canberra and bungendore

canberra and bungendore

13 May 2025

Easter came and went in a haze, so I was determined to go away for ANZAC Day and I decided to drive down to Canberra. I was interested in seeing the Ethel Carrick exhibition at the National Gallery, before it closed and the Fit to Print exhibition at the National Library of Australia. I enjoyed both exhibitions greatly as well as my dinner at Bar Rochford.

Canberra is much cooler than Sydney so the leaves had already started to change colour. In the morning I took a walk around the streets of Braddon so I could enjoy the autumnal hues before I drove back home to Sydney via Bungendore.

It's been 25 years since my last trip to Bungendore. We'd been out for dinner the night before and I had a very queasy tummy so I lay down on the back seat of the car for the whole journey from Sydney, so my memories of Bungendore are few. I don't remember it being so charming.

It was a grey, dreary sort of day. I parked the car and went for a wander down the main thoroughfare with my camera.

I found the retro looking Motel Bungendore, which has clearly seen better days.

My Dad loved nothing better than a long distance country drive, and we'd often end up staying in one of these roadside motels with their ingenious little cupboards containing the breakfast that you'd ordered at reception the night before.

There were other gems like the CWA Hall.

And the Royal Hotel. 

Just across the street was St Philip's Anglican Church. It looks peaceful but I took these photos accompanied by the squawks from a flock of cockatoos. 

I turned tail and headed down the other side of the street, past this rose in all her faded glory.

The next stop was the prettiest Police Station I think I've seen in NSW.

Surrounded by immaculate gardens.

Last but not least was the lovely Old Stone House.

The Old Stone House operates as a wedding venue and as a former wedding photographer, I would have loved to have photographed a wedding in its beautiful grounds.

After my little wander it was back into the car for the drive back to Sydney.

I hope you enjoyed coming along with me on my mini break in Canberra and Bungendore.

Bye for now,

Jillian

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daffodils at rydal

daffodils at rydal

9 Sept 2013

Have you heard about Rydal? It's a tiny little village about 12 kiometres from Lithgow and for the past 7 years Rydal has hosted Daffodils at Rydal.



I heard about it a few weeks ago on a gardening programme and pencilled the dates into my diary. Daffodils at Rydal runs over 2 weekends but as the weather has been unseasonably hot, I wasn't sure the daffodils would survive 'til the second week. Rydal is a 2 1/2 hour drive from Sydney and Saturday September 8 was election day, so I cleared my day and voted early.



I'm an early bird so I left Sydney at 7.30 a.m. and I arrived just on opening time. The village was a charming as I'd hoped to find it.



I paid my entry fee at the Railway Station, took a copy of the map and made my way through the suggested route.



I started at the old police station before making my way to Rydal Cottage. Daffodils weren't the only flowers in bloom. There was plenty of wattle on display and spring blossoms.



I found the contrast between the stark countryside and the cheery well mannered daffodils quite interesting.



From Rydal Cottage I walked past St. Matthew's Church and on to Rose Cottage.



Rose Cottage is a bed and breakfast set amongst beautiful gardens.  



I found lots of pretty little corners to explore.



The garden was beautifully scented.



There were plants for sale and a pretty potager garden.



After Rose Cottage I walked through Pioneer Park back to the main street.



A burst of pink in the main street.




I decided to visit one more garden, Solitary Creek, before driving back to Sydney.



Solitary Creek was a much more Australian garden featuring lots of purple flowers and foliage. Leann, the owner, has the sweetest little puppy who was receiving lots of puppy cuddles from the garden visitors.



I came home via Blackheath, where I stocked up on sour dough bread at the Blackheath Bakery, before the long drive home.

Rydal was a charming as I'd hoped it would be so I'm planning to return in 2014.

No baking for me this week so if you need a recipe fix, here's my latest Delicious Bites column for decor8. Holly from decor8 loves it when readers comment, so if you could pen a few words I'd be grateful.

See you all again next week,

Jillian 

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greg hatton shopshoot

greg hatton shopshoot

5 Nov 2012

Way back in April I went down to Melbourne on a work trip. I decided to combine business with pleasure and spent the weekend staying with an old friend in Castlemaine. Castlemaine is about an 1½ hour's drive from Melbourne Airport but I made a leisurely trip via Kyenton to see some autumn colour. The following day we drove to the nearby village of Newstead to pay furniture and lighting designer Greg Hatton a visit. I saw some of Greg's work when I photographed Koskela and wanted to see more. As we drove through Newstead we saw this magnificent brick chimney and knew we were heading in the right direction.



Greg and his family live in the old Newstead Butter Factory and when Greg bought it, the building had been used as a candle factory. Greg had to painstakingly strip the wax back to reveal the beauty beneath.



The building is huge and houses Greg's workshop, a small flat and a large gallery like area which features Greg's furniture and lighting. Greg has great plans for the factory and the weekend we visited he was in the middle of building a new kitchen.



All these images were taken in the little downstairs flat. I absolutely loved all the details.



I loved the bentwood chairs and the unexpected touch of glamour provided by the chandelier. The chandelier is very similar to one my Grandma had hanging in her home.



Outside are remnants of the building's former life as a factory, garden beds, lots of interesting looking sheds and of course, a 'ute'.



Greg handed me a cup of tea and I roamed around snapping to my heart's content. I took loads of photos that day because there were so many interesting things to photograph.



Back inside I visited the workshop where the magic happens.



In the entry way was a bee box sideboard.



Greg is the ultimate recycler, so nothing goes to waste.



One day I hope to have one of Greg's lighting creations hanging in my own home.



There was enough time to take a few more pictures before we left for a spot of lunch in Castlemaine.



I hope you enjoyed my visit to the old Newstead Butter Factory. Many thanks to Greg, Katie, Hazel and Kevin the wonder dog for allowing me to visit their home.

See you all again on Wednesday,

Jillian

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Homewares II

Homewares II

6 Feb 2009

I meant to post this ages ago. When I went overseas last year I planned on buying some new homewares to jazz up my food styling. Lack of space coupled with a poor exchange rate meant that I came home with little. I had to spend a few hours at Helsinki Airport on my way back to Sydney and I had no idea how fantastic the shopping was going to be. I've always loved the pared back look of Scandinavian design so I was in heaven browsing through the Iittala glassware. Unfortunately as I was already loaded down with my camera bag, I could only buy what I could carry. My one purchase - an Alvar Aalto oak serving tray. Next time I'm going with an empty bag!



I styled my Mediterranean lunch of feta cheese (a brand called Dodoni and it's the nicest feta cheese I've ever eaten), kalamata olives and turkish bread using my new purchases from Country Road and Helsinki, on a table runner from Cloth. Tomorrow it's meant to be 40° C so if it's too hot to cook dinner, I may be dining on watermelon and feta cheese salad.

Happy Weekend,

Jillian

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