With their collective extensive experience in marketing and advertising, it was hardly surprising that Bede and Mary Gibson sought to value add when they first opened their garden to the public in 2012. In what amounted to a tentative toe in the wate

Initially built in 1856 by JTC Ballerstedt, Fortuna Villa was a somewhat humble double-front, two-storey villa with eight rooms and a semi-basement. Ballerstedt built the villa close to his quartz-crushing mill, the first on the Bendigo goldfields. B

It’s lunch time at Anthony and Wendy Hoy’s home behind their jewellery showroom in the NSW southern tablelands town of Braidwood, and Anthony rustles up something he prepared a little earlier — a plate of sandwiches that would do the CWA proud. All t

Growing up in Dublin, it is unlikely that Professor Patrick Brennan would have guessed his life and that of the notorious bushranger, Bold Jack Donohoe, would have crossed paths as he listened to the ballad of “The Wild Colonial Boy”. But cross they

In early spring in my garden, honeyeaters are calling out to one another as they flock to the pendulous yellow flowers on the large kowhai (Sophora tetraptera). Every now and then there’s a tussle and a cascade of yellow flowers fall to the ground. T

Tim Lenehan says he had no idea where Braidwood was when he spotted an ad for historic Nithsdale homestead in The Sydney Morning Herald. The former Sydney ad man and market researcher and his wife, Janey Young, who ran a Sydney graphic design busines

Living and raising a young family in a large heritage house in the middle of South Australia’s Clare Valley may sound like a romantic fantasy, but for Alice and Andrew Duncan, sometimes it feels more like a cold, hard dose of reality. The Duncans mov

They say there’s a fine line between bravery and stupidity, so it’s little wonder Nicola and Carl Mason raised a few eyebrows when they upped stakes and moved from Perth to Hobart. They’d never even visited the island state, they had no jobs and two

A place for everything and everything in its place. It’s a principle I try to apply, with as much diligence as I can muster to maintain a clutter-free kitchen, but the path to neatness nirvana lies not just in developing a near-religious devotion to

It may seem a long haul from a career in corporate finance in Perth and London to running an interior design consultancy, but Geraldton businesswoman Tess Beagley says it was a logical progression. Tess grew up in Esperance on WA’s remote south coast

The Amani outdoor sofa is every bit as luxurious as the name implies. This generously sized piece of furniture is the perfect place to while away your days outdoors this spring, whether you’re relaxing with friends, enjoying a cuppa or reading your f

Dear reader, Welcome to another issue of Australian Country Homes. There’s something so magical about spring — when the sun starts to warm your bones again and the flowers in the garden stretch their heads toward the sky. I love this time of year, an

Just outside Palma, Mallorca’s coastally situated capital, lies the village of Gènova. About 2000 people live in this charming spot, where the population tends to be local and a little older. This place boasts calm countryside appeal, as well as the

As the son of Greek migrants, George Manis grew up knowing that the journey was more important than the destination. “My parents arrived in this country with a suitcase full of dreams,” he says. “However, they always told me that what you learn and t

Editor Lauren ClarkeDesigner Samantha StewartContributors Kirsty McKenzie, Ken Brass, Carrie Young, Tess Beagley, Peter Hinton, Sandra Hinton, Kim Selby, Ross Williams, Bronte Camilleri, Stephanie Dunbar, Patrick Redmond, Jennifer Stackhouse, Robyn A

Dear reader, Welcome to another issue of Australian Country Homes. There’s something magical about art inspired by the sunburnt country we are lucky enough to call home. When nature is the focus, great beauty is often the result — well, when the brus

Editor Lauren ClarkeDesigner Samantha StewartContributors Kirsty McKenzie, Ken Brass, Carrol Baker, Louise Jensen, Louis Westgarth, Danielle Townsend, Ross Williams, Bronte Camilleri, Jacqui Cameron, Dave Kulesza, Jennifer Stackhouse, Bruce Hutchison