AUTUMN
Balonne Council
feature
St George, Thallon, Nindigully, Dirranbandi, Mungindi, Hebel, Bollon
GUNDAGAI Lindley’s Last Ride
Iandra Castle Garden
Showcasing the best of rural and regional New South Wales & Southern Queensland
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Trading as Regional Lifestyle Magazine ABN 151 6322 9418 ADDRESS PO BOX 1050 DUBBO NSW 2830 PHONE 0429 441 086 WEBSITE www.lifestylemagazine.net.au FACEBOOK @RegionalLifestyleMagazine INSTAGRAM @RegionalLifestyleMagazine PUBLISHERS, ACCOUNTS & ADVERTISING Elizabeth & Alex Tickle info@lifestylemagazine.net.au EDITOR Elizabeth Tickle editor@lifestylemagazine.net.au ART DIRECTOR Zora Regulic artdirector@lifestylemagazine.net.au
DISTRIBUTION Regional Lifestyle Magazine is published quarterly (available at the beginning of each season) and distributed to selected newsagents and retail outlets in Southern Queensland, Northern Victoria and within the Central West and in the surrounding regions of the Far West, New England & North West, Riverina & Southern Slopes, the Monaro, Southern Highlands, Canberra, Northern and Eastern suburbs of Sydney, in addition to a selection of other rural and coastal areas of New South Wales. Subscriptions and back issues are also available to read online, on desktop and mobile devices. Unsold magazines are distributed to cafes, health waiting rooms, quality hotels/motels, bed and breakfast establishments, hair and beauty salons and tourist outlets.
Regional Lifestyle showcases authentic content from across rural and regional New South Wales, Southern Queensland and Northern Victoria. The heart of the magazine is in the Central West of New South Wales, but a great story knows no boundaries. We are continually amazed by the innovation, inspiration and spirit that we find time and time again in communities both within the Central West and further afield. It is our passion and privilege to bring these stories to you.
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CONTENTS ISSUE 48 AUTUMN 2025
32
RAPE ESCAPE: For nearly 30 years, David G Blacket’s life has revolved around grapes. 40 OVER THE MOON: Andrew and David Moon have gone from growing rockmelons to onions, garlic, pumpkins, grapes and cotton. 56 UNIQUE EGGS: Meet Stavros Margaritis, who transforms emu eggs into works of art. 68 MATES FOR LIFE: Bill Willis and Wayne Lasserre share the story of their lifelong friendship. 82 PASSION AND PIGS: Steve Burns has turned a tiny outback pub into a destination for tourists. 100 TOUGH AS NAILS: Meet Alfie Glass, a local legend in Mungindi. 114 YOU’VE GOT MAIL: Childcare worker Emily Wall is now the postmistress of Bollon.
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144 K ING OF THE CASTLE: Take a tour of Iandra Castle and its glorious gardens.
TRAVEL
AUTUMN
Balonne Council
feature
158 C RUISING EUROPE: Nicole and John take us on a scenic tour of some amazing places.
St George, Thallon, Nindigully, Dirranbandi, Mungindi, Hebel, Bollon
RECIPES
170 P UMPKIN DELIGHT: Lorraine shares some tasty treats for lunch and dessert, ideal for Autumn dining.
GUNDAGAI Lindley’s Last Ride
Iandra Castle Garden
$15.00 inc GST AUTUMN 2025 VOLUME 48
>
COUNTRY CHARACTERS
GARDEN
WEDDINGS
184 B EAUTIFUL BRIDES: This edition’s featured weddings were celebrated in St George, Queensland, Cawongla, NSW and Jugiong, NSW.
THE LAST WORD
194 C OPING WITH GRIEF: Ruth Cotton shares strategies on dealing with loss.
608002
ayor Samantha O’Toole gives seven good M reasons to visit Balonne shire.
772201
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Showcasing the best of rural and regional New South Wales & Southern Queensland
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BALONNE SHIRE FEATURE
ON THE COVER
The Watering Hole mural on the Thallon GrainCorp silos, created in 2017 by Travis Vinson and Joel Fergie, stands as a symbol of this small town’s remarkable determination to survive. Image: Annette Green Australian Silo Art Trail
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FROM THE PUBLISHERS
Showcasing regional lifestyle at its best Optimism is a happiness magnet. If you stay positive, good things and good people will be drawn to you. – Mary Lou Retton
Welcome to Autumn 2025
It’s very exciting to usher in a new year and a new season! Hoping that Christmas was a special time for you and your loved ones and that 2025 will be all that you hope for, bringing peace, happiness and good health.
Going forward
We’re delighted to present 114 pages on the wonderful Balonne Shire Council area in Queensland, sharing motivating stories and information about agriculture, iconic homes, business achievers, sportspeople, local heroes, education, local events, entrepreneurs and so much more. We feel certain you will be impressed by the huge array of content in this area that is underpinned by incredibly strong, resilient and forward-thinking communities. The Balonne Shire Council leadership team was very quick to take up the opportunity to collaborate with Regional Lifestyle and be part of a significant showcase across 100 pages (extended to 114 pages). The council team has been very proactive to work with and we thank them for their extended efforts across the six-month period of planning, research, networking, refining and finally sending to print. A high point of the Autumn 2025 edition has been the launch at beautiful Riversands Wines on Whytes Road, St George. David Blacket and his staff, together with the Balonne Shire Council and Regional Lifestyle jointly hosted a very memorable evening event for the local stakeholders to enjoy.
A new model
Our Summer 2024 edition represented a new business model for shared features and was exceptionally well received. This edition featured five council areas in the Southern Tablelands across 155 pages. In the Your Letters section you will be able to read feedback from council, businesses and readers. Magazine sales have been strong, and many people have utilised the ideas in the Eight-Day Road Trip outlined in the front section of the feature. We continually receive so many comments about how our quarterly features motivate tourists to travel across our beautiful countryside, supporting businesses as they go and making lasting memories.
Winter 2025 Feature
Continuing on with our venture into Queensland, we will present an 80-page feature on the Western Downs in Winter 2025. This council area includes Dalby, Chinchilla, Miles, Tara, Bell, Condamine, Wandoan, Jandowae and other localities. We have enjoyed numerous visits to these interesting areas, and it is all coming together beautifully. We plan to release this edition (number 49) in mid-May.
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Celebrations are in order
It is quite surreal to us that edition number 50 will be released in Spring 2025. This means we’ve been in business for almost 13 years and have worked with more than 75 councils featuring their particular areas (20 councils have been featured more than once) and showcased in excess of 85 towns and cities across NSW and southern Queensland. What a privilege this has been for us and we are incredibly grateful for the opportunity. Our 50th edition, the Spring 2025 feature, will be a combined venture on five NSW councils – Temora, Coolamon, Junee, Cootamundra/Gundagai and West Wyalong (Bland Council). These visionary councils accepted the proposal presented by RLM with great enthusiasm and we are all very excited moving forward with this project. Watch this space!
Thank you
Thanks once again for your continued and unwavering belief in what we do (councils, businesses, newsagencies, selected boutique sellers and of course, our readers). We are so proud to still have a strong business presence after all these years and feel we are continuing to profile the best kept secrets: the communities in rural and regional NSW and southern Queensland. We’re very grateful to our loyal and talented team who make each and every edition their “best effort”. You’re invited to visit our website www.lifestylemagazine.net.au/Our Team and get to know our wonderful team members. We trust you can enjoy the cooler weather and the flush of stunning Autumn colours as this new season turns on an everchanging stage production for us. Take care and travel safely.
Warmest regards, Elizabeth and Alex
The Art of Sophistication and Style Sophistication and style meet classic charm at Yallungah Boutique Hotel, a refined retreat in the heart of Orange, NSW. A one-of-a-kind destination for work or play, we fuse contemporary art and striking design in a beautifully restored heritage homestead.
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AUTUMN 202 5 CONTRIBUTORS
meet your team
ELIZABETH TICKLE
ALEX TICKLE
Publisher, Editor, Advertising
Publisher, Distribution, Advertising
JENEL HUNT
KATE BOSHAMMER
Writer
HELEN TICKLE
Strategy and Distribution
KIM WOODS Writer
NICOLE BONFIELD Travel Writer
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ZORA REGULIC
ANNA ROSE
MURRAY HARTIN
Art Director
Sub-editor, Proofreader & Writer
Guest Feature Writer
Website Developer, Advertising Designer, Writer
Advertising Designer
SALLY MARCEAU
MELISSA DUNKERLEY
LIZ TICKNER
JENNIFER HARDEN
LORRAINE HILLS
KYLIE WHITAKER
ANNA CONN
JEM HAWKER
LYNNE WALKER
MARTYN PEARCE
ELIZABETH GRANT
JOHN BALTAKS
SUE CURLEY
ASSOC PROFESSOR SOL QURASHI
RUTH COTTON
Wedding Writer, Photographer, Social Media
Feature Photographer
Travel Photographer
Writer
Garden Writer
Writer
Advertising Designer
Photographer
Writer
Health and Wellness Writer
Writer
Writer
Writer
Writer
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A U T U M N feedback
your letters
Mayor Kenrick Winchester Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council
I have been an avid reader of this beautiful publication since its first edition, many years ago. With each new season of the year, I look forward to receiving a new issue of RLM in the mail. Throughout the pages of each magazine there is an opportunity to read about interesting people and their achievements, to learn about different places and to revisit those which are familiar. The diverse range of stories about people, places and events always piques my interest and encourages me to include further entries on my bucket list of places to visit. The photography is excellent and further entices the reader into each article. RLM is a high-quality magazine with broad appeal. Well done! Ros McInnes, Grafton, NSW
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The Community Bank branches of Braidwood and Bungendore, Bendigo Bank, have had a close working relationship with Regional Lifestyle for a number of years. When we were approached early in 2024 to promote and advertise our unique banking model for the Summer 2024 edition, we once again jumped at the opportunity. Rather than focusing on our immediate communities, we decided to do a collaborative marketing piece with our Boorowa and Harden Community Bank branches. This initiative, I believe, will gain greater exposure of the Community Bank model and benefits to our communities. I’d also like to say that as always, it has been a pleasure working with Elizabeth, Alex and the staff at Regional Lifestyle. They are very professional, follow up on time and the magazine itself is one that we all should be proud of. Nick Fry Community Engagement Manager Braidwood, Bungendore/Crookwell
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We are delighted to have seen our beautiful region – the Southern Tablelands of NSW – featured in the Summer edition of Regional Lifestyle Magazine. Your team has captured the heart and soul of the Southern Tablelands. With each turn of the page, more and more of the experiences that we have awaiting our visitors were uncovered. The charm of our towns and villages, our spectacular natural beauty and, most importantly, the stories of the people who call this area their home, were told with passion and authenticity. I am proud to work with my counterparts at GoulburnMulwaree, Hilltops, Upper Lachlan and Yass Valley councils to drive the growth of this region as a tourism destination and applaud the professionalism of the RLM team in producing a high-quality publication that will remain in our local shops, on our library shelves, and in our homes for a long time to come. Our congratulations and thanks to Elizabeth and Alex; we look forward to welcoming your readers to the Southern Tablelands soon.
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BALONNE SHIRE COUNCIL FE ATURE
BALONNE SHIRE
COU NCI L F E AT U R E
Seven great reasons to visit From the Balonne Shire Council Mayor It is my great pleasure to invite you to explore this edition of Regional Lifestyle Magazine, which focuses on the welcoming and vibrant community that is the Balonne shire. Our seven townships of St George, Dirranbandi, Bollon, Thallon, Nindigully, Hebel and Mungindi are all situated on the magnificent river systems that wind their way through the iconic Australian riverine landscape of our shire. Together, our communities are the epitome of welcoming, and offer a great place for people to visit, a great place to live and grow with your family and a great place to set up a flourishing business enterprise. Located 400km from state’s capital, spanning more than 31,000sq km, and producing $493 million in gross economic agricultural product last financial year, our Balonne shire is full of opportunity. Our expansive cotton fields and cotton gins and sheep and cattle properties are the backbone of our local economy that filter business and economic opportunities through the rest of the shire. From the muralled silos of Thallon, to the award-winning Mungindi Sculpture Trail, historic venues like the Nindigully Pub, the iconic Riversands Winery and the pristine riverside campgrounds and parklands, our shire offers so many opportunities for visitors
18 RLM ST GEORGE
to meander through our natural attractions and settle into our relaxed way of life. It seems like there is never a dull moment in the shire with a constant stream of events that bring our communities together to celebrate our way of life and to enjoy all this region has to offer. Our friendly communities stand in stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of big cities with property prices that allow families to easily step into the property market and small-town communities that embrace newcomers with open arms. This really is a place where families can create a cherished life, instead of just struggling in the grind. I hope you enjoy reading about the characters and community organisations that make our shire the envy of many other regions. As cherished as these local icons are in our community, they really are just the tip of the iceberg. It is quite a beautiful experience getting to meet them all in person and having the privilege of calling them mate. There’s a reason people come here for a visit or short stay and become a local and a welcomed part of our shire. We look forward to welcoming you for a visit, or maybe a bit longer stay, in the nottoo-distant future. Mayor Samantha O’Toole Balonne Shire Council
“It seems like there is never a dull moment in the shire with a constant stream of events that bring our communities together to celebrate our way of life and to celebrate all this region has to offer.”
St George T O W N F E A T U R E
An ideal place to Balonne Shire Balonne Shire Balonne Shire Balonne Shire Balonne Shire LIVE, WORK, PLAY
live, work, play live, work, play live, work, play live, work, play live, work, play The Balonne Shire offers the best of both worlds, surrounded beautiful The Balonne Shire offers theofbest ofworlds, both worlds, surrounded by beautiful The Balonne Shire offers the best both surrounded byby beautiful The Balonne Shire offers the best both worlds, surrounded bythrive. beautiful The Balonne Shire offers the best of both surrounded by beautiful natural landscapes, agriculture and aofplace where families can thrive. natural landscapes, agriculture and aworlds, place where families can natural landscapes, agriculture and place where families thrive. The Balonne shire offers the best ofaboth worlds, surrounded bycan beautiful natural landscapes, agriculture a where place where families thrive. natural landscapes, agriculture andaand aplace place where families can can thrive. natural landscapes, agriculture and families can thrive.
Nestled between the coast and the outback, Balonne Shire Shire is a is The towns of St of George, Dirranbandi, Bollon, Hebel,Hebel, Thallon Nestled between the coast and the outback, Balonne a The towns St George, Dirranbandi, Bollon, Thallo Nestled between the coast and the outback, Balonne Shire is a The towns of St George, Dirranbandi, Bollon, Hebel, Thallon unique regionregion that offers a blend of natural beauty, vibrant and Mungindi offer something that cannot be found elsewhere unique that offers a blend of natural beauty, vibrant and Mungindi offer something that cannot be found elsewhe Nestled between coast the outback, Balonne is The a The offer towns of St George, Dirranbandi, Bollon, Hebel, Thal Nestled between the coast and the outback, Balonne Shire Shire is a and towns of St George, Dirranbandi, Bollon, Hebel, Thallon unique region that offers athe blend ofand natural beauty, vibrant Mungindi something that cannot be found elsewhere community and economic opportunity. – from friendly locals and community spirit, it is a wonderful community and economic opportunity. – from friendly locals and community spirit, it is a wonderf Nestled between the coast and outback, Balonne shire is a unique Mungindi offer something that cannot be found elsewhere – from unique region that offers a blend of natural beauty, vibrant and Mungindi offer something that cannot be found elsewhe unique region that offers a blend of natural beauty, vibrant andfriendly Mungindi offerand something that spirit, cannot elsewhere community and economic opportunity. – from locals community itbe is found a wonderful place tolocals enjoy a community relaxed, rural place to enjoy a relaxed, rural lifestyle. place to region that offers a blend of natural beauty, vibrant friendly and spirit,lifestyle. it is a wonderful The region hosts stunning landscapes, from community the serene The region hosts stunning landscapes, from the serene community and economic opportunity. – from friendly locals and community spirit, it is a wonder community and economic opportunity. – from friendly locals and community spirit, it is a wonderful place to enjoy a relaxed, rural lifestyle. The regionandhosts stunning landscapes, from the serene economic opportunity. enjoy a relaxed, rural lifestyle. strong economy and agricultural sector, coupled Balonne River River to theto expansive outback, overflowing with with The region’s strong economy and agricultural sector, couple Balonne the expansive outback, overflowing The region’s place to enjoy a relaxed, rural lifestyle. to enjoy a relaxed, rural lifestyle. TheTheregion hosts stunning landscapes, from the serene The River region hosts stunning landscapes, from theBalonne serene strong economy and agricultural Balonne to thehosts expansive outback, overflowing with The place region’s region stunning landscapes, from the serene The region’s strong economy and agricultural sector,sector, coupled coupled with the Shire’s idylliccreates location, creates a favourable outdoor adventures and cultural experiences. with the Shire’s idyllic location, creates a favourab outdoor and cultural experiences. River toadventures the expansive outback, overflowing with outdoor with the shire’s idyllic location, a favourable environment strong economy and agricultural sector, coup Balonne River to expansive the expansive outback, overflowing with The region’s strong economy and agricultural coupled Balonne River to the outback, overflowing with with The region’s the Shire’s idyllic location, creates a sector, favourable outdoor adventures and cultural experiences. environment for business growth. environment for business growth. adventures and cultural experiences. for business growth. Living in Balonne means becoming part of a close-knit Living in Balonne means becoming part of a close-knit the Shire’s idyllic location, creates a favoura adventures and cultural experiences. with with theforShire’s idyllic location, creates a favourable outdoor adventures and cultural experiences. environment business growth. Living in outdoor Balonne means becoming part of closeknit a close-knit Living Balonne means becoming of asupport. Whether you’re looking for a place tofor visit,alive, orvisit, start avisit, support. Whether you’re looking for a place to live, or start a community thatinvalues connection andpart Whether you’re looking place to live, or start community that values connection and environment for business growth. environment for business in Balonne means a close-knit LivingLiving in Balonne means becoming part part of a of close-knit support. Whether you’re looking agrowth. place to to visit, or start a community that values connection and becoming RLM community that values connection and support. business, Balonne shire hasfor something special offer.live, business, Balonne Shire Shire has something special to offer. business, Balonne has something special to offer. Thethat towns of St George, Dirranbandi, Hebel, Thallon and business, Words images: Balonne Shire Council Whether you’re a place visit, live, or star community that values connection and support. support. Whether you’re looking for and a for place to visit, live, or start a community values connection and Bollon, Balonne Shire haslooking something special toto offer. business, Balonne has something special to offer. business, Balonne Shire Shire has something special to offer.
ST GEORGE RLM 19
Murals tell a tale Take a wander along the mural trail and discover the history of St George.
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St George T O W N F E A T U R E
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T O W N F E A T U R E St George
Exploring nature’s MAJESTY From behind the lens, photographer Kylie Whitaker is attracting wide acclaim for her images of outback Queensland.
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St George T O W N F E A T U R E
Back in 1996, Kylie arrived in St George from Emerald for what was supposed to be a one-week holiday. Emerald was in the grips of a 10-year drought; ironically, St George was green after flooding. She fell in love with the town, the locals and the landscape. And it is the ever-changing landscape and seasons that profoundly influence Kylie’s photography. “During droughts I try to take a lot more resilience pictures, like weeds growing out of the cracked earth,” Kylie says. Kylie became interested in photography when she was in Year 11
at high school, learning skills such as developing her own film in the dark room. It was not until her youngest child had finished high school that she decided to pick up a camera again. She has had no formal training nor mentors; she says she just “points and shoots”. > FACING PAGE: The ‘Kylie’s photography’ Facebook page features her stunning nature photographs, such as this one, without edits or Photoshop. BELOW: Kylie Whitaker doesn’t claim to be a top photographer but says she merely points and shoots – RLM believes that’s some shooting!
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