Acknowledgements

There are a number of people I’d like to thank for helping make this book possible – Diana Hill, for asking me to do it in the first place; Deb Brash, Paul Mitchell and Sophia Oravecz from Murdoch Books; Simon Griffiths for the photography, and Jo Hunt for the design.

I’d like to thank family, friends and colleagues for their help and support, which came in many different forms: Myles Baldwin, Donald Campbell, Elizabeth Clark, Adrian Cutting, Amanda Ducker, Cathy Gray, everyone at Helen Gory Galerie, Margo Hill-Smith, Wendy Howitt, Belinda Jezek, Jeremy Keens and Carol Oxley, Karen McCartney, UM, Peter Mould, Louise Pfanner, Huw Turner and Penny Collins.

Of course, there wouldn’t be a book without the owners of the houses, who couldn’t have been more hospitable. As well as opening their doors, they were generous with their thoughts and their time. Many provided bed and board – I have very good memories of sleeping in comfortable beds in the stillness of out-of-the-way places, and long chats over breakfasts, lunches and dinners (often barbecues), morning teas, with scones straight out of the oven, and early evening drinks, sometimes of local wine. It was a great privilege to have been to all the houses and spent time with their owners, to whom I’m extremely grateful – Liz Forsyth and Tom Bates; the owner of Permanent Camping; Justin Gare and Kristin Phillips; Susan Weil and Emma Hohnen; Jo and Max Thomas; James Phillips and Elaine Townshend; Madeleine Winch; Morgan Allender and Justin Hermes; Janet and Roy Chisholm; the owners of the property at Bombala; the owners of Pejar Park; Adrian and Julie Brown; Glenny Eastwood and Daniel Burgermeister; Robynne and John Huckerby; Rob and Marnie Gilder; Joe Chindarsi; Glenice and Don Gare.