Brendan Alder, Author at Australian Country

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Building a handbag brand from the farm

Patchwork of the past Influenced by her childhood on a farm near the NSW gold town of Sofala, Nikki Williams has developed a handbag range that has travelled around the world and is equally at home in the city and the bush. By Kirsty McKenzie, photography Ken Brass Nikki Williams has several outstanding memories [...]

Luxe discoveries for those on the trail through the NSW Central West

A road trip through the NSW Central West reveals lots to see and do and some luxe surprises for travellers prepared to venture a little off the beaten track. By Kirsty McKenzie, photography Ken Brass John Sarkissian picks a blade of grass from the lawn and lets it drop gently. The CSIRO Parkes Radio Observatory [...]

Hinterland haven: A patch of paradise

Mel Manley supports the children’s charity Forget Me Not from her beautiful home and garden on acreage on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. By Kirsty McKenzie, photography Anastasia Kariofyllidis They were young, idealistic, and utterly unprepared for the waters into which they dived so enthusiastically. In 2005, a trio of young Queenslanders started a charity supporting [...]

Northumberland and Australia mixed for a contemporary farmhouse home

By Kirsty McKenzie, photography Ken Brass As Emma Rose Munsie looks out from the homestead at Fair View, the NSW farm where she lives with her husband, Sam, and their toddler, Digby, the contrast with her childhood in Northumberland, northern England couldn’t be more marked. Instead of the closely populated sheep farms of the [...]

Changing landscape of blueberry farming for farmer Kellie Potts

FARM SPOTLIGHT | Singing the blues Small changes add up to big results for NSW blueberry farmer Kellie Potts. By Kirsty McKenzie, photography Lu Townsend Blueberry farmer Kellie Potts likes to tell her kids that if she were to get a tattoo, it would be a tree with the formula 6CO2 + 6H2O → C6H12O6 + [...]

A sub-tropical showpiece hidden behind Queensland’s Sunshine Coast

OUR RURAL RETREAT | Taste of the tropics By Kirsty McKenzie, photography Anastasia Kariofyllidis Hairdressing is practically a performance art as it requires constant social interaction, attention to detail, creativity and good listening and communication skills. No client wants a stylist to have an “off day”, so it’s also a pretty unforgiving profession. So it was [...]

Moving to Australia’s first Cittaslow

The move to Hindmarsh Island ushered in a lifestyle change for an Adelaide couple, but one that is almost as hectic as their working lives. By Kirsty McKenzie, photography Ross Williams, styling Bronte Camilleri Although Ruth and Dzint Jurevicius tell people they’ve retired, the truth is their lives couldn’t be busier. Admittedly, Ruth has given [...]

A look into the pink world of Australian artist, Kate Owen

Artist Kate Owen has developed her rosy take on the world from her home and studio on a northern NSW farm. By Kirsty McKenzie, photography Ken Brass By her own admission, Kate Owen has lost count of how many different careers she’s had. However, their common denominator has always been creative. The artist lives [...]

Creating a Futuristic Vista in the Northern NSW Bush

Diversify or die is the catchcry in the bush these days and two generations of the Munsie family are giving it a red hot go from their northern NSW farms. By Kirsty McKenzie, photography Ken Brass Agile may be the buzz word of the post-pandemic world, but for the Munsie family of northern, it’s [...]

Our Books

We’ve dug into our vast recipe portfolio to help home cooks make the most of wonderful fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and seafood. Welcome to our first ever cookbook where farm-fresh Australian produce and diverse, tasty recipes rule!

Australian Country Gardens travels from one end of the country to the other and showcases gardens from grand-scale to pocket-sized, and simple to rather over the top.