Flowers are nature’s gift to humanity, according to Chris May who has forged a career around their fleeting beauty.

For this issue, we’ve again scoured the countryside and caught up with some fascinating people and places. We visit the historic home and garden of Withycombe in the NSW Blue Mountains, an old butter factory in the Adelaide Hills and the magnificent Harrow homestead on Queensland’s Darling Downs. While in London recently we visited Aussie-born-and-bred Ric Glenn in his domain and the gardens of the Cadogan Estate.

For our new issue of Australian Country, we’ve again scoured the countryside and caught up with some fascinating people and places.

Farmers growing Sun World table grapes aim to provide consumers with a grape for every season

The quiet town of Mudgee in the NSW Mid-West provides a feast for the senses in a very civilised, bucolic setting. See. Hear. Smell. Taste. Touch.

The pumpkin is a versatile vegetable whose flesh, skin and seeds have been used over many centuries to create food, medicine, mats and, of course, jack-o’-lanterns.

They might take in city rather than rural views from their verandah, but this Australian family will always remain country at heart.

Markdale Station in the NSW Southern Tablelands has evolved under the benevolent hands of three generations of the polo-loving Ashton family.

Anna and John Mahy took a bottle of wine, a world atlas and a pin and somehow ended up teaching homestead skills on New Zealand’s south island.

An encounter at a picnic meeting culminated in the restoration of one of Fleurieu Peninsula’s homesteads.

It is widely agreed that the versatile mushroom makes a delightful addition to a whole range of dishes. See what you can come up with!

It may only be tiny, but Île de Ré on the French Atlantic coast is big on history, natural beauty and a laid-back holiday vibe.

The best of country and beach living, a love of fresh produce and plenty of space for their many commercial coffee machines drew this family to an old house perched above Port Phillip Bay.

Combine your passion for food, fashion and travel collide in the creative and stylish melting pot of the Treloar-Cornish household.

Fine architectural foundations, a talent for project management and diy, and access to dental tools have all contributed to this character-laden renovation of a classic Queenslander.