‘Angledool’ – Outback Queensland Australia.

There is something so special about the Australian Outback. It’s overwhelming greatness, brutality and vastness is striking. Reflective. Honest. Isolating. Red rocky plains, distant dancing brolga’s, never ending road trains, emu’s resting in the shade of coolibah trees, towns so small and spread out that if you blink you miss them and you won’t be able to get petrol for at least another hour or two… It’s an incredible place to visit. But to live? Well, that’s an entirely different experience all together.

I never would have envisaged going to the outback to visit a sheep farm. But as it turns out, the Outback is where my brother now lives with his wife and their new born baby on the sheep station, ‘Angledool’, an hour’s drive west of Longreach. It’s the kind of place that you arrive at only after what seems like hours driving on remote dirt roads passing only bush shrubs, cattle grids and kangaroos on the way. And once you finally reach the start of the property, it feels as though you drive the same distance again before any sign of human life comes into sight. It is that remote. A trip into town is a treat, food supplies i.e ‘stores’ are stocked up and sometimes planned weeks in advance, if you are in town and it pours with rain and the channels run you can’t get home, if you are at home and it pours with rain and the channels run you can’t get into town, visiting the neighbors requires a full day, a four wheel drive and a packed lunch, the main water to the house comes from the dams and the postman doesn’t come daily, but when he does come he brings with him egg cartons and a gift for the baby and leaves with a bag of handpicked homestead grown lemons. It’s the kind of place that you hear about. That Dorothy Mackellar wrote about. Where life is fruitful in so many ways, and so difficult in many others.

I last visited ‘Angledool’ with my mum on my trip home in September to see Wade and Mary and to meet my brand new niece, Jean. We had a very special time getting to know little baby Jean and sharing home cooked meals and barnyard tales with Mary’s lovely parents, Rose and Norm, who live  in the homestead cottage behind the shed and past the dear little orphan lambs. The days were warm, the nights were balmy and the mornings were fresh. The way it is in September in the outback, I guess.

The outback isn’t blessed with four seasons, just two. Wet and dry. And when I arrived it was deep in the middle of a very dry season. That meant that there was plenty of work to be done to keep the farm up to speed and running and plenty of opportunity to get out and see what it is really like to work on a sheep station.

My favourite experience was joining my mum and brother on an early morning cotton seed run to feed the sheep. We left at sunrise and the entire time I was in awe of the light and arid beauty that the land cast. I make it sound so exotic, but to be honest, for the farmers on this land getting up every day to do a cotton seed run and seeing the country so arid is tough. I don’t envy the workload that faces them every day. I can only imagine it to be frustrating, grueling and quite often heart breaking. Everyone relies on the people around them to keep their peckers up and thankfully, opportunities do arise to escape the harsh reality of it all and to avoid the distant memory of which we do not speak – rain.

One of the lighter moments from the day was when we found two woolies (sheep that had missed the previous year’s shearing, or two). They had been sneakily hiding out in one of the back paddocks. We chased them around until we could catch them, turn them over and put them in the trailer. I couldn’t stop giggling.  Seeing these sheep was just so amusing. They were just so… wooly. Luckily for them, they got a haircut later that day.

This was such a highlight for me when I got to see the shearing shed in action and watched my brother and Norm shear the sheep we caught. I really admire the way sheep behave. Yes they follow one another around looking lost and sometimes do silly things, but the way they behave when being held and sheared by a human is quite unique. They become ragdolls, completely relaxed and surrendered without fighting or resisting, just hanging out and staying quiet like the little introverted creatures that they are.

It occurred to me that watching the sheep being shorn in a corrugated iron shed, driving around the property in a land rover ute, seeing my brother don his akubra hat and train his sheep dog, Jac, was just so Australian. I must be honest, without having my family as an excuse to get out and see it for myself, I may have never made the journey to western Queensland. But I am so grateful that in my past visits I have got to see a flock of green budgerigars flying in the wild, I’ve heard the complete silence that comes with the isolation at night, I took part in searching the red plains for prehistoric gem stones and I've learnt what a turkey bush is and how pretty it’s little yellow flowers are when it is in bloom. Even though my visits are short and few and far between, I consider myself very lucky to have had exposure to the country, people, animals and lifestyle that defines this part of the world.

Thank you to Wade, Mary, Jean, Rose, Norm, Lilly and Jac for sharing your life and little corner of Australia with us. The next time I put on my woolen socks and jumper, I will be even more thankful and think of you, ‘Angledool’ and your wooly sheep.

Brisbane Laneways

Whenever I visit a city that I haven’t been to before, I make it my first mission to hunt for the cafes, restaurants and precincts that I feel will give me the best taste of what this inciting, unfamiliar metropolis has to offer. So when I found myself hunting in a very familiar city, one that I lived in during my uni days and felt that I knew well, I was quite excited.

I had heard a little bit about the new laneway precincts popping up around Brisbane City and I was lucky enough to spend some time digging through its best bits during my recent trip back home to Australia. It was quite the thrilling search! It’s so nice when creative projects and initiatives are able to bring a burst of life and character into a once fairly dull area. Back streets that I had never dreamed of going down once were now top of the agenda list.

I first hit up the Burnett lane precinct with some friends and we found Brew, a down the alley way, underground café that just screamed (I hate to say it and compare but here goes…) Melbourne. We had brunch and what a delight it was. I spent a bit of time being mesmerised by the location (I just loved the feeling of being hidden away and going ‘underground’) and the innovative indie feel it gave with its roller doors, synthetic turf, draping red curtains and cozy outdoor couches. We tucked into gluten free brookfarm muesli, avo toast, banana bread with mascarpone and of course tea – lots of tea. I later found out too that Brew has a younger sibling – Little Brew, perched up in the neighboring inner city suburb of picturesque Paddington.

The next stop on our laneway list was the other end of Burnett Lane. It was here that we found some real hidden gems begging to be explored on our Saturday night out on the town. We started at Super Whatnot, a bar featuring gourmet wine, craft beer and even craftier cocktails. I gave the bar tender creative license to come up with a cocktail – and boy did he deliver! Imagine gin, lemon, sugar and shaken egg white infused and garnished with rosemary. A provincial spin on the classic gin fizz and so incredibly delicious.

For dinner we found The Survey Co. We knew it would be a treat from the moment we arrived at the door and realised we had to press a button to be let in. As we began to fear just the slightest touch of pretentiousness, we were stopped by a warming and welcoming space fit with exposed bricks, low lighting and a long kitchen placed where all good kitchens should be –  in the heart of the room. We loved that the menu encouraged shared dishes and that our waitress was more than helpful on the wine pairing front. I had the market fish and while I was impatiently waiting for my dinner to arrive, I just loved that I had a front seat view to the kitchen filled with busy, food loving chefs.

On our wander out of the restaurant and down the lane, we passed some edgy commissioned (and not so commissioned) street art – a fresh novelty for Brisbane folk I feel. And then, I found myself back at Brew (the first time for my Saturday night company). Lucky me. This time for the late night edition featuring a Jazz Trio, some toe tapping and a drink or two.

Although there are so many more mentionable places, unfortunately my time to explore them personally was short. I did try to go and check out Bean, a café hidden away behind the George St laneway. Sadly it was closed so I will have to forage there another day.

We did manage to squeeze in one last laneway gem for breakfast before my flight back. It was called The Kitchen Door and was found down an alleyway next to the Embassy Hotel. We sat at doors not tables, enjoyed the fresh industrial open feel and had a very yummy breakfast. One thing in Australia that I believe you can almost always count on, is knowing that even if you are tucked down a little narrow once unused laneway, you can still get a decent espresso coffee and a loose leaf pot of tea.

To the laneways of Brisbane, Australia… until we meet again and I can continue to explore your budding hidden dwellings, I will miss you.

Kinfolk Dinner - Charleston

When we first moved to America at the beginning of this year and I stumbled upon the world of Kinfolk, it was instant love. What I found was a magazine that drew creative goodness from all sorts of inspiring folk and places, filling its pages with lush photography, inspiring interviews, travel stories and general visual sumptuousness. The part I loved the most was their simple and sweet philosophy of appreciating and sharing good food, good conversation and life’s best moments among small gatherings of people.

Having a quiet moment to sit with its matte paper pages whilst dreaming of being in a Kinfolk world and eating Kinfolk food is my idea of complete heaven. So, when I heard about the launch of their first cookbook, “The Kinfolk Table”, and the opportunity to attend just one of the many Kinfolk Dinners being held around the world to celebrate the launch of the cookbook, I was on it. And very excited.

The nearest Kinfolk Table Dinner to me was held just outside of beautiful Charlestion, in South Carolina. The dinner took place on Duex Puces Farm (French for “two fleas”). It was the most perfect setting for a picnic dinner complete with an old farm house, farm animals, bee hives, a board walk that lead out to the river and a lush field of green grass that we could all gather, eat, drink, sit, laugh and be merry on.

The entire evening took my breath away.

The farm had been beautifully decorated and set up by the talents of Tara Derr Webb (owner of Duex Puces) and Olivia Rae James. On arrival, we were greeted with local and freshly shucked oysters and clams and a choice of two delicious cocktails. White port and Jack Rudy tonic anyone? Now quite possibly my favourite drink… We were invited to stroll the pier and go on boat rides along the river. Then the rain came, but it didn’t keep anyone from enjoying the scene and company of everyone, including the chefs who continued to smoke their sausage and bake their bread on the outdoor fire pit. We wandered inside the farm house that had been fittingly decked out with a selection of local artists work – photography, taxidermy and prints. All fabulous.

When it was time to eat, we all sat at picnic tables on rugs on the grass and were served local beer and freshly baked bread. We feasted on a selection of charcuterie, soups, salads and the most delicious ratatouille. The autumn air was crisp but not cold and once the clouds cleared, the full moon was up. 

Once our bellies were full of savory goodness, we all gathered underneath the farm house to enjoy fresh brewed coffee from Black Tap, ginger biscuits from Sugar, and huge cheese wheels that could be sliced and generously covered with honey and preserves. Night caps were also flowing from the bar and a roving blue grass duet with their double bass and banjo topped the atmosphere off just nicely.

There was also a very inviting campfire lit which of course, called for S’mores. Homemade marshmallows had been prepared by the chefs, along with two choices of chocolate – dark chili with brown sugar or white infused with rosemary. 

The entire time I was just blown away by the thought that all of these people had gathered on this farm, all with the same intention of sharing a lovely evening with like minded people enjoying good food, beautiful surroundings, and good company. I couldn’t get enough. It was just too good. 

At the end of the evening after my belly was full and my clothes smelt of campfire smoke, I went home. And I took away with me fond memories, new friends, lots of photos and an even bigger, warmer love for Kinfolk.

Can’t wait for another dinner next year.