Brendan Alder, Author at Australian Country

Nothing found

Gorgeous Edible Art from Queensland Artist, Simone Jelley

Birds, bees, butterflies and refugees from the urban rat race all find sanctuary in Simone Jelley’s edible flower garden. By Kirsty McKenzie, photography Ken Brass They say there’s a fine line between passion and insanity. By her own account, Simone Jelley has been teetering on the border between the two for the past six years. Simone and her husband, [...]

The Couple That Restored a 150 Year Old Home to a Sanctuary

The Hay family has called Olive Grove home for more than 150 years. For the present custodians, it’s a haven for transitioning from working life to a well-earned retirement. By Kirsty McKenzie, photography Ross Williams, styling Bronte Camilleri It’s almost impossible to imagine today, but when Alex and Helen Hay moved to Olive Grove in 2008, the garden [...]

Vintage vignettes in Finns Store Canowindra

Chance brought Jacky and Geoff Yeo to Canowindra in the NSW central-west. Finns Store, is the stand-alone destination keeps them there. By her own admission, Jacky Yeo has never stood still, so it was asking for trouble when she accompanied her husband, Geoff, on a business trip to Canowindra 11 years ago. While Geoff was [...]

Renewed hope for Australia’s Wildlife

A joint venture rewilding program between the Australian Wildlife Conservancy and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service is providing renewed hope for the future of the endangered numbat and other threatened wildlife. Numbats are rarer than the giant panda or the black rhino, and there are estimated to be fewer than 1000 of them [...]

The Perfect Australian Experience In Sydney

The Perfect Australian Experience In Sydney Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens offers a smorgasbord of opportunities to learn more about Aboriginal heritage, culture and connection to country. They say it’s a dull day when you don’t learn something new. Spend a fraction of it on one of Sydney’s Royal Botanic Garden’s Aboriginal-guided tours and you’ll come [...]

Crime author, Fleur McDonald, supporting families at risk with charity

Crime author, Fleur McDonald, supporting families at risk with charity Country crime author Fleur McDonald has channeled her considerable energy and resources to create a charity that provides assistance to families at risk of domestic violence. Since her earliest memories, rural author Fleur McDonald has been obsessed with crime. When she wasn’t riding bikes or hanging [...]

Taking a Rural Queensland Road Trip – Without Spending Too Much

Rural Queensland has some of the most picturesque and relaxing drives – here’s how you can go and visit without overspending

Lucy Culliton, painting the theatre of the everyday

From her home studio in the Monaro region of NSW, Lucy Culliton celebrates the theatre of the everyday. From the flowers in the garden and her family of rescue animals to the sweeping high country plains and domestic utensils, she elevates the mundane to magnificent through oils on canvas. By Kirsty McKenzie, photography Ken Brass Lucy [...]

Six generations have lived in this timeless farmhouse

With help from architects, designers, gardeners and farm workers, six generations of the Litchfield family have shaped the benchmark that is Hazeldean station in the Monaro region of NSW. The old adage says that good things, like fine wine, improve with age. The farming operation, homestead and garden at in the Monaro high plains are [...]

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.