RACHAEL TREASURE

Rachael Treasure Rachael Treasure

While Rachael Treasure dismisses her backstory as “typically Tasmanian”, there are volumes encapsulated in those two words. Convict heritage, five generations of connection to the land, an affinity to the wilderness that’s just around the corner everywhere in the state, a huge commitment to farming and food production, and the strong larrikin streak that lurks in the heart of every cowgirl and boy are all somehow summed up in that brief descriptor.

Rachael Treasure

“I grew up and went to school in Hobart,” she explains. “But my aunt had a dairy farm in the north-east and I spent many holidays there. They separated their own milk, made butter from the cream, and fed the buttermilk to the pigs. They grew their own vegies and raised orphaned lambs by the heat of the wood stove, which also supplied the hot water for the house. You grow up self-sufficent from that kind of lifestyle.”

Rachael Treasure Rachael Treasure

These days Rachael is a highly successful author of rural women’s fiction, and she lives and writes from a cottage in the historic village of Richmond, just half an hour’s drive north of Hobart. She shares her life with her two children, Rosie, who is 12, and Charlie, aged 10, two horses, a pony, Megatron the Poodle and two Kelpies called Connie and Rousie. Charlie goes to school locally and Rosie, who has a mild form of cerebral palsy, attends a Quaker school in Hobart. Rachael fits her writing in around the children’s lives and says much of her work takes place in coffee shops between school runs. For the rest of the time a huge bedside chair nicknamed Hemingway doubles as an office, which she cheerfully admits comfortably accommodates her and a couple of dogs as she taps away into the chilly night hours.

Rachael Treasure

Rachael Treasure Rachael Treasure

This story was originally published in the May 2016 issue of Australian Country. Subscribe to the Australian Country magazine here.

Click here for more creative corner.

Words Kirsty McKenzie
Photography Ken Brass

More Like This

Douglas Blain

The Extraordinary Journey of Douglas Blain: Preserving the Past with Passion

Douglas Blain’s remarkable life has been devoted to rescuing old buildings and turning them into boutique hotels.

Montville Mist Springwater

The Collins’ Montville Mist Springwater Success

Alli and Peter Collins juggle raising a family and running, Montville Mist Springwater from their home in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

Paper Pocket Australiana

Our Top 10 Favourite Calendars and Diaries to Kick Start Your 2024

Discover Australia’s favourite range of 2024 Calendars and Diaries from Paper Pocket. Keep track of your year, organise your appointments, plan your […]

Date & Ginger Bundt Cake

Date & Ginger Bundt Cake Recipe

This date and ginger bundt cake is an adaptation of my mum’s much-loved sticky date pudding recipe.

Lemon Cake Recipe

Weekday Lemon Cake Recipe

A (very) simple melt-and-mix number, perfect for when a lemon cake is in order, but fuss is not. A while ago, […]

Bonnie Porter Greene

The Artistic Evolution of Bonnie Porter Greene: A Journey in Colour

Shoalhaven artist Bonnie Porter Greene encourages her audience not only to touch her work, but also to make their own marks on it.

Danelle Bergstrom

The Inspirational Journey of Artist Danelle Bergstrom: From Hill End to Baltic Shores

Danelle Bergstrom divides her time between Hill End in NSW and the islands of Åland in the middle of the Baltic Sea.

Brian Tunks Ceramics

The Colourful Journey of Brian Tunks Ceramics and Glassware Collection

A childhood fascination with antiquity and an artful odyssey through Europe, sparked the fabulous Brian Tunks ceramics and glassware range.

Follow Us on Instagram