. I was super sad.”

The sun did come out in time of course, and Kris and Michelle, now with three young kids, managed to make the most of the spare time they had. “Due to the

football schedule we didn’t see much of the UK,” Michelle says. “We did get to go for local scenic drives though, and one of our favourite places we would go to regularly was Whitley Bay.” But when the club went into receivership, Michelle wasted no time packing for home and the promise of a more settled existence near Kris’s hometown in Queensland. “Kris grew up on a dairy farm in Gympie and we wanted our kids to have a life of enjoying the outdoors,” Michelle adds. “We loved the idea of the kids with lots of animals and space to run around. We could enjoy farm life but not be too far away from the coast and the city.”

They sold a canal-front home they’d owned on the Gold Coast and purchased 15 acres (six hectares) outside Gympie, 170 kilometres north of Brisbane. That’s when Kris bravely suggested something out of the box, a long way out of the box — buying a demountable office building via

These pages: Turning a demountable office buliding into an affordable home was a family affair for Michelle and Kris as an army of relatives rallied to realise their dreams on a property near Gympie.

78 Australian Country HOMES

eBay to convert to a house. “As soon as I saw the front aspect of the house on eBay I thought it would work,” he says. “I was working close by so thought I would have a look, and loved it.”

Michelle wasn’t sold on the idea so easily. “A demountable office building as a house, who does that?” she says. “I couldn’t visualise it at first and Kris had promised me a Queenslander, so when he suggested the office building I was picturing desks and chairs everywhere and those dividing walls.”

In time, Michelle started to come around to the idea. “Although we owned a lovely home on the Gold Coast, we knew that we could never get ahead in life with a large mortgage,” she says. “We also wanted to be able to travel back overseas when the kids were older and having a smaller mortgage makes that seem much more possible.”

Their home was delivered in six pieces on the back of a truck, and a small army of helpful and handy family members has slowly but surely helped Kris and Michelle dramatically transform their unusual delivery. “Kris’s uncle was our builder and got us to lock-up stage,” Michelle says. “My dad built the bedrooms and wardrobes and timber front deck for us. There was a kitchen ›

already in there and up until last Easter that was my kitchen, until my mum found a nicer one on Gumtree for $500 and we bought new counter tops from Bunnings to finish it off.”

They added a pool from a defunct pool company at a bargain price and upcycled anything they could along the way. “We try to use as many recycled and repurposed items as possible and I’m always on a hunt for bargains,” Michelle says.

“We are a good team,” Kris adds. “Michelle is always finding ideas and I am not afraid

to take them on. Everything has turned out well so far, so we will continue to experiment with different things and in the process hopefully continue to save money.”

They’re so delighted with the home they’re building that Michelle proudly documents it on her ever-growing Instagram account @thebargainfarmhouse.

Followers from here and abroad love her practical DIY tips and glimpses into Aussie farm life. “My advice is that you can get your dream home without spending a fortune,” she says. “Look on Gumtree, eBay and auction sites and upcycle. Not only are you saving money but you’re helping the environment with landfill.”

As light and lovely as the farmhouse has become, the real charm lies beyond its walls, where a pretty dam with a rustic dock attracts wild birds and the resident ducks and geese. Rescue horses amble around the paddocks grazing in the

This page: Michelle says that a dream home doesn’t have to cost a fortune. By buying and upcycling old furniture you not only save money, you’re also doing the planet a favour by reducing landfill.

80 Australian Country HOMES

Queensland sun with two Shetland ponies and two scruffy mini horses for company.

A pair of bouncing Border Collies, cute calves, a galah Kris saved from the roadside, a beloved old Pug and two spoiled Ragdoll cats complete the menagerie. “The kids love it, especially our eldest, Isabelle, who looks after the calves,” Michelle says. “She hopes when she’s older she will have a property and be a vet.”

Kris now runs his own earthmoving business and is relishing his new passion off the field. “I do miss footy when I watch big games, but the majority of the time I have no regrets,” he says. “I have a nice house with a lovely family that have now have settled in one place. I’m not a fan of city life and always wanted a little farm.”

As for the city girl turned country girl in a most unconventional journey, she couldn’t be happier in her nest. “My favourite part about our home is walking out onto the verandah and looking out to see the animals walking around and the kids running around,” Michelle says. “Every time I look out I know we made the right choice escaping to the country.” ACH

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Country charm is easily recreated in any home with rustic wooden furnishings, strong metal elements and soft, neutral ďŹ nishes.

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1 Garden Trading Aldsworth butler’s tray, $155.55, gardentrading.co.uk 2 Hand-knitted graphite Brighton throw, $169, ecodownunder.com.au, 0402 799 639 3 Soft leather camel cushion, $170, theinteriordesigner.com.au, 0402 387 170 4 Natural cowhide rug, $850, thedesignhunter.com.au, (02) 9386 9638 5 Promises heart vase, $87.95, zanui.com.au, 1300 668 317 6 Magaly cushion, $48.95, zanui.com.au, 1300 668 317 7 Vintage wire cage wall light in dark pewter, $144.55, limelace.co.uk 8 Garden Trading Hambledon towel ladder, $201.35, gardentrading.co.uk 9 Heavyweight percale queen sheet set, $242, thegoodsheet.com.au, 0415 562 682 10 Athena cushion, $49, thedesignedit.com.au, (03) 9013 5678

82 Australian Country HOMES

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PRECISION PLANNING With equal measures of good luck and good management, Ian and Alicia Cooknell have built their dream home in rural Victoria.

---------------------By KIRSTY MCKENZIE, photography KEN BR ASS

Australian Country HOMES 85

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here are not very many two-year-olds who receive a deck for their birthday. But for little Bonnie Cooknell, the extension to her caravan cubby house was the realisation of her wildest dreams, particularly as it came with a slippery slide, a telescope and a steering wheel to make playing there even more imaginative.

Mind you, by most accounts, Bonnie is a lucky little girl. She lives with her parents, Alicia and Ian, on a hilltop acreage on Melbourne’s periphery. She has all the freedoms of country life, plenty of space to play, and Ralph the dog and ISA Brown hens Sally, Kelly and Natalie to entertain her. She’ll have the good fortune of going to the local primary school and the privilege of growing up in a strong

community, all within commuting distance of Melbourne’s CBD. It’s not as though it all happened by accident. In many ways, Alicia and Ian have been working towards this ever since they became high school sweethearts more than a decade ago.

“We’ve always had a plan,” Alicia explains. “We bought land together when we were 20 and built a house on it then moved in the following year, when we also became engaged. We always planned to move to a more rural setting, but it took us a few years to find the right place.”

By the time they were ready to build on the 25-acre block, electrician Ian and Alicia, who juggled studies in applied science and accounting with full-time retail jobs, were married and newly pregnant with Bonnie. Their goal was to have moved in before she was born, so they knew from the outset that they had their work cut out for them.

But Alicia has a tenacious streak and decided that to reach their deadline she and Ian would owner-manage the construction themselves. “I knew that if I managed the schedule we could get the build done in time,” she says. “But first I researched 15 kit home manufacturers before I decided on Kitome, because that was the only company that allowed us to customise the design. I was able to choose everything from the roof pitch

These pages: Alicia and Ian were forensic in the approach to their build, from the selection of the most flexible kit home builder to having everything stored on-site in shipping containers to ensure there were no delays. Alicia project-managed with a huge spreadsheet and it took 16 weeks from first dig to completion.

86 Australian Country HOMES

and the ceiling height to the style of the bifold windows. Plus, as I was still working full time, I was able to do it all by email after hours and in my lunch breaks. I had this massive spreadsheet and I was very particular about the schedule. All the trades knew they had to comply with our timeline. In the end it took us 16 weeks from the first dig to moving in.”

Alicia estimates that project-managing the build halved what it would have cost using a custom builder. “To start with, builders charge a mark-up on materials,” she explains. “I sourced all the materials at clearance prices. I mean everything from the lights and the door handles to the screws and the grouting. The other thing we did to ensure there were no hold-ups was move three shipping containers on site and store all the materials in them before we started. So the doors, the windows, the paint, the tapware and other fittings and fixtures were all on-site ready to go.”

Always with a keen eye on the budget, Alicia scoured eBay and Gumtree for bargains and bought the IKEA kitchen at a time when there was a deal offering a $200 voucher for every $1000 spent.

“That then gave us budget to buy more furniture,” she says. “It only took us a weekend to install the kitchen and it really wasn’t difficult to do.”

The Cooknells were able to move in just two months before Bonnie was born, and Alicia admits that she didn’t get much decorating done in the first few months.

“We went on holiday to the US and I kind ›

›

of got my inspiration back,” she says. “I’ve always loved recycled homewares and I knew that was the way to achieve the kind of relaxed, rustic vibe we wanted. I started Instagramming my progress more as a means of keeping myself motivated, which is how #bonniesfarmhouse came about.”

What she hadn’t counted on was that a whole bunch of followers — more than 33,000 at latest count — would start charting her progress, providing encouragement, support and as it turns out, an income stream. “I couldn’t find the kind of cushion covers I wanted so I bought some hessian drop cloth and made my own,” Alicia says. “People saw them on Instagram and started asking if I could make them some. I make them

to order and customise them by printing personal phrases on the fabric. Orders range from initials for wedding couples, goodwill messages and inspirational words to just plain ‘farm house’.”

Having used the entire building and decorating process as a dummy run for a business, Alicia has also put a toe in the water as a project manager for other people who don’t have the time or organisational skills to make things go as smoothly. “I’m currently supervising a new home for my parents,” she says. “And I also have another project on the go. It’s a bit of a juggle as I also still work in retail a couple of days a week. But I work with Bonnie’s routine and make conference calls at night or when she is napping and I’m lucky that my parents help out when I have to go out to work.”

Ian has also diversified into making rustic furniture and chicken tractors from recycled pallet timber. “We get the palettes free from Bunnings and Ian is exceptionally handy at upcycling,” Alicia

These pages: Alicia motivated herself by Instagramming the progress and an income stream has developed from the initiative. As she couldn’t find the right cushion covers, she made her own by printing on hessian. When she posted them on Insta, orders started flowing in from her followers.

88 Australian Country HOMES

says. “He made a fabulous rustic floor and the deck for Bonnie’s caravan from the timber and he also upcycles timber cable reels to make tables. It really is just a matter of how you look at things and putting in a bit of effort to make it work. I must admit we had no idea how things would turn out when we bought this place. But it’s been an amazing learning experience and a whole new direction for me, so we’ve really been incredibly lucky.” ACH

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1 Cocina Friends platter, $84, satara.com.au, (03) 9587 4469 2 Carved blackwood all-round kitchen board, $169, australianwoodwork. com.au, (02) 6645 1702 3 Arro metal vase, $45, thedesignedit.com.au, (03) 9013 5678 4 Rose and lavender artificial flowers in metal jug, $30.69, melodymaison.co.uk 5 Sophie Allport small bees solo jug, $29.32, sophieallport.com 6 Set of two Stratton tapered cement plant pots in carbon, $36.65, gardentrading.co.uk 7 Minimal interior marble print cushion cover by Rianna Phillips, $40.31, etsy.com 8 Kiln Quay indigo Cornish cushion, $78.77, creamcornwall.co.uk

90 Australian Country HOMES

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KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL Here’s a round-up of some of the latest appliances, tools and accessories that will take your kitchen to the cutting edge.

92 Australian Country HOMES

Schweigen rangehoods Schweigen is the leading Germanmanufactured, Australian-owned kitchen appliance brand behind bestselling silent rangehoods and stylish, innovative kitchen appliances. Its revolutionary silent rangehood systems feature a German-made EBM motor and fan called the Isodrive. This motor is recognised as one of the quietest, most energy-efficient and highest-powered domestic extraction units available today.

Unlike conventional rangehoods, which have a motor and fan installed within the canopy or along the ducting, Schweigen’s patented Isodrive motor systems are mounted outside the home, taking all motor and fan noise out of the kitchen.schweigen.com.au

Australian Country HOMES 93

Belling Belling Richmond Deluxe freestanding ovens would look at home in a rustic country cottage or a large contemporary home, and they’re back stronger and bolder, ready to make a statement in kitchens Australia-wide with their colonial style.

Much more than the iconic towel rail, the range cookers are packed with innovative features designed to ensure succulence with sassy style. With a combined capacity of up to 224 litres, two fuel choices, extra-wide cooktops and easyclean enamel, this is cooking nirvana at its finest. Available in 90cm or 110cm, the induction cooktop is super sleek with a five-zone hotplate and 10 power levels including boost.

For those who prefer cooking with gas, up to seven burners including a 14.4mJ wok burner with wok cradle and durable raised cast-iron pan supports for stability offer a variety of power for all your cooking needs. Additional features include a bread proving function; removable double extending telescopic runners; a large, easy-to-read white LED display and touch control screen; full-width oven pans; premium knobs and rear wheels. Available at Harvey Norman and priced from $6999 to $8999. belling.com.au Panasonic SD-ZP2000 Crusty Loaf bread maker This one is for keen bakers.

Expand your culinary creativity by baking artisan-style loaves, cakes and jams from the comfort of your home. The SD-ZP2000 bread maker has blades in the inbuilt pan to take over the kneading process while internal sensors and central heating replicate a traditional baker’s oven. With a sleek and modern design, the Panasonic SD-ZP2000 bread maker is the perfect addition to your kitchen countertop. panasonic.com

Falcon Elise Taking its lead from the finest European gourmet chefs, the new Elise from Falcon, priced from $10,994, offers a truly professional performance with high-spec looks to match. Whether you want to make a statement centrepiece with a vibrant colour or blend into the background with a more muted shade, the Elise will instantly bring a touch of French-inspired flair into your home.

It’s available in 90cm and 110cm wide and in black, white, cherry red, china blue, slate, cream and stainless steel. andico.com.au 94 Australian Country HOMES

AGA eR3 90-3 cooker Beauty meets utility in a cooker that has the essential features you love and rely on. At just 90cm wide, this cooker generously packs in two cast-iron ovens that are ideal for roasting and baking. The hotplate can be set to boiling or simmering, and the tall warming oven is great for preparing multiple dishes at one time. Best of all, your room will be filled with that familiar, cosy AGA warmth. agaaustralia.com.au

Gaggenau combi-steam oven The Gaggenau 60cm combi-steam oven, 400 series, $9999, features an integrated water supply and a unique cleaning function. Simply insert the cleaning cartridge into the ceiling of the oven, set the program and let the combi-oven wash its interior. It also has a sous-vide cooking function that allows for the exceptionally precise heating of your dish. You can adjust the temperature in 1-degree increments through the all-important 50-90 degrees Celsius temperature range. gaggenau.com.au Bosch 2-in-1 cooktop with integrated ventilation A perfect kitchen serves many functions, from entertaining friends to making your favourite dishes. Enjoy the best of both worlds with the Bosch 2-in-1 cooktop, $5999, which combines the best of cooktops and rangehoods in one appliance using advanced ventilation technology for perfect results. Suitable for kitchens small or open-plan, the 2-in-1 allows you to cook fast, with minimal cleaning and low energy consumption. Brown and roast foods with precision by using the four sensor-control power levels. bosch-home.com.au Vintec 35-bottle wine cabinet Nothing says relaxed more than a glass of perfectly chilled wine. Enjoy your favourite cellar reds and whites with the knowledge that they are ripe and ready to be served.

Featuring a sleek and modern design yet boasting space for 35 bottles of wine, the Vintec wine cabinet takes entertaining to a whole new level. Thanks to the cabinet’s triple-glazed glass and insulated side panels, wine is kept to prime cellaring conditions. vintec.com

Steel Ascot block cooktop The Steel Ascot block cooktop with brass burners, $3299, features six knob controls, making it easy to control the flame.

There is also a flame-failure function which stops the flow of gas if the flame is extinguished. steelbrand.com.au Bosch built-in coffee machine Bosch Home Appliances Series 8 fully automatic built-in coffee machine, $3999, features a OneTouch function so you can choose any coffee or milk speciality at the touch of a button — even two cups at the same time. The MyCoffee feature allows you to save eight favourite beverages with all their settings under personal names, while the AromaDouble Shot button provides extra-strong coffee with less bitterness thanks to two grinding and brewing processes. bosch-home.com.au

Tefal Multicook & Grains This nifty benchtop appliance, $299.95 will become your best ally when it comes to no-fuss cooking rice, beans, lentils, grains and even porridge. Its express soaking function makes time-consuming overnight soaks a thing of the past, while state-of-the-art technology ensures more vitamins, minerals and nutrients are preserved. The user-friendly control panel features an automatic keep warm and delayed start for up to 24 hours, which means you can program meal time for when you want to eat. tefal.com.au Australian Country HOMES 95

Smeg Retro Style slow juicer Nothing says summer more than a glass of freshly-squeezed juice. Slow juicing gently presses your fruits and vegetables to separate juice from the pulp while preserving all of the good stuff. Smeg’s Retro Style juicer’s unique single-gear system replicates the action of manual squeezing with very little noise. Now you can enjoy more of the fruits you love, as well as making nut and soy milk. With a ’50s look, the Smeg juicer is not only stylish but functional as well. smeg.com

Tefal Cook4Me+ Tefal’s Cook4Me+, $399.95, is an intelligent multi-cooker that guides you to cook your daily meals quickly and easily. With its intuitive and smart control panel, it guides you step by step to cook pre-programmed recipes for up to six people. Available in white, red or black. tefal.com.au

Steel Ascot combi-steam enamel oven The Steel Ascot combi-steam enamel oven and pizza oven, $4990, in anthracite, comes with a pizza stone as the standard base for the upper oven. The enamel interior has the smoothest possible surface to make cleaning easy without harsh cleaning chemicals. steelbrand.com.au

Häfele Home Point Pod Multi Be charged and ready to go with Häfele Home. The Point Pod is the perfect addition to your kitchen and can be installed beneath any stone, timber or acrylic benchtop. This nifty product uses an electric lift, so simply press the top of the unit and it automatically emerges for use above the benchtop. hafelehome.com.au

Falcon Nexus SE Falcon’s new Nexus SE offers a contemporary-style cooker, priced from $11,994, that delivers on performance and scores highly for its sleek design. The model boasts a range of features including the option of gas or induction cooktop, and triple oven cooking with the exclusive combination of multifunction oven, fan oven and slow cook oven. Available in 110cm wide and in stainless steel, black, slate and ivory. andico.com.au 96 Australian Country HOMES

ILVE Majestic oven An ILVE Majestic oven is the ultimate kitchen centrepiece that will take your cooking experience to the next level.

The Majestic series features five cooktop options, with the addition of extra features including a storage drawer for kitchen essentials, a dual-control wok burner for creating the perfect stir-fry and a roast probe. This genius function allows several large roasts to be cooked at the same time — perfect for a big Christmas cook-up. With seven oven colour options and three handle and knob colour combinations, you can truly create a unique appliance. ilve.com.au

Handmade Italian craftsmanship since 1922.

Not only featuring all of your favourite functions, Steel is the largest capacity combi-steamer on the Australian market.

Combi-Steam cooking utilises the combination of regular oven cooking with the added use of steam.

This helps to preserve nutrients which leads to both healthier and tastier food whilst saving time and energy.

Normal cooking functions can dry the food as the high temperatures mean less humidity causing extraction of water from the food resulting in drier, smaller portions.

The entire range of Steel ovens and cookers are available with this unique functionality.

For more information visit www.steelbrand.com.au

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INSIDE INFORMATION How do they make it look so easy? Three celebrated Aussie cooks share their tips for professional results.

What are your pantry staples?

I am addicted to couverture dark chocolate (70 per cent or above) and eat through one or two blocks per week, self-raising cake flour, dark brown sugar, vanilla bean paste, mixed nuts.

What is your favourite cheat/shortcut?

I always use carton, free-range pasteurised egg whites for my Swiss meringue buttercream, which saves me mess and time spent pasteurising egg whites over the stove.

What are your top three tips for bakers?

Bake with ingredients you enjoy eating, make more than what you need and freeze leftovers (especially mud cakes and highfat buttercreams or frostings) and, as always, remember that PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT. Which utensil or appliance can you not live without?

My kitchen mixer (especially for whipping anything to do with meringue), kitchen scales, my lazy Susan which I use as a cake turntable for decorating, and my many rubber spatulas.

Katherine Sabbath Images and text from Bake Australia Great by Katherine Sabbath, Murdoch Books, $39.99.

Photographer Jeremy Simons

Redback spider cupcakes Our great southern land is home to one of the world’s most notoriously dangerous spiders, the redback. It’s an infamous Aussie icon (along with sharks, snakes, crocodiles and Pauline Hanson) that’s highly venomous and instantly recognisable. These cupcakes can be made as any kind of spider, but Mother Nature has told us time and time again that black and red go so well together. I read that when a redback first confronts its prey it doesn’t bite, so enjoy the element of surprise and dig in first! Makes 12 Chocolate cupcakes 1/3 cup (80g) unsalted butter, softened ½ cup (110g) caster sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 eggs, at room temperature 1 pinch salt 1 cup (160g) self-raising flour 1/3 cup (35g) cocoa powder ¾ cup (185ml) milk, at room temperature 1.

Preheat the oven to 160°C fan-forced. Line a 12-hole cupcake tray with cupcake cases.

2. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla 100 Australian Country HOMES

2. Use a sharp knife or kitchen scissors to cut the fruit RollUps into strips. Wrap a strip around each of the large round chocolates and place each one on the top of a cupcake to make the spiders’ abdomens.

3. Slice or cut small triangles of the fruit Roll-Ups to make eyes.

Stick the eyes onto the smaller round chocolates to make the spiders’ heads, using a little buttercream as glue, if needed. Place a head next to the abdomen on each cupcake.

4. To make the spiders’ legs, slice or cut thin strips from the liquorice, about 4cm long. Arrange four strips on the side of each abdomen Storage The cupcakes are best eaten on the day of decorating, but they can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Katherine’s Decorating Tips •

• until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. Add the salt.

3. Alternately fold in the flour, cocoa and milk, in one-third increments. Fold until just combined.

4. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake cases, filling each one about three-quarters full.

5. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of one of the cupcakes comes out clean. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

•

If you colour the buttercream at least 24 hours ahead, you’ll achieve a richer red colour. Cover and refrigerate the buttercream, then bring it back to room temperature and beat until fluffy.

I used dark chocolate Lindt Lindor Balls for the spiders’ abdomens and Dark Maltesers for their heads.

You can use any kind of red-coloured fruit straps to add the details to the spiders.

Vanilla buttercream 50g unsalted butter, softened 1½ cups (210g) icing (confectioners’) sugar, sifted 1½ tablespoons milk 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract Red food colouring 1. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until very pale.

Gradually add the icing sugar while beating on low speed. Add the milk and vanilla and beat on high speed until fluffy.

2. Colour the buttercream by mixing in red food colouring until the desired shade is achieved.

Assembly and decoration 2 strawberry fruit Roll-Ups 12 large chocolate balls 12 small chocolate balls Black liquorice rope 1.

Use a butter knife or small offset spatula to apply a generous dollop of buttercream to each cupcake.

Australian Country HOMES 101

Salmon quiche Serves 10–12 Prep time: 25 minutes Cooking time: 40 minutes

Julie Goodwin Recipes from Julie Goodwin’s Essential Cookbook, published by Hachette Australia, $39.99

What are your must-have pantry staples?

Garlic, lemons, extra-virgin olive oil, butter, salt.

What’s your favourite cheat or shortcut?

I like to cook meals that can be served to the table in one baking dish or pan. Saves on plating up and washing up, and brings a sense of community to the table.

Can you give us a tip for professional results?

I don’t know about professional, but I do love to lift a mid-week meal with little touches like a scattering of fresh herbs from the garden, some toasted nuts or seeds, a blob of yoghurt or a lovely homemade dressing. Simple but effective.

Is there a kitchen utensil you can’t live without?

My silicone spatula. I use it for everything.

What’s your favourite appliance?

Stand mixer with a dough hook. I don’t have the patience to handknead bread or pasta so this gets a workout.

102 Australian Country HOMES

1 quantity savoury shortcrust pastry or two sheets plain frozen shortcrust (if you have it in the freezer) 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese 50g baby spinach leaves 400g skinless, boneless salmon fillet, cut into 2 cm cubes 1 bunch shallots (spring onions), finely sliced 1 bunch dill, leaves chopped 10 eggs ½ cup cream ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper 1.

Preheat the oven to 170°C. Grease a 26cm loose-based flan tin with butter or spray oil. Lay the pastry into the flan tin and trim the edges. Prick the pastry with a fork. Place a sheet of baking paper over the pastry and fill with pastry weights or rice. Bake for 15 minutes or until starting to turn golden. Remove from the oven and take out the weights and paper.

2. Arrange half the mozzarella cheese evenly over the base of the pastry case. Arrange the spinach over the top, followed by the salmon cubes, then scatter with the shallots and half of the dill leaves.

3. In a bowl, beat the eggs then add the cream and beat well. Season with salt and pepper. Carefully pour the egg mixture into the pastry case and top with the remaining mozzarella.

4. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown on top and just firm in the middle. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool a little before serving.

Banoffee pavlova roulade

5. Sprinkle a fresh sheet of baking paper with cornflour and lay over the top of the meringue. Lay a clean tea towel on the bench, and carefully invert the baking dish so that the meringue comes out on top of the baking paper and on top of the tea towel. Carefully remove the baking paper from the bottom of the meringue.

6. Spread half the cream in a line along the long edge of the meringue closest to you. Press half the sliced bananas into the cream. Now the fun part: carefully, using the tea towel as a helping hand, roll the meringue over the cream until it looks like a log. Carefully lift onto the serving plate, putting the join at the bottom.

7. For the caramel sauce, heat a large frypan over medium heat and melt the butter and brown sugar together. Add the cream to the pan and bring to the boil, stirring, for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and allow to cool (at room temperature — don’t refrigerate).

8. For the candied macadamias, place the nuts and icing sugar in a frypan over medium-high heat. Stir until the icing sugar melts and turns golden. Stir to coat evenly and tip the mixture onto a tray lined with baking paper. Allow to cool and bash gently with the base of a glass or a rolling pin to crush just a little.

9. Immediately before serving, spread the remaining cream over the roulade. Spread the remaining banana over the top, drizzle generously with caramel sauce and sprinkle with the macadamias.

You can sweeten the cream with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon icing sugar if you wish. I choose not to as the pavlova itself is very sweet.

Serves 10–12 Prep time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes 8 egg whites 2 cups caster sugar 1 tablespoon cornflour 1 tablespoon white vinegar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 600ml thickened cream, whipped 4 ripe bananas, sliced ½ cm thick For the caramel sauce 125g butter ½ cup brown sugar ½ cup thickened cream For the candied macadamias ½ cup macadamia nut pieces ¼ cup icing sugar 1.

Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease and line a 26 x 34 cm baking tray with baking paper.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the sugar a little bit at a time, whipping continually, until the sugar is dissolved and stiff peaks have formed.

3. Sprinkle over the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla and gently fold through the egg whites until combined. Do this very gently so as not to knock the air out of the mixture. Spread the mixture into the baking dish and bake for 20 minutes or until just firm.

4. When the meringue comes out of the oven, allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Australian Country HOMES 103

Tomato-goat’s cheese dip Makes: 350g Time: 20 minutes 140g julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes, oil drained, plus extra chopped sun-dried tomatoes to garnish 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 rosemary sprig, leaves stripped and chopped, plus an extra sprig to garnish 125g (½ cup) low-fat sour cream 140g goat’s cheese, plus extra to garnish if desired

Chyka Keebaugh

1.

Extract from Chyka Celebrate by Chyka Keebaugh, published by Hardie Grant Books, $40.

Photography Commission Studio

Top tips for grazing tables • 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 mainly from the food. Once it is all set up, step back and see where you can balance out the colour by swapping ingredients around.

• Don’t worry if you don’t have a tremendous amount of crockery to fill the table; chopping boards can be found in many cheap homeware stores, and having a variety of sizes will do the trick. Don’t be scared to place food directly on your table either (you can even run a sheet of brown butcher’s paper under everything).

• Use props to make your table look fuller. Set up your food around potted plants, piles of books or even groups of candles. Items that will give you height and add a little interest are what you are looking for.

• Include your drinks station on the table to create a more abundant, decadent look.

• A few bottles of bubbles in ice-filled buckets with glasses at the ready, or a few varieties of gin surrounded by cut lemons, limes and cucumbers next to an array of tumblers turns your grazing table into a banquet.

104 Australian Country HOMES

In a food processor, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, oregano and rosemary with a pinch of salt and pepper. Pulse until chunky. Add the sour cream and goat’s cheese, then blend for approximately 5–6 minutes until smooth. If the dip still seems a little thick, add another splash of olive oil. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Spinach water chestnut dip Makes: 1kg Time: 15 minutes 185g (¾ cup) Greek-style yoghurt 185g (¾ cup) sour cream 185g (¾ cup) mayonnaise 1½ teaspoons onion powder 1 teaspoon paprika ¼ teaspoon garlic powder 1½ teaspoons salt ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper 460g frozen spinach, thawed and chopped 60g (½ cup) chopped spring onions (scallions) 225g can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1.

In a large bowl, combine the yoghurt, sour cream, mayonnaise, onion powder, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Squeeze the spinach over the sink to get rid of any excess liquid.

Add the spinach to the bowl along with the spring onion, water chestnuts and Worcestershire sauce. Mix everything together well, then cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

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Vicki Dreier salvaged a holiday house and a happy outcome from the sadness of a family illness.

by KIRSTY MCKENZIE, photography KEN BR ASS

I

f you subscribe to Winston Churchill’s theory that a pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity while an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty, Melbourne interior designer Vicki Dreier is a born optimist. In 2016, as her family grappled with their father’s terminal illness, they made a decision to spend Christmas together in the Grampians.

Vicki and her family had grown up in Horsham, about an hour north of the rugged sandstone ranges of the Grampians National Park, or Gariwerd as it is known by its traditional owners, and they had spent many holidays in the western Victorian bushwalking and rock climbing destination. By

coincidence, Vicki’s IT software developer and manager husband, Ashley, had also enjoyed many camping trips to the region. As the extended family gathered in a rented cottage in Halls Gap, the tourist hub for the national park, Vicki’s parents made the decision to move back to their roots and return to live in Horsham.

What Vicki hadn’t taken into account was that this decision would also lead her back to the district and that she and Ashley were about to become the owners of a cottage in Halls Gap. “I like to think the cottage found us,” she recalls. “I’d long dreamed of finding a country bolthole that I could do up gradually and turn into a cosy retreat. As we were leaving Horsham

These pages: Vicki and Ashley turned a run-down cottage into a stylish rural retreat with a hands-on restoration that included many coats of white paint and hard-wearing vinyl floors from Heartridge Floors.

108 Australian Country HOMES

after helping Mum and Dad move back, I googled cabins and cottages. As it turned out, we bought the first house that popped up on the screen.”

While Vicki had always had a passion for interior styling and doing up her own houses, her hobby turned into a business when she was featured in newspaper and magazine articles.

“I was approached to help out with visual merchandising for a bedding company,” she recalls. “From there I moved into working at trade fairs and gradually that developed into a business which at that stage was called From All Things Shabby to Chic. But gradually I moved with the times into a more contemporary country look, and that’s how Dreier by Design began.

So I was well-positioned to do up the cottage. Although it was very run down, I could see from the outset that it had great bones.”

As Vicki and Ashley divided their time between their jobs in Melbourne, helping Vicki’s parents resettle in Horsham and hospital appointments, they threw themselves into a handson restoration of the Halls Gap cottage.

“At first I said ‘all I’m going to do is ›

paint’,” Vicki says. “Of course, that resolution went out the window in the first week, though we have painted just about every timber surface. Then we replaced the floors, which were a bit dated. I found this wonderful vinyl plank flooring from Heartridge Floors, which looks like natural timber in a patchwork of different woods. It’s an attractive, hard-wearing flooring and is easy to install.”

Once the renovation, which included installing a second bathroom in a tiny downstairs laundry, was complete, Vicki was able enjoy the fun part, albeit on a tight budget, with the decorating. “I wanted to reflect the bushland setting and the rugged scenery of the Grampians,” she says.

“I was lucky that I came across a local graphic designer, Sadie Rose, and she helped with blackboard art and a sign that references a local landmark called the Pinnacle.”

After eight full-on months, the Dreiers were delighted to host another family Christmas, this time in their recently completed cottage. “It was great to have the gathering in our very own place,” Vicki says. “Fortunately, no one had seen what we started with, because they would have thought they were camping before. It’s great to have a place to share with family and friends, but the place has to pay for itself, so we are renting it out when no one is here. Sadly my dad passed away recently, but I kind of think that this is his legacy and I’m sure we’ll have lots more family get-togethers here in the future.” ACH For more information on Vicki’s design business or to book Cedar Country Retreat visit cedarcountryretreat.com or dreierbydesign.com.au

›

These pages: Vicki is the mistress of the tight space and managed to incorporate bedrooms into the loft and even a full-sized bathtub into the laundry. Her trademark design flair is evident in every corner.

110 Australian Country HOMES

Take a guided tour of J Ward, Ararat’s Old Gaol and Lunatic Asylum. Hear stories of murderers, ghosts and mistreatment of mental illness. J Ward is 2.5 hours from Melbourne, close to the Grampians and open daily for tours by passionate Friends of J Ward volunteers. More than 10,000 people visit each year. Tours run at 10am, 11am, 1pm and 2pm each day with extra tours at 12pm and 3pm on Sundays and Victorian public and school holidays (except Christmas Day).

www.aradale.com.au Take a guided tour through the cavernous wall and halls of the institution that treated and housed Victoria’s mentally ill for over 126 years. Aradale Asylum was an Australian psychiatric hospital, located in Ararat, a rural city in Victoria, Australia.

Now a ghost “town”, Aradale was once known as the Ararat Lunatic Asylum.

Girdlestone Street, Ararat VIC 3377 | (03) 5352 3357 | jward@vic.chariot.net.au

Grano Street, Ararat VIC 3377 | 1800 657 158 | jward@vic.chariot.net.au

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Inspired by ...

An elegant look is easily achieved with a neutral colour palette of black, white and soft wood tones.

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112 Australian Country HOMES

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PASTICHE OF THE PAST The much-travelled Brennan family and their menagerie of pets and livestock have come home to roost near Mudgee in the NSW central-western slopes.

---------------------by KIRSTY MCKENZIE, photography KEN BR ASS

114 Australian Country HOMES

T

he Brennan children know the drill. It just wouldn’t be a weekend in the country without a couple of property inspections. So when Sydney University health sciences professor Patrick and his wife, Elizabeth, headed to Mudgee for a weekend getaway, their children — John, Beth, Anna and Eoin — knew it would involve a few real estate windows.

“There was a collective eye roll when I suggested we look at another place,” Elizabeth recalls. “That was when the agent showed us Melrose Park. I knew the moment Patrick stood on the verandah and looked down the drive that he was interested.”

That was January 2015 and by May the Brennans had packed up the goods and chattels that filled their previous historic home, Kelvin, at Bringelly on Sydney’s south-western periphery, and made the move to the 250-acre property nestled at the base of Mt Frome eight kilometres from Mudgee township.

Eagle-eyed readers of Australian Country will recall that we first met the Brennans when we profiled the heritage-listed Kelvin back in 2016, four years after they had arrived in

Australia from the UK. By that stage the self-confessed serial renovators were on their third property in Australia, having previously honed their skills on a farmhouse in Ireland, a Victorian terrace in Dublin, a Georgian house on the Norfolk/Suffolk border and a 15thcentury villa in Tuscany.

“It wasn’t that we didn’t love Kelvin, but Bringelly was getting built out and of course the best thing about Australia is the opportunity to have space around you,” Elizabeth explains. “I’ll never forget the move. We were in a convoy of three cars with all the family plus two cats and three dogs and a removals truck. At that stage Patrick had a vintage car and a Porsche, which he had to nurse up the dirt road. Of course, now we’re Toyota people. But the things we loved at the outset — the unsealed road, the fact that the only traffic on the road were cattle and the sweeping views — remain big attractions.”

The history of Melrose goes back to Mudgee’s earliest days and the property can claim association with many of the district’s founding families, including the Bowmans, Cadells, Baylys and Bells. The homestead is situated on the northern side of the Cudgegong River and

This page: Elizabeth and Patrick are self-confessed serial renovators, so they jumped at the opportunity to relocate to Mudgee, restore the 1879 homestead and breathe new life into a set of silos on the property.

116 Australian Country HOMES

overlooks rich alluvial plains to the south and west. The land was first granted to currency lad William Bowman in 1835.

Already a substantial landholder in the Bathurst region, he received the 960 acres (388 hectares) on the condition that he clear and cultivate 70 acres (28ha) or spend £150 on improvements. He went on to acquire considerably more land in the district and served in both the NSW Legislative Council and Assembly.

William’s only surviving child, Ann Catherine, subsequently married Thomas Caddell and Melrose homestead was built in 1879 as a wedding present for their third son, William Bowman Cadell, ›

when he married Sarah Bayly, of the neighbouring property, Havilah. Upon William and Sarah’s deaths the property moved into the Bell family, adding yet another notable pioneering connection.

From 1927 to 1965, the Short family became the custodians. They in turn sold it to Dr Brian Haynes, who renamed it Melrose Park. Dr Haynes and his son, Warwick, invested considerable effort

This page: As a veteran of renovations in England, Ireland, Italy and Australia, Elizabeth has developed a keen eye for a pleasing vignette and has decorated the historic Melrose homestead accordingly.

and dollars upgrading the homestead during their 20-plus years’ tenure. When Chris and Robyn Gilbey took over in the late ’80s and established a deer farm on Melrose, they hired Terry Scifleet to manage it. When Sydney consultants Michael and Anjo Tarte became the new owners in 1994, Terry stayed on and he now helps Elizabeth and Patrick look after the property, marking more than 30 years of connection with the farm.

“Terry looks after everything practical,” Elizabeth explains. “We couldn’t have achieved half the things we have without his help. I have these bright ideas and Terry works out how to make them a reality.”

In the relatively short time since the Brennans arrived, they have converted a former dairy into self-catering accommodation and repurposed three silos as a glamping venue. One silo now serves as a living and dining space, the next as an open sleeping space with four beds, and the third is a combined bathroom and washroom. There’s an undercover barbecue and a huge firepit surrounded by tree stump seats for enjoying marshmallow toastings Australian Country HOMES 117

under the blazing night sky. When Australian Country Homes visited, Terry and Elizabeth were up to their elbows in their latest project, which was converting a former cow and shearing shed into a function space for daughter Beth’s wedding.

“It’s times like this that you really realise what a wonderful community Mudgee has,” Elizabeth says. “The town itself is gorgeous, no traffic lights, no mall, but with lots of coffee shops and dining options. That’s because the two main industries are wine and mining, so both sectors demand a level of amenity that you won’t get in other towns of similar population. Tourism is growing off the back of that and the district is emerging as a wedding destination.”

The homestead is typical of many of its period and is designed around a U-shaped courtyard, which contains a large well and vine-canopied shade structures for protection from the harsh summer sun. Impressive cedar double

doors at the front entrance lead to a central hallway, with a master bedroom, bathroom and study on one side and a drawing room and dining room on the other. Shuttered French windows open to the verandah that protects this main building, and two service wings run along either side. One now contains the kitchen, family dining room and a couple of guest rooms, while the matching wing contains more bedrooms and bathrooms.

The entire house is built from bricks fired on site and original features include marble fireplaces imported from Italy, stone sills, a bell system for summoning servants and the cellar, which is accessed via steep stairs from the courtyard.

“As with any old property, there are always areas that need attention,” Elizabeth says. “We’ve tried to create a family home that is respectful of its history without being a slave to it.”

While Elizabeth bases herself at Melrose and the two younger children attend school in town, the adult children

This page: Elizabeth relishes the many opportunities that the move to Mudgee’s wine country has provided, from leading a more relaxed life to becoming a host of on-farm accommodation.

118 Australian Country HOMES

spend weekends and holidays on the property and Patrick divides his time between the farm, Sydney and the US, or wherever his research takes him. The extended family continues to enjoy extended holidays in Tuscany, where they are renovating an 18th-century villa on 15th-century foundations.

“It wouldn’t feel right if we didn’t have a project on the go,” Elizabeth says. “For now, though, we couldn’t be happier with our home in the country and the lifestyle it affords.” ACH For more information on the Scifleet Silos and Deer Cottage visit airbnb.com.au/ rooms/14760424 and airbnb.com.au/ rooms/9064313.

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A PLANTSMAN’S PARADISE A historic bluestone cottage flanked by an ancient date palm, a 500-metre row of towering olive trees and year-round colour ensure there is always a feast for the eyes at this South Australian showpiece.

by KIRSTY MCKENZIE, photography ROSS WILLIAMS, styling BRONTE CAMILLERI

B

y his own reckoning, Mark Day is the luckiest man on earth.

The veteran journalist, foreign correspondent and editor divides his time between a waterfront apartment in the Sydney suburb of Manly and a heritage-listed cottage on acreage in the bucolic surrounds of South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula.

“Through the years my wife, Wendy, and I have had weekenders north of Sydney,” Mark explains. “We both come from South Australia and have always had family to visit, so it made sense to look for a place down there where we could be near our relatives without actually staying with them. In 2005 Wendy was down visiting her mother when she heard about The Olives, which was at that stage on 1½ acres. So I flew down the next weekend and we ended up buying it. Whereas we used to drive two hours to spend two days in the

country, now we fly two hours and stay two weeks.”

In a sense, Mark was returning to his roots as his forebears, John and Anne Hardy, came to Willunga in the nearby McLaren Vale district in 1854 to join their cousin, Thomas Hardy, in a venture which would eventually earn him recognition as the father of South Australia’s wine industry. “I note that I didn’t inherit a vineyard,” he says. “But we do have a few bottles of Eileen Hardy Shiraz in the cellar.”

Mark adds that the Fleurieu Peninsula has much to offer and was recently described by travel guide publisher Lonely Planet as the fifth most attractive tourist destination in the world. “I imagine it earned that distinction because of its great natural beauty, proximity to the beach and strong paddock-to-plate culture,” he says. “It’s close to Adelaide and is just a stone’s throw from McLaren Vale with its

These pages: Mark says his journalism career taught him to be a keen observer, so he brings this training to monitoring the way plants respond in The Olives garden and adjusts the plantings accordingly.

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wonderful restaurants and great wines.

The Barossa Valley gets all the accolades, the softer wines of McLaren Vale are more to my palate.”

The historic house at The Olives dates back to the 1840s, although there is some conjecture about precisely which year ›

These pages: The original mud and stone part of the homestead dates to the 1840s. It was extended in 1859 and in the 1970s, received an extensive renovation. The Days have continued this work and added a guest cottage in the grounds, which they rent out when they don’t have family visiting.

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the mud and pug (stone) rear section was built. “The farmer must have done well for himself as in 1859 he extended the house with extra rooms, brick cornicing and a portico by the front steps,” Mark says. “However, for about 30 years after World War II the house was unoccupied and fell into disrepair. In fact, it was in danger of collapsing as the original part didn’t have proper foundations and was built directly on the ground. The cows taking shelter in what was the kitchen didn’t help much either.”

Fortunately, the property was rescued in 1975 when it was bought by Czech architect Sir Eric von Schramek and his interior designer wife, Edith. “They did an excellent job of the restoration,” Mark says. “Wendy and I have continued that work, replacing the roof, restoring a lot of the stonework and all the other upkeep that old buildings need.”

But it is in the garden that the Days have truly made their mark. They were fortunate to be able to buy an adjoining 2½ acres, which restored the property to its original size, and Mark has spent countless hours during the past decade exercising his considerable green thumb.

“I discovered some years ago that I enjoyed planting things and watching them grow,” he says. “As a journalist I’m a trained observer, so I can see what does well and what doesn’t. I’ve learnt that I can’t grow frangipani because for five or six days every winter the frosts are too heavy. But I can grow wonderful roses and lavender and geraniums. So the bulk of ›

the garden is what you might describe as English country in style.”

The Days were lucky to inherit a good framework upon which to build. A date palm planted in the 1860s stands sentinel out the front, and the 500-metre windbreak of olive trees that gave the farm its name also survives from this period. “Olives are interesting trees in that they fruit when they feel like it,” Mark observes. “When they do develop enough fruit, we invite all our friends and neighbours to come and help us pick. Then we send it to a facility in McLaren Vale for crushing. In a good year we might end up with 80 to 100 litres of

olive oil and we give about half of it away to the people who helped us pick.”

The farm is blessed with beautiful, rich Bay of Biscay soil, which is deep black with a high clay content. This makes it a great growing medium for most plants. They are also lucky to have a permanent water supply from a bore. “It’s a bit salty so it can’t be sprayed,” Mark says. “But I’ve installed a extensive dripper system which pretty much droughtproofs the garden.”

The soil near the olive trees is not as good as elsewhere, so Mark has planted that area to grevillea and other natives, which attract lots of birdlife. There’s also

an orchard with five different stone fruit, which the family and their guests feast upon in summer.

“When we bought the extra land, it required a lot of extra plants to fill it,” Mark says. “I couldn’t afford to buy all those plants so I decided to propagate my own. I asked a local stonemason, Tiger McMillan, who had done a lot of work on the walls and steps and pond, to give me a rough idea of what it would cost to build a potting shed. For the amount it ended up costing I could probably have bought the local nursery, but it has given me countless hours of pottering pleasure.”

This page: Mark has poured countless hours of effort into the garden during the past 15 years. He has become a skilled propagator and says he enjoys pottering in the garden shed. The fruits of his labours are evident in the colour from flowers blooming throughout the year and trees that add to the spectacle in autumn.

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A deciduous element for autumn colour was another priority and Mark has planted pears, liquidambars, claret ash and maples. “In spring the garden is drop-dead gorgeous,” Mark says. “It’s wonderful to witness the renewal in any garden, but in a big garden it seems more exaggerated. There are loads of daffs and jonquils for winter cheer, but there’s really no time of year when something isn’t flowering. It’s only recently, however, that I felt the garden was ready to be shown to the public, so we held an open day under the auspices of the South Australian Open Garden Scheme.”

While the house is perfect for Mark and Wendy, they’ve added a guest cottage in the grounds to accommodate their many visitors.

“Every second Christmas we have all our family to stay,” Mark says. “That means we are

14 and we didn’t really fit in two bedrooms. So we asked architect Anatoly Patrick to design a guest cottage that would disappear into the garden. His response was loosely based on a French barn and we’re very happy with the extra space. When we don’t have visitors we rent it out for a bit of extra cash flow.”

In September a wisteria-clad arbour becomes the garden’s crowning glory and a perfect setting for wedding photos. Although the Days haven’t yet hosted a wedding, that will change next spring. In a neat stroke of synchronicity, the von Schrameks’ granddaughter has chosen to tie the knot in the garden she visited and loved as a child.

ACH For more details on the garden cottage at The Olives visit airbnb.com.au/ rooms/17983381.

This page: The Days added a guest cottage inspired by a French barn for visiting family and friends. They rent it on Airbnb when it’s not in use.

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Chelsea Park

‌a boutique bed and breakfast with a dierence

Chelsea Park is a glamorously restored Art Deco mansion, painted in a mellow, period cream to highlight the classic Deco lines and dramatic curves. When you arrive at this Bowral gem, you soon appreciate why Chelsea Park is called Hollywood in the Highlannd ds.

Sweeping up the driveway to Chelsea Park, you feel transported back in time and the mood continues inside as you are welcomed into a 1930s environment.

Arcadia House Arcadia House is a country-style home located close to the heart of Bowral. Fully self-contained accommodation for families and groups. Five comfortable bedrooms, two spacious bathrooms and all linen provided. Your home in the country, child friendly and close to all the attractions. Savour the lifestyle, sit and relax in a little bit of heaven known as the Southern Highlands.

More information at www.chelseaparkbnb.com or www.arcadia-house.com 589 Moss Vale Road Burradoo NSW 2576 T: (02) 4861 7046 E: chelsea@netkey.com.au

WORK IN PROGRESS Nicole and Michael O’Connor have gained a whole new perspective on country life and work since they bought a historic NSW High Country property.

by KIRSTY MCKENZIE, photography KEN BR ASS

N

icole O’Connor is the first to admit that all her visions of a quiet country life have evaporated since she and her husband, Michael, bought Coonghoongbula Station near Dalgety on the banks of the Snowy River in southern NSW. “We’re skiers and we had a holiday house at Tyrolean Village near Jindabyne, so we weren’t strangers to the area,” Nicole explains. “But we’ve been so busy ever since we moved down here that I think we managed only one day on the slopes last winter. The whole notion of a slower life in the country is a bit of a furphy. I don’t think we’ve ever worked harder in our lives.”

Michael owned and ran a packaging company in Sydney for 20 years and keeps one foot in the city with consultancy work, while Nicole led a busy life as an interior

These pages: Nicole says the notion of taking it easy vanished with the move to the Monaro Plains on the NSW side of the Snowy Mountains, but she couldn’t be happier with her new lifestyle and community.

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designer and colour consultant. Since they moved to Coony, as the property is known locally, she’s been flat out restoring the historic homestead and its outbuildings and she admits it is a task that will keep her occupied for many years to come.

Like many station homes, the locally quarried stone homestead has evolved through the years. Originally built as four separate buildings surrounding a courtyard, the house was unified in the mid-1800s by enclosing the courtyard to build a billiard room. As illustrated on the architect’s plans, which the O’Connors were lucky enough to inherit with the property, the design incorporated skylights, bringing light into a space that otherwise could have been quite dark. “Local legend has that it took three weeks for the billiard table to be transported from Sydney on a bullock dray,” Nicole says. “The only thing I know is it’s here to stay as we couldn’t move it even if we wanted to.”

Since moving in just on two years ago, the O’Connors have added a covered verandah to create a thoroughfare between the main homestead and the detached kitchen and built a courtyard where the school house once stood. They shovelled decades of debris out of the former kitchen and are in the process of turning it into an entertainment area. Hopefully, when it’s complete, the old baker’s oven will be able to be fired up again and the space will become party central. When Australian Country Homes visited, they’d tung-oiled ›

the floorboards and were creating a loft in the ceiling. “Michael collects antique Winchester guns and matching pistols but I don’t let him have any sports memorabilia in the house,” Nicole says, “so I’m thinking the loft will become a place for him to keep all his treasures.”

A “new” wing added in the 1950s included a kitchen and dining area. The previous owners had renovated this kitchen as well as the bathrooms and Nicole says it will be many years before they “break another branch off the money tree” to make any changes. The “to-do” list includes renovating several outbuildings including a trapper’s cottage, and refurbishing the tennis courts and the stables, which were rebuilt in the 1920s following a bushfire. Nicole adds that they were naïve when it came to judging the amount of work needed to get the 400-acre (162-hectare) property ready for restocking.

“There was fencing work and weed spraying and bores and dams that needed putting in before we could run a single

These pages: Restoring the heritage-listed homestead and outbuildings is a work in progress, but Nicole says she has been privileged to have help from a hard-working bunch of builders and other tradespeople.

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cow,” she says. “We are getting there and we sowed oats this year, so that’s progress.”

The move to the Monaro Plains has also given her a whole new respect for country people, whom she describes as “the hardest-working people” she has ever met.

“We had a party at Christmas to celebrate the anniversary of moving here,” she says.

“When I asked a neighbour how he would be spending Christmas Day, he rattled off a list of chores he has in mind for the day.

Even the young man who did the sowing has the same approach. He worked from sunup to sundown as a matter of course.”

It seems that Nicole has caught some of the same work ethic, as along with directing a constant parade of builders and other tradies, she has rarely had a paintbrush out of her hand since she moved in. She says she no longer owns a pair of glasses that aren’t paint damaged but is enjoying pretty much every minute of her tree-change experience.

“In summer we had a lot of 40-degree days and the ground was like straw cracking underfoot,” she says. “When it rained in autumn, suddenly everything was green almost overnight and for the first time I fully understood the concept of getting into the rhythm of the land and ›

living with the seasons. It gives you a much better perspective on life when you understand the cycles.”

She admits that moving to “the road to nowhere” has had a polarising effect on her city friends. “Some people love having friends in the country and are always keen to come and visit,” she says. “Others I only see when I go to Sydney. The fact is it’s a very different lifestyle and relatively speaking we are quite remote. The first night I stayed here on my own I took the knife I’d been opening the packing cases with to bed with me. But I soon realised it’s as safe as houses here. Everyone knows everyone and what they’re up to. After years of city anonymity I love walking into the Dalgety pub and knowing every single person in there. I appreciate knowing everyone’s back story and how they fit into the fabric of the community. I like the fact that one old character always greets me as the “Coony girl”. I joined the Show Society and I helped out on the Dalgety Women’s Day committee and we’ve been lucky to make lots of good friends in the area. It really has been one of the most unexpected and wonderful aspects of our new life.” ACH

This page: The homestead was originally four buildings around a courtyard, which was enclosed to create a billiard room. The stone was quarried locally and most of the timber was also milled nearby.

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