Better Homes And Gardens S2025 E04
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00:00How stunning is this?
00:00:07I mean, quality of life is what we all strive for, isn't it?
00:00:10And this definitely works for me.
00:00:12But these days, Aussies just aren't making a tree change or a sea change.
00:00:17They're driving right to the heart of wine country.
00:00:19And it's not just about those cellar door visits.
00:00:21We're going to take a deeper dive on this growing housing trend, and we have loads of
00:00:26home inspiration coming your way now.
00:00:32Tonight, Colin's making swordfish, and it's dressed to impress.
00:00:36As a little Frenchman I know says, bon appétit.
00:00:42Have you asked your garden how it's feeling lately?
00:00:45Take the time to look around your garden.
00:00:47It will tell you exactly what it needs.
00:00:49And armed with that knowledge, you can head off to the nursery.
00:00:51Adam's sharing a DIY project we can all raise a glass to.
00:00:56Coffee? Tea?
00:00:57Tell you what, these guys don't want anything.
00:01:00This property was once a playground for the rich and famous.
00:01:04And we're taking you on an exclusive tour.
00:01:07I'm running out of words to describe the garden here at Sefton Hall.
00:01:13Plus, make your next mealtime double the fun.
00:01:16Tonight, I'm not only going to cook one dish, but I'm going to cook two dishes.
00:01:22Get back to nature by bringing the outdoors in.
00:01:25Botanical specimens make beautiful art.
00:01:29And Dr Harry isn't sure if this sick chicken needs a vet or a therapist.
00:01:34So what's the problem?
00:01:35Well, the family thinks the chicken is depressed.
00:01:44I'm in my garden, it's sunny, it's a great day.
00:01:46What's going to make this day better?
00:01:48Beautiful char-grilled swordfish.
00:01:50Now, not everyone likes fish, so this is sort of a gateway fish.
00:01:54It's the sort of the steak of the sea.
00:01:56Over flame, it's going to convince you 100%.
00:02:00So what I'm going to do is a little sort of salsa verde with olives
00:02:04to get that briny, salty flavour.
00:02:07So let's go.
00:02:13So let's start marinating our swordfish.
00:02:17So I reckon about 140 grams of swordfish is enough.
00:02:20It's a really meaty fish.
00:02:23You want to cook it just under, nice and pink.
00:02:25A little raw bit in the middle.
00:02:26Overcooked swordfish can be a little bit, if you get my drift.
00:02:30Salt and pepper.
00:02:31I salt and pepper a little bit before.
00:02:37A little splash of olive oil.
00:02:40A little lemon zest.
00:02:45So that's my fish.
00:02:47Set that aside.
00:02:49I've got my fennel.
00:02:50I've got my kettle on.
00:02:51About a litre of water, boiling.
00:02:55I'm going to make a very quick pickling liquor.
00:02:58So fennel into sixths.
00:03:02Right, so the fennel, I place that in a jar.
00:03:09So you sort of get the idea.
00:03:10There you go.
00:03:13So in my bowl, I've got some star anise.
00:03:17Some cinnamon.
00:03:19Some thyme.
00:03:20Some bay leaves.
00:03:21About three bay leaves.
00:03:24Tablespoon of sugar.
00:03:27Now I'm going to top that up with water, 600 mils, boiling.
00:03:30Because you want to cook the fennel.
00:03:32So then of course you need vinegar to pickle it.
00:03:34So you've got a litre of water, 400 vinegar.
00:03:36You can use any vinegar.
00:03:40Salt and pepper.
00:03:43If it's too vinegary, add a little pinch of sugar.
00:03:47It tastes healthy.
00:03:50That's good.
00:03:51So now what you do is you cover the fennel.
00:03:53Try and get some in the jar.
00:03:55Lid on.
00:03:58If you don't like fennel, you can use carrots.
00:04:00Baby carrots would work great.
00:04:02Or little whole baby cucumbers.
00:04:04Whole.
00:04:04Beautiful.
00:04:05Set that aside.
00:04:07All right, salsa verde.
00:04:09So I've got a bunch of basil.
00:04:11I've got a bunch of parsley and a bunch of tarragon.
00:04:13So we're obviously in the warmer months.
00:04:14But when it gets to winter and cold, you can use dill.
00:04:17You can use fennel.
00:04:18And you can use flat parsley.
00:04:19So work within the seasons.
00:04:21Give these a rough chop.
00:04:23You don't want them too fine.
00:04:26So if you smell this, this on top of the fish, it's already a winner.
00:04:31So into our bowl.
00:04:32A normal salsa verde is just the herbs, a little bit of butter, vinegar, maybe capers.
00:04:37But we're going to add some green pitted olives.
00:04:40So they're going to add a briny, salty flavour.
00:04:43So just roughly chop them.
00:04:44You want a bit of texture in there as well.
00:04:47All right, so you can see how rough that is.
00:04:50So you've got the texture.
00:04:51You've got the flavour.
00:04:52Get that in.
00:04:53We've got our capers.
00:04:56Give them a little run through the knife.
00:05:00So I would say with this dressing, be very careful with your salt.
00:05:04Because you've got the saltiness of the olives.
00:05:05You've got the saltiness of the capers.
00:05:07So season it at the very end, after you've tasted it.
00:05:10Get our capers in there.
00:05:12Pine nuts, about 100 grams toasted.
00:05:14Drizzle them in.
00:05:16Tablespoon of Dijon mustard.
00:05:19Give you a little kick.
00:05:20Next up, some chillies, bird's eyes.
00:05:22I'm using two.
00:05:26So I've got all my dry ingredients chopped in the bowl.
00:05:29All my beautiful herbs.
00:05:30I'm going to add about 100 mils of leftover pickling liquor.
00:05:34Just pour that in.
00:05:36That's going to give you a nice little kick.
00:05:38We're making a vinaigrette.
00:05:39We're making a vinaigrette.
00:05:41150 olive oil.
00:05:47Right, remember what I said about the salt and pepper?
00:05:49Not yet till we taste it.
00:05:50So give that a good mix.
00:05:53So you want it quite wet, so it just falls off the fish.
00:06:00Pinch, bit of pepper.
00:06:03Pinch of salt, not too much.
00:06:05Don't do this too far in advance, because the vinegar will cook the herbs.
00:06:09So about 20 minutes before.
00:06:12Beautiful.
00:06:13Last but not least, get the char on the fish.
00:06:17Let's go.
00:06:19All right, so we dredge our fish through our salt, lemon and pepper.
00:06:24Lay them neatly on the barbecue.
00:06:27So you want to hear that sizzle.
00:06:30Layer them the whole way up.
00:06:32So I reckon on the flame, a minute and a half will give you a nice pink swordfish.
00:06:36So you want to see this little bit of flame, because that's going to give you a char.
00:06:40And that's half the beauty of swordfish.
00:06:42It reacts really well to a char.
00:06:45Look at that.
00:06:46So that's what you're looking for.
00:06:47You want that nice char, the bar marks.
00:06:50All that is colour and smoke and flavour.
00:06:53So if you love your seafood like I do, you love crabs,
00:06:56head to WA, to Mandurah, next weekend for crab fest.
00:07:01You'll enjoy it.
00:07:02So these are beautiful and cooked.
00:07:04Still a little bit of give in them.
00:07:07Give it a little smash with the lemon.
00:07:15Give it a good stir, your salsa verde.
00:07:17So you want to get all that moisture.
00:07:20And then what you want to do is just let it fall on top of the swordfish.
00:07:28What I like to do is get a little drizzle on.
00:07:33So your vinaigrette's got all herby.
00:07:35Look at that.
00:07:37Last but not least, our fennel.
00:07:42Give me a little taste.
00:07:44So it's still got a bit of texture and it's got that beautiful vinegar.
00:07:48Oh yeah.
00:07:50It's a nice little wedges.
00:07:52You can break them up if you want.
00:07:54Whatever you don't use, put it back in the fridge.
00:07:57Beautiful with a cheese plate or a snack.
00:08:00So we've got our beautiful pickled fennel,
00:08:02our olive salsa verde, our charred swordfish.
00:08:06As a little Frenchman I now says, bon appétit.
00:08:18An affordable lifestyle right in the heart of wine country.
00:08:22What's not to love?
00:08:23It is now time to get stuck into the work.
00:08:26The first thing I'm going to do is work on the soil.
00:08:32This segment is brought to you by VIEW.
00:08:35See all properties Australia-wide with view.com.au
00:09:02The stunning Hunter Valley in New South Wales
00:09:04is fast becoming much more than just a great place to visit.
00:09:08Just two hours from Sydney if you're looking to buy.
00:09:11The bonus is the average family home is half the median price of most of our major cities.
00:09:17And the wine, well that's just the icing on the cake.
00:09:26So Renee, we're here in Maitland which is one of the rural gateways to the Hunter.
00:09:30You're an absolute gun real estate I've been told.
00:09:32So give me an idea roughly when I talk about this area booming.
00:09:35How many sales would you have had last year?
00:09:37Just over 100 sales that I personally did with my assistant Georgia.
00:09:41That is a mighty effort but it does show just how much this area is booming.
00:09:45We all know it's a beautiful part of the world
00:09:46but what makes it so attractive for people to move here?
00:09:48You're getting more value for your money compared to any other areas at the moment.
00:09:51You've got wonderful wineries, you're 30 minutes to the beaches, it's a beautiful spot.
00:09:56And I guess you also have, you know, Newcastle has an airport.
00:09:58You're only two hours from Sydney so I mean there is a lot to love.
00:10:02If you had to give us an idea of a median house price?
00:10:05So the Maitland LGA just December last year was $690,000 was the median price.
00:10:09That's still great value.
00:10:10Absolutely amazing.
00:10:11So I guess a really great starting point is to go to view.com.au
00:10:15and I'm just on this web page and you can actually put in a location profile.
00:10:18So if we put in Maitland, give me an idea as to a bit of an overview
00:10:22of all the things that you can actually see.
00:10:24Who's moving into the areas, whether it's families,
00:10:26investors buying in the area as well.
00:10:28And also schools, I mean it's got absolutely everything.
00:10:31You've got all that information.
00:10:32What would you actually suggest should be the next step?
00:10:34Highly recommend any purchaser to ring an agent, build a rapport with that agent.
00:10:38I always reckon the other thing is you should actually come and just look around, drive around.
00:10:41Absolutely, yeah 100%.
00:10:44And if you're looking for a property in the region a bit down the track,
00:10:48then this could be for you.
00:10:50So there is a lot to love about Lovedale and this part of the world.
00:10:54But Jim, you're a man who has very big plans for this part of the country, don't you?
00:10:58Absolutely.
00:10:58We've got an amazing 600-acre parcel land here in the heart of the vineyard district
00:11:02in the Hunter Valley.
00:11:03And we're going to be transforming these vacant cow paddocks
00:11:06into a beautiful 18-hole championship golf course
00:11:08and luxury resort and accommodation.
00:11:11I mean, it's hard to actually imagine a golf course right here.
00:11:14But we are going to be doing it.
00:11:16I mean, it's hard to actually imagine a golf course right here.
00:11:19But we are pretty much at the 18th hole, aren't we?
00:11:21Pretty much.
00:11:22We're actually standing behind the front tee there,
00:11:24teeing off over this beautiful historic dairy.
00:11:27This is a billion dollar investment.
00:11:29How many years to get it to this point?
00:11:30And then how many years before you see it in its full vision?
00:11:33It's taken us over 20 years to get where we are now.
00:11:35Wow.
00:11:35And the project in total is going to be about 10 years.
00:11:37We're hoping to kick off construction on the first stage mid this year
00:11:40and then we'll roll all the way through.
00:11:41So very exciting times for us.
00:11:43So how many homes in total are you hoping to have?
00:11:46So we've designed over 500 homes in total,
00:11:48but over a 600-acre parcel of land, that's actually not a great deal.
00:11:51We've got over 55% of the site dedicated to open and green space.
00:11:54So walking trails, the golf course,
00:11:57and we're restoring a lot of the natural vegetation here as well.
00:12:00Oh, I love hearing that.
00:12:01So if somebody's watching this and they're quite, you know,
00:12:03a bit interested because they've heard what the buzz is all about
00:12:05and they've seen and heard you speak about it,
00:12:07where can they actually go to get more of a sense of it?
00:12:09So we've got both our operating sales gallery at the Hunter Valley Gardens
00:12:13where people can actually come in and pick their homes,
00:12:16pick their lot, pick their facade and pick their floor plans.
00:12:19We're doing something very different here.
00:12:20First off, we're actually giving people a turnkey option.
00:12:22So we'll be delivering the first round of homes for people.
00:12:24So everything's taken care of.
00:12:26Why do I have the feeling that you have lived and breathed this for some time now?
00:12:31It's taken a long time and I'm passionate about it.
00:12:34It's an amazing project.
00:12:35What's not to love?
00:12:40So obviously, the Hunter has a lot of appeal.
00:12:46Now, it's not just all about the vineyards.
00:12:48There's also whiskey, gin and vodka distilleries.
00:12:51One of the things that I actually really love is it's a thriving foodie scene.
00:13:04So we're at Enzo Cafe in Polkhaven
00:13:06and this place is absolutely renowned for using fresh seasonal produce
00:13:10in the most creative ways.
00:13:12And I cannot wait to see what they have in store.
00:13:14Jo, we've got our crispy skin salmon for you to try
00:13:17and Pug's signature dish is pork belly.
00:13:20Oh my gosh, Sarah, these look like works of art on the plate.
00:13:22Absolutely.
00:13:23There's so much love going into our plates here at Enzo.
00:13:25So please enjoy.
00:13:27You obviously know me well because you brought me out two dishes.
00:13:29Yes, thank you.
00:13:31I think that's one of the things that I really love about the Hunter.
00:13:33You can either dash into somewhere and get a quick sandwich
00:13:36or you can go somewhere really special like this.
00:13:38You can even go as high end as views.
00:13:40Or if you're in Lovedale, try out the Deck Cafe.
00:13:43As far as activities, you can go hot air ballooning
00:13:45where you can enjoy some of the most magnificent views of the vineyards.
00:13:48There's the Hunter Valley Gardens to visit, which is one of my favourites.
00:13:51It doesn't matter what time of the year you go, those gardens look magnificent.
00:13:55There's retreats and spas, there's trail riding, there's cycleways
00:13:58and even the concert scene.
00:14:00There's so much live music that's set right in amongst the vines.
00:14:03Pretty much, I'd have to say there is something for everybody.
00:14:06So when you add all of that up, yes, it's a great place to visit,
00:14:09but it's an even better place to live.
00:14:16Do you love mushrooms?
00:14:18I've got a great stir fry for you.
00:14:21If you're tossing up plant choices, the best place to come for inspiration
00:14:25and ideas and advice is, of course, the nursery.
00:14:28All the hard work is normally done for you.
00:14:32In the March issue of the Better Homes and Gardens magazine,
00:14:35we're showing you how to add bold and bright colours to your home
00:14:38with our Complete Colour Guide.
00:14:40Plus, we're sharing some clever ideas for adding affordable wall art for your home,
00:14:45as well as our top tricks and tips for upcycling your old furniture.
00:14:49And in 2025, Better Homes and Gardens magazine is searching
00:14:53for Australia's most passionate and dedicated tradies.
00:14:56It's all inside the March issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine, on sale now.
00:15:06This segment is brought to you by ANL,
00:15:09Australia's leader in landscaping and gardening supplies.
00:15:15So you're pumped to get stuck into that weekend gardening project
00:15:18and chuck some colour at your place.
00:15:20I get it.
00:15:20But you don't want to waste money on plants that might not thrive or even survive.
00:15:24So the first thing you need to understand is what you're working with
00:15:27and what you're working against in your own garden.
00:15:34Before you head off to the nursery,
00:15:35there are a few things you need to do in your own garden.
00:15:37You need to work out what's the sun like, what's the soil like, and how does it drain.
00:15:41Here, we've got a full sun position.
00:15:43Brand new driveway, which has left us with two strip garden beds
00:15:46and a nice big round one to fill up.
00:15:48The soil is a clay base, which actually isn't a problem
00:15:51because it's going to hold on to nutrients.
00:15:52The reason it's not a problem is I know the drainage here is fantastic.
00:15:56Take the time to look around your garden.
00:15:58It will tell you exactly what it needs.
00:16:00And armed with that knowledge, you can head off to the nursery.
00:16:11And it helps if you've got a one-stop shop just like this
00:16:13where you can get everything you could possibly need for your landscape,
00:16:16both big and small, including a great white shark.
00:16:23And here at ANL, there is literally every type of soil for your garden.
00:16:27It's a bit like picking the right plant for the right spot.
00:16:30There's bound to be a mix that suits you here.
00:16:32Mushroom compost, organic compost, that'd be good for your veggies.
00:16:40There's a bunch of different mulches available
00:16:42and it can be confusing which one to choose.
00:16:45But here, you can check them out and find out what works best for your garden.
00:16:49You've got the Pinebark Mini Nuggets.
00:16:51These are perfect for a really large garden because they take ages to break down.
00:16:54There's Droughtmaster Mulch, which is a mix of mulch and compost,
00:16:58so it's great for really needy plants.
00:17:00And we've also got the coloured mulches as well.
00:17:09And armed with all that knowledge, I've selected Forest Vines for our mulch.
00:17:13Now, this is going to break down quite rapidly,
00:17:14which is going to improve the structure of our soil really quickly.
00:17:18And it looks nice, so it suits the style of the garden as well.
00:17:21The scale of the Bulk Materials Yard is really quite something.
00:17:36And of course, you can get your soils, your mulches, your aggregates, your cements,
00:17:39all delivered straight to your front door for those bigger landscape jobs.
00:17:43But the thing I really love is the area with the paving, boulders and rocks,
00:17:47because I find I go there, it sparks my inspiration and gets me started on the design.
00:17:51Now, another thing I love about this place is, of course, the plants.
00:18:04It sounds obvious, but when you get to the nursery,
00:18:06you need to pick plants that suit the conditions of your garden.
00:18:10If you've got loads of sun, get plants that are displayed outside in the full sun area.
00:18:15If you have shady areas, plant out or check out the display in the shaded section.
00:18:21You'll remember our site is full sun and free-draining soil,
00:18:25so I've picked plants to suit those conditions.
00:18:27And it's really important not to stray away from that.
00:18:30There is a ton of beautiful flowering perennials over there,
00:18:32but not all of them suit our conditions.
00:18:34One that does, though, is this fantastic salvia,
00:18:37and I've gone for contrasting colours in white and purple.
00:18:41And I've also got some shrub-forming rosemary.
00:18:45It is now time to get stuck into the work.
00:18:53The first thing I'm going to do is work on the soil.
00:18:55So these beds are incredibly hot.
00:18:57They get a lot of radiant heat off the driveway and the wall,
00:19:00and they're really quite narrow as well.
00:19:03So we're going to use the soil to mound these beds up.
00:19:05That's going to make them deeper, give us a bigger body of soil,
00:19:08and guarantee the health of our plants.
00:19:15♪ Dare you lie to my face
00:19:23♪ You can't say you're fine now
00:19:30Whenever you're planting into mounded soil like this,
00:19:32it's really important to mix the sub-base through.
00:19:35It's tempting to go straight into the fresh stuff
00:19:37because it's a lot easier, a lot less work,
00:19:39but it's really important that you do do it.
00:19:41And you do it for a couple of reasons.
00:19:43One is you alleviate any potential drainage issues down the line.
00:19:46You want those soils to mix together and drain as one.
00:19:49Secondly, the stuff that comes out of the bag is generally sterile.
00:19:52By mixing the subsoil through it,
00:19:53you're taking all those soil microbes and bacteria
00:19:56and mixing them through, adding life to your new soil.
00:19:59♪ Somewhere you could be fine
00:20:03♪ Somewhere you could be fine
00:20:05Coming up, the reasoning behind the plant design.
00:20:07♪ Find somewhere he's not the one
00:20:15We've got your next stir fry night.
00:20:17Signed, sealed and delivered.
00:20:19That's it. It's done.
00:20:23Don't topple your next tipple.
00:20:25Put it on this trolley instead.
00:20:27I want these wheels to be round like any other wheels, not square.
00:20:30Otherwise, this trolley is going to be a little bit lumpy as it goes along.
00:20:33You can imagine.
00:20:34All your drinks are going to spill everywhere.
00:20:37And Charlie's sowing the seeds of his successful trip to the nursery.
00:20:41Looking nice, don't you think?
00:20:42That really is, mate.
00:20:43Yeah.
00:20:49Tonight, I'm not only going to cook one dish,
00:20:52but I'm going to cook two dishes.
00:20:54They're going to be speedy, they're going to be easy
00:20:56and they're going to be absolutely delicious.
00:20:59The first dish I'm cooking for you is egg and tomato stir fry.
00:21:04I'm going to start off with the egg first.
00:21:08I've got five eggs here.
00:21:10You can use however many eggs, you know,
00:21:12how it depends on how many people you're feeding.
00:21:19To that, I'm going to add some white pepper
00:21:24and some salt.
00:21:26White pepper and salt.
00:21:33Give it a quick whisk.
00:21:38Next, tomatoes.
00:21:43Cut them in quarters like this.
00:21:51I'm going to turn on the heat for the pan.
00:21:54I'm going to put a splash of olive oil.
00:21:57This is going to take seconds to cook.
00:22:04So just like making scrambled eggs,
00:22:08you move the eggs around, but do not overcook it.
00:22:12All right, that was 45 seconds in there.
00:22:18And put them aside.
00:22:20In the same pan, we're going to cook the tomatoes.
00:22:24It's a handful of ginger.
00:22:32Wait till it turns ever so slightly brown.
00:22:35Now I'm going to add the garlic.
00:22:42And the tomatoes.
00:22:49I'm going to add just a splash of water
00:22:51just to get a bit of the juices coming out.
00:22:59A bit of salt.
00:23:02Some white pepper.
00:23:06And tomato sauce, about one tablespoon.
00:23:16Now add your cooked eggs to this.
00:23:22And mix it all up.
00:23:29So quickly, while that's just cooking away,
00:23:33I'm going to add some spring onions.
00:23:38Just the bottom bit first into the pan,
00:23:40and then we'll use the top bit as garnish.
00:23:46And voila, one dish done within minutes.
00:23:50Here I've got shiitake mushrooms,
00:23:53which I'm going to slice just medium.
00:23:57Okay, that should be enough.
00:24:00Got some oyster mushrooms.
00:24:02I'm going to leave them quite big
00:24:05because I do want to have the different textures in this dish.
00:24:10And by the way, all these mushrooms are available in your supermarket.
00:24:16Next is shimeji mushrooms.
00:24:19Here what I'm going to do,
00:24:20because they're all sort of little tiny sprouts there,
00:24:23I'm just going to cut the bottom off here.
00:24:29And then just break them.
00:24:31And then that's it.
00:24:32I'll leave them as is.
00:24:34Next I've got a couple of king browns.
00:24:39This one I'm going to cut in thick slices
00:24:43because this one I'm going to have a different kind of texture again.
00:24:48It's going to feel a bit meaty when you bite into them.
00:24:53One, two, three, four.
00:24:57I have a fifth one.
00:24:58I can't count.
00:24:59But this one is the most interesting, I feel.
00:25:03It's called black fungus,
00:25:06but we also call it wood ear.
00:25:09And my mum calls this rat's ears.
00:25:14Slice them into half.
00:25:16This again, texturally, is quite different from the other four mushrooms.
00:25:20They're a little bit crunchier.
00:25:24Now that I've got all of that prepped,
00:25:27this is going to be quick, fast, furious.
00:25:30We've only got a few ingredients to make this come together.
00:25:34Today I'm using olive oil.
00:25:35You can use peanut oil, vegetable oil.
00:25:38First, the garlic goes in.
00:25:40Give that a quick stir.
00:25:44I'm going to put the thickest mushroom first,
00:25:47and that will be your king brown.
00:25:54And then your shiitake.
00:26:03I'm just going to add a slight splash of salt.
00:26:07I'm just going to add a slight splash of water,
00:26:11just to get it going.
00:26:17Next, I'm going to do the wood ear, or the black fungus.
00:26:26Oyster mushrooms.
00:26:28And the shimeji mushrooms.
00:26:32Give it a quick stir.
00:26:35And then I'm going to put in some coarse black pepper.
00:26:39You want to overload this with some black pepper
00:26:43because that's going to give it that beautiful spiciness to it.
00:26:50I'm going to add in a pinch of sugar,
00:26:54and about two tablespoons of oyster sauce.
00:27:04That's it. It's done.
00:27:06Look at this.
00:27:09Two dishes,
00:27:12five kinds of mushrooms,
00:27:14egg stir fry with tomato,
00:27:17in under 30 minutes.
00:27:20Best part, as usual, is tasting it.
00:27:27Marriage made in heaven.
00:27:29Amazing.
00:27:34This historic property is never open to the general public,
00:27:38but I've got you an exclusive ticket on a tour
00:27:41around this amazing home and garden.
00:27:45I'll help you elevate your entertaining game
00:27:47with this DIY drink straw.
00:27:51To catch up on any stories you've missed,
00:27:53or to watch exclusive Better Homes and Gardens content,
00:27:56plus loads of how-to videos, recipes, and more,
00:28:00check us out on 7 Plus.
00:28:04I never get tired of exploring beautiful gardens
00:28:08and sharing them with you,
00:28:09but when you discover a hidden home with incredible history
00:28:14and you bring all of that together,
00:28:16then you definitely have something very special indeed.
00:28:35We've been invited to Sefton Hall here at Mount Wilson,
00:28:38surrounded by the Blue Mountains National Park.
00:28:42Now, over 100 years ago, the elite of Sydney,
00:28:45they came up here in summer to escape the coastal heat.
00:28:51Sefton Hall was the mountain retreat
00:28:53of wealthy retailer Henry Marcus Clark
00:28:56and was completed in 1912.
00:28:59The property was dormant for many years
00:29:01until James Douglas and Peter Rezenzev
00:29:04bought it five years ago,
00:29:06and they've restored it to her former glory.
00:29:10Now, it's not normally open to the public,
00:29:13but we've got an exclusive tour,
00:29:15and I can't wait to show you what the boys have done.
00:29:25This is a very traditional landscape.
00:29:28It's very evocative of an impressionist landscape painting,
00:29:32and it's filled with rare and unusual plants
00:29:35like the variegated azalea,
00:29:37the darkest red of them all camellia,
00:29:40night rider.
00:29:41Even the new foliage is a deep purple colour
00:29:44and, of course, rhododendrons at every turn.
00:29:47These towering tree ferns, the beech trees,
00:29:50these massive old local gum trees,
00:29:53they provide the essential summer shade
00:29:56for all the shrubs and the smaller trees down at our level.
00:30:00This incredible wall of azaleas is a variety called red wing,
00:30:04and many people believe it's the toughest,
00:30:07one of the hardiest gums in the world.
00:30:09But it's not true.
00:30:10It's a very, very hard tree.
00:30:12It's a very, very hard tree.
00:30:14People believe it's the toughest,
00:30:15one of the hardiest garden azaleas you could grow.
00:30:19And, of course, the hydrangeas.
00:30:21They don't like the summer heat,
00:30:22but they're loving it underneath here.
00:30:24It's just magical.
00:30:25But you do have the impression
00:30:27that this pathway is drawing you through
00:30:30to something very special.
00:30:39And then suddenly a whole new world appears.
00:30:42Beautiful open lawns, formal gardens,
00:30:44and that magnificent house,
00:30:46and the head gardener, James.
00:30:49Good to meet you.
00:30:49And his trusty dog, Indy.
00:30:52And I guess what I've just taken is a journey,
00:30:55which is really...
00:30:56That was the original design, wasn't it?
00:30:58Yes. A lot of the structure is that various plants
00:31:01have been planted in the way of the street
00:31:04so that as you arrive,
00:31:05the house and expansive lawn slowly reveal themselves.
00:31:10You've been here five years.
00:31:12You've tidied the place up
00:31:14because it was really pretty derelict, wasn't it?
00:31:16The garden, certainly.
00:31:17There was ivy in every plant and every garden bed,
00:31:22sometimes as much as a foot deep.
00:31:24And so the first few years involved
00:31:26literally just pulling out ivy all of the time.
00:31:30Once that was out, there were whole beds of bulbs
00:31:33and daffodils and tulips that started to arise,
00:31:35which was a surprise every year.
00:31:41Now, this is beautiful.
00:31:50So this is your perennial garden?
00:31:52That's right, yes.
00:31:53I cleared a lot of it out,
00:31:55but I've also introduced some of the things
00:31:57that I just enjoyed from my childhood,
00:31:59which is the foxgloves, the irises,
00:32:02these beautiful orange poppies.
00:32:05Look at the contrast of the stamens
00:32:07with that tangerine petal.
00:32:08Isn't it beautiful?
00:32:09Yeah, it's a beautiful contrast.
00:32:11The bees would see that from miles away, wouldn't they?
00:32:13That's a little bit of my home in Scotland
00:32:15that I've been able to bring to the mountains.
00:32:19I just love these rugosa roses.
00:32:22What is it with a rose that grows down by the beach
00:32:24and up here in the mountains?
00:32:26It's tough, isn't it?
00:32:27Look, they never get sick.
00:32:28They're amazingly seasonal.
00:32:30It's sort of the built environment
00:32:40of these heritage homes.
00:32:41It's always about structures and outhouses
00:32:45and beautiful homes like here.
00:32:47But in this case,
00:32:48you've got a woodland garden
00:32:51that's filled with heritage plants.
00:32:54Well, that's right.
00:32:55This is where the garden structure
00:32:56kicks in with the monkey puzzle,
00:32:58the radiata and the cypress,
00:33:00just sitting as three great majestic trees
00:33:04that are part of the heritage of this property.
00:33:06You can see the monkey puzzle from our bedroom.
00:33:09You can see the monkey puzzle from here,
00:33:11which is a great place to approach it.
00:33:13But see, you're really working with a garden
00:33:15that was created in the 19th century.
00:33:17It's gone through the 20th.
00:33:19Now you're into the 21st.
00:33:20That's an enormous challenge.
00:33:23And which is why it's my job to work out
00:33:25where is the spot to plant the next monkey puzzle,
00:33:29the next cypress,
00:33:30so that when these leave us,
00:33:33there are new ones behind for the next people.
00:33:43Well, James, it's just been a fantastic journey.
00:33:46Thank you for sharing the garden.
00:33:47You're welcome.
00:33:47It's just been brilliant.
00:33:49I haven't even had a look at the house yet.
00:33:50Well, Peter's up at the house.
00:33:52You're welcome to join us for a cup of tea.
00:33:54Why don't we take Henry Marcus Clarke's grand staircase?
00:33:58It's only 300 metres and 65 stairs.
00:34:01Oh, thank you.
00:34:02Well, don't go away because there is so much more to show you.
00:34:05A little bit more about the garden,
00:34:06but also to show you the beautiful house.
00:34:09If I get to the top of the staircase to heaven.
00:34:17I'm not here to reinvent the wheel.
00:34:19I'm here to reinvent the shell
00:34:21by putting a wheel on it and calling it a trolley.
00:34:24The sun, the soil, the drainage,
00:34:26knowing your garden is key to successful plants.
00:34:31In the March issue of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine,
00:34:33we're showing you how to eat the rainbow
00:34:35by embracing colourful ingredients and dishes
00:34:38like this delicious tomato tart and yummy gelato.
00:34:41Plus, we're sharing easy dinners for one
00:34:44like this fennel, squid and chilli couscous.
00:34:47And in 2025, Better Homes and Gardens Magazine
00:34:50is searching for Australia's most passionate
00:34:52and dedicated tradies.
00:34:54It's all inside the March issue
00:34:55of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine,
00:34:57which is out now.
00:35:04I wouldn't like to think how many shelves
00:35:06I've built on Better Homes and Gardens over the years.
00:35:09I mean, there's been a giraffe shelf.
00:35:14A rocket shelf.
00:35:20Even a shelf made out of sticks.
00:35:25Now, surely I hear you ask,
00:35:27Adam, there could not be any more variations.
00:35:30Well, lucky you asked.
00:35:31How about one with wheels on it that you can move around?
00:35:35I've even come up with a name for it.
00:35:36I'm going to call it a trolley.
00:35:43I'm going to keep this build nice and simple.
00:35:45I've got some dress pine.
00:35:46I'm going to be using that to make two frames.
00:35:48They're going to be about 900 long by 700 high.
00:35:54I've just cut the front leg at 550,
00:36:16and that's because the wheel goes on this side.
00:36:18Now, to join it together,
00:36:20I'm going to be using a halving joint.
00:36:21Basically, what that means is I'll take half out of this timber,
00:36:25half out of the other timber.
00:36:27That way, when you join them together,
00:36:28everything will sit flush.
00:36:30And I think that looks a lot better than a butt joint.
00:36:41And for our long leg, the halving joint,
00:36:43I'll be doing it 120mm up from the bottom of the leg.
00:36:52Great, the halving joint, I'm going to be using a circular saw.
00:36:55I'm going to do a sequence of cuts,
00:36:56and then I'll clean it out with a chisel and a hammer.
00:37:22With all the joints cut out, you can now see how it goes together.
00:37:25Now, I'm going to glue and clamp it up.
00:37:39Everything's nice and square.
00:37:41Now, I'm actually going to be adding in a dowel to all these joints.
00:37:44It's going to make it stronger,
00:37:46but also will be a nice design feature as it's a hardwood dowel,
00:37:49and it'll be a contrasting colour.
00:37:51But also on top of that, to make this trolley nice and fancy,
00:37:55I'm going to be rounding all these edges.
00:37:57Now, to do that, I've just got a little round tin
00:37:59that I'll be holding up to the corner.
00:38:01I'll mark that, and then that will allow me to position the dowel
00:38:05in between the centre of our curve and the inside edge here.
00:38:21So...
00:38:41Frame's complete. I can get onto the shelving.
00:38:43For that, I'm using this 16mm Malamine.
00:38:45You can buy it straight off the shelf from the hardware store,
00:38:49and that is actually what's going to determine our width,
00:38:51because it comes at 445mm wide,
00:38:54and that is going to be the width of our trolley.
00:38:56Now, the only problem with this is it's been edged on one side,
00:38:59and you can see that the rest of the edges are exposed.
00:39:02So we need to hide them because it doesn't look that pretty.
00:39:04To do that, I've just got some more Dress Pine.
00:39:06These are simply owl beads that you can pick up
00:39:09from the hardware store straight off the shelf,
00:39:11and I'll use them to dress the shelving all the way around.
00:39:20All right.
00:39:21The final piece of the preparation puzzle
00:39:23is to turn these shelves into a trolley,
00:39:25and the way we do that is with some wheels.
00:39:28I've just got some more Dress Pine,
00:39:30and basically, I want these wheels to be round like any other wheels,
00:39:34not square, otherwise this trolley's going to be a little bit lumpy
00:39:36as it goes along, you can imagine.
00:39:38All you need to do is just put a little bit of glue on it,
00:39:41and then you're ready to go.
00:39:42Now, I'm going to use a little bit of Dress Pine,
00:39:44and I'm going to put a little bit of Dress Pine on top of it.
00:39:47As it goes along, you can imagine,
00:39:49all your drinks are going to spill everywhere.
00:39:50So I've just got a batten that's half the width of my circle,
00:39:54so that's 142 and a half,
00:39:56which means that this circle is going to be 285 overall.
00:40:00Jeez, and I failed maths. You wouldn't guess, would you?
00:40:08I'll just use a jigsaw to cut it out.
00:40:17I've got nothing like a hand plan.
00:40:24Oh, I'm so excited right now.
00:40:27With all the preparation done, we are ready to start putting this together.
00:40:30I'm starting off by attaching this frame.
00:40:32I've just got a rail that I'm adding in here.
00:40:34I'm going to glue, pre-drill, and screw that in,
00:40:37and what that's going to do is allow me to attach the wheels a bit later on.
00:40:47Alright, what's a trolley without any wheels?
00:41:04Well, it's a shelf, but we want a trolley.
00:41:05So now I'm going to add the wheels.
00:41:08To do that, I've just got some nylon washers.
00:41:11They're M10s.
00:41:12I'm going to put two of them down,
00:41:14and what that does is create a space between the frame
00:41:17and the wheel.
00:41:17Then I've got this M10 coach screw with another washer.
00:41:21I'll simply sit that in place and screw it into the rail that I put on earlier.
00:41:41We've armed doors and cross-checked with the DIY trolley.
00:41:44Coffee? Tea?
00:41:45I'll tell you what, these guys don't want anything.
00:41:58My guide for the design of this garden is heavily factored around the sun intensity,
00:42:03the composition of the soil, and the drainage.
00:42:07And finally, it's time to add the plants.
00:42:11For the plants to this bed, I'm using wisterinja.
00:42:13Now, I'm using wisterinja because I know it does really well here.
00:42:15We've got it all up through this garden bed, so I know it can handle the aspect.
00:42:19Being at the bottom part of the wall means there's going to be much more moisture in the soil.
00:42:23These do like a free-draining soil,
00:42:24but we've mounded it up so they should be totally fine.
00:42:27We're going to have four spaced in this bed and two in this bed.
00:42:29I'm then going to use iliagnis as sort of a feature topiary,
00:42:33either side of the stairs up, and one just to balance at the end of the garden bed.
00:42:37Now, to fill in all the gaps, we're using myoporum.
00:42:40This is a native ground cover.
00:42:41It can handle these conditions.
00:42:43It'll really quickly cover the ground and gets a really nice white flower as well.
00:42:57To add a sense of lushness to the garden, I'm just putting in a dwarf agapanthus.
00:43:01Now, these are solid plants in the garden.
00:43:04They're really difficult to kill,
00:43:05and you'll also notice that I'm planting the myoporum
00:43:07a little bit further back from the edge of the driveway.
00:43:10That way, it's got space to fill in,
00:43:12and you're not going to run over it with your car tires.
00:43:24This garden bed is a very different affair
00:43:27to the other strip garden beds we just planted out,
00:43:29even though it's in the same garden.
00:43:31And that's because it's much bigger, which means we've got more soil,
00:43:35and we can make more impact with it.
00:43:36This is the front door, so we can have something that looks really fantastic.
00:43:39That's also going to help to break up all the paving.
00:43:42The first thing I want to do, though, is get a hedge planted along here.
00:43:45That could grow up to, say, about this high
00:43:47and work almost as a balustrade for the stairs coming up.
00:43:49It's going to set the tone for the rest of the planting,
00:43:51give it a bit of a semi-formal affair,
00:43:53so it ties in with the rest of the space.
00:43:55And for that, I'm using viburnum odoratissima.
00:43:57I know it works here because it's all over this garden.
00:44:05To add a bit of structure to the body of the garden bed, I'm using buxus.
00:44:09Now, buxus is a fantastic plant.
00:44:11It can handle these conditions.
00:44:12It can take full sun all the way through to semi-shade.
00:44:16It's great for topiary and structure
00:44:17because the leaves are so small and they grow so close together,
00:44:20so when you clip them, you get a nice, solid shape.
00:44:22I'm used to using balls, or I should say I'm starting with balls,
00:44:25and I'm going to put them together in cloud forms.
00:44:28That way, they're going to offset the nice, soft perennials
00:44:30I'm going to add to them as well.
00:44:39Selecting hedges and structure for your garden is one thing,
00:44:42but selecting flowers is another
00:44:44because you get more emotionally attached to a flower.
00:44:47The plant's trying its best to impress you,
00:44:49and when it dies, it can be heartbreaking.
00:44:51But if you follow the conditions this plant is used to in its natural habitat,
00:44:55you're bound to have success.
00:44:57You see all these flowers, you might think
00:44:58this is going to be perfect in a moist European garden,
00:45:00but actually, it's from the prairies of America,
00:45:03which are hot and dry and very humid.
00:45:05So, you're going to want to be careful.
00:45:07which are hot and dry and very free-draining,
00:45:09so they're perfect for this situation.
00:45:11When you're setting them out,
00:45:12you also need to know how big they're going to get.
00:45:15Although these are currently a little bit shorter than our salvias,
00:45:18they're going to quickly get a lot taller,
00:45:19so I don't want them to get lost.
00:45:20They're going to go towards the back of the bed,
00:45:22and the salvias, they're going to be at the front.
00:45:31Just because your garden is hot baking sun
00:45:33doesn't mean you can't have some lovely, dainty flowers.
00:45:35This is sanguisorba.
00:45:37It will take temperatures all the way from
00:45:39minus 15 degrees Celsius up to 40 degrees Celsius,
00:45:42so it's incredibly hardy,
00:45:43and it's got these really lovely flower heads on them.
00:45:46This one's called plum drops, obviously,
00:45:48because of the deep plum colour,
00:45:49but they also come in everything through to whites as well.
00:45:52With most perennials, at the end of the season,
00:45:54the end of autumn, just chop it down low,
00:45:56and it will rejuvenate in spring
00:45:58and give you these flowers all through summer and autumn.
00:46:05It's a nice, neat garden.
00:46:07It really is, mate, yeah.
00:46:08Now, it doesn't matter if your garden is in full sun,
00:46:10full shade, you've got sand, you've got clay,
00:46:12you've got good drainage or poor drainage.
00:46:15Every garden will improve by applying some mulch,
00:46:17especially when your plants are establishing at this period,
00:46:20because it insulates the soil,
00:46:21and when it insulates the soil,
00:46:22they can focus on putting out root growth,
00:46:24which will give you better long-term results.
00:46:36So, to recap, for a successful new planting,
00:46:39it's pretty simple, really.
00:46:40You need to know what you're dealing with.
00:46:41Look at your aspect, look at your soil,
00:46:43look at your drainage, look at the plants around you.
00:46:45Then only buy plants that suit those conditions.
00:46:47Don't go astray.
00:46:49Give your soil a bit of love, finish it off with some mulch,
00:46:52and you're bound to save yourself a bundle in the long run.
00:47:06♪ I don't want it ♪
00:47:08♪ You're all that I want it ♪
00:47:11♪ You're all that I need ♪
00:47:13♪ And if it hurts me... ♪
00:47:14Then the only other thing you need to do
00:47:16is get yourself a graham to look after it.
00:47:18Cheers, mate.
00:47:19♪ We keep on burning ♪
00:47:21♪ No, I can't leave you ♪
00:47:23♪ The world will keep on burning... ♪
00:47:26Coming up, this super easy wall art turns faux into fabulous.
00:47:31How many of us have a dusty old bunch of artificial flowers
00:47:35lying somewhere around the house?
00:47:38Can Dr Harry help Lizzie look her life sunny side up?
00:47:42She is depressed.
00:47:44And if you'd been sick for four or six weeks,
00:47:46you'd be depressed as well.
00:47:49And if you thought the gardens at Sefton Hall were impressive,
00:47:52just wait till you see the house.
00:47:55Oh, what a magical space.
00:48:00♪ So much better... ♪
00:48:03Botanical specimens make beautiful art.
00:48:06So I'm using a classic printing technique
00:48:09to create some gallery-style pieces.
00:48:11I've collected some leaves with interesting shapes.
00:48:14And the first step in this process is just to take some ink.
00:48:17I've got some black ink here and some foam.
00:48:20And what you want to do is dab the ink onto the foam
00:48:23and then place it on the underside of the fern
00:48:26because that is where all the texture and detail is.
00:48:29♪ I believe in honesty
00:48:32♪ A little bit of honesty is always in my recipe
00:48:36♪ And you've been a good son for me... ♪
00:48:40Once the ink is on the fern, you want to take a gel pad.
00:48:44Now, you pick these up from the craft store
00:48:46and they are a little bit like jelly, as the name suggests.
00:48:49They're quite flexible.
00:48:51And that means when you transfer the leaf onto the gel pad,
00:48:57it will pick up all of those beautiful details and textures in the leaf.
00:49:02So you want to place the leaf down
00:49:04in whatever shape you think is going to look the nicest.
00:49:08And then you'll take a roller and roll over it
00:49:11to get all of that ink on there.
00:49:22You can already see how beautiful all the detail in that fern is.
00:49:26And the next step is to take some paper.
00:49:28And these pieces were falling out of a vintage book that I had,
00:49:31so I thought they'd make the ideal canvas.
00:49:34I'm going to place that over the top of the gel pad.
00:49:37Ideally, it's the right size.
00:49:39And then you just want to roll it over the top of that
00:49:42and it will transfer the pattern onto the page.
00:49:46Now, obviously, because you're using vintage paper,
00:49:49you want to be very careful with it.
00:49:51It's quite fragile and you don't want it to tear.
00:49:54So just very gently peel it back
00:49:57and you should start to see that lovely pattern emerge.
00:50:05To clean off the gel pad for the next one,
00:50:06all you need to do is take a wet wipe
00:50:08and gently wipe off the pad.
00:50:11It couldn't be easier.
00:50:13Make sure it's not wet.
00:50:14Use a dry wipe at the end.
00:50:16And now you're ready to have a go at a few other shapes.
00:50:23♪ To try and let this get intertwined
00:50:26♪ The stars in my life
00:50:29♪ The boys in your sight
00:50:31♪ Watch me take my time
00:50:33♪ I can't believe my...
00:50:35The beauty of this being so easy to clean
00:50:37is that if you make a mistake or there's something you don't like,
00:50:39you can just wipe part of it off
00:50:41or wipe the whole thing off and start again.
00:50:44So that one's done.
00:50:45And now I'm just going to take some more paper.
00:50:49I'm creating nine of these to make a gallery-style display.
00:50:53♪ It's not enough to keep my love a secret
00:50:57♪ It's not enough to say it's nice to meet you
00:51:01♪ It's not enough to kiss you in my head
00:51:05♪ I want to know how the story ends
00:51:08♪ Even if it breaks my heart
00:51:11♪ I want to hold your hand
00:51:13♪ Don't want to hide who I am
00:51:16♪ Even if it breaks my heart
00:51:18♪ I want to hold your hand
00:51:20♪ Don't want to hide who I am
00:51:23♪ Even if it falls apart
00:51:27As backing for the botanical artworks,
00:51:29I'm using this gorgeous paper.
00:51:31It's actually wrapping paper,
00:51:32which is cheaper than the craft paper,
00:51:34but it has this lovely handmade feel,
00:51:36so I thought it would be ideal.
00:51:38To attach my botanical artworks,
00:51:40I'm using some double-sided tape
00:51:43and I've marked out the centre point
00:51:44at the bottom of this paper.
00:51:46I'm just going to place the first one there
00:51:48and then no measuring required.
00:51:51I'm simply going to leave about a 5mm gap
00:51:53in between each one and eyeball it.
00:52:07Now, to add some weight to the bottom of this paper,
00:52:10I'm just using some half dowel
00:52:11with double-sided tape again.
00:52:13I'm going to place that at the bottom.
00:52:15I'm also placing some at the top
00:52:17because that will give us somewhere
00:52:18to hang this beautiful artwork on the wall.
00:52:22It also gives it that classic feel.
00:52:29And just like that,
00:52:31you will have yourself a stunning artwork
00:52:34ready to be hung.
00:52:41How many of us have a dusty old bunch
00:52:43of artificial flowers
00:52:45lying somewhere around the house?
00:52:47This is going to be the inspiration
00:52:49for my next artwork
00:52:51and it's based on the idea of a cameo.
00:52:53You would have seen something like this before.
00:52:55It's basically a relief
00:52:57carved into a shell like this
00:52:58but I'm going to give it a botanical twist
00:53:01and use these flowers.
00:53:03All you need to do is take each individual flower head
00:53:06and dip it into the paint.
00:53:08Give it a good coat
00:53:09and then pop it into some florist foam
00:53:12to sit upright so it can drip dry.
00:53:16While these are drying,
00:53:35I am going to get on to making the backing board
00:53:37or the canvas.
00:53:38And for that,
00:53:39we're going to create some contrast
00:53:41and paint a canvas black.
00:53:44And traditionally,
00:53:45cameos are on an oval or round shape
00:53:47so I'm going to use a round canvas.
00:54:05Once the paint's dry on the canvas
00:54:07and the flowers,
00:54:08you can start to arrange them.
00:54:09And to do that,
00:54:11I'm just going to use some pins
00:54:12to hold them in place
00:54:13until I'm happy with where they are
00:54:15and then I'm going to use some hot glue
00:54:17to secure them down.
00:54:39And just like that,
00:54:41another gorgeous artwork.
00:54:44By using white on the darker background,
00:54:46it really makes the flowers pop
00:54:48and gives that cameo look
00:54:49which is so stylish.
00:54:51And we've shown here
00:54:52that you can create wall art
00:54:53that is inexpensive
00:54:55and you don't have to have
00:54:56any artistic ability to do it.
00:54:58By sticking to naturalistic,
00:54:59botanical themes,
00:55:01it also means that your decor
00:55:03isn't going to date.
00:55:14We've been having
00:55:15the most incredible tour
00:55:17of Sefton Hall
00:55:18where the gardens
00:55:19have been beautifully restored,
00:55:21lovingly cared for
00:55:22and telling that essential story
00:55:24of the area.
00:55:25But we haven't had a look
00:55:27inside these beautiful buildings
00:55:28which are an essential part
00:55:30of the landscape.
00:55:37Peter.
00:55:38Oh, Graeme.
00:55:39Good to meet you.
00:55:39Yeah, good to meet you too.
00:55:40I'm Graeme.
00:55:41I'm Peter.
00:55:42I'm Graeme.
00:55:43Good to meet you.
00:55:43Yes, you too, my friend.
00:55:45How beautiful.
00:55:46What a very special place.
00:55:48Thank you, Graeme.
00:55:48It's our pride and joy.
00:55:51This building apparently
00:55:52is an outhouse
00:55:53but it's a very fancy outhouse.
00:55:55What's the story?
00:55:56So when Henry Marcus Clark
00:55:57arrived here in 1910,
00:55:59there was a small cottage here.
00:56:02He decided to take the living room
00:56:03of the existing cottage
00:56:04and turn it into
00:56:05and refashion it
00:56:06with rather elaborate detail
00:56:09into his billiard room.
00:56:10Now, you're halfway
00:56:11through a restoration.
00:56:12We are.
00:56:13So the house is just as important
00:56:15as the garden.
00:56:16That's it.
00:56:17And we take our time
00:56:18to make all the decisions
00:56:19around restoration,
00:56:21be it the garden or the cottage.
00:56:23Hence, it's in its half-painted state.
00:56:25But we've got the right person
00:56:27for the job.
00:56:27It'll just take a little bit of time.
00:56:29Yeah, well,
00:56:29patience is what it's all about.
00:56:31Now, I've been very patient
00:56:32looking at the grand house
00:56:34which is beckoning.
00:56:35Can you show me inside?
00:56:36Indeed.
00:56:36Come this way.
00:56:37It's just sitting up there
00:56:38gloriously on the hill.
00:56:43Well, I see your selection of vehicle
00:56:51is right on point
00:56:52for Septon Hall, Peter.
00:56:54This is our Rolls Royce Silver Shadow,
00:56:561973 model.
00:56:57It's quite an early one.
00:56:58Right.
00:56:59Her name is Millie.
00:57:00Oh.
00:57:00Named after the original owner.
00:57:02What a beautiful piece of machinery.
00:57:04Oh, what a magical space.
00:57:14Thank you, Graeme.
00:57:15Oh.
00:57:15Come through this way.
00:57:16Oh, thank you.
00:57:18Goodness gracious.
00:57:20Oh, what a beautiful room.
00:57:24Oh, this is stunning.
00:57:25I love the way that you've kept
00:57:28the original window frames
00:57:30and the original treatment.
00:57:32But of course,
00:57:32you can see out into the garden, Peter.
00:57:35And I think for an early house
00:57:37like this, 1910,
00:57:38this house does have
00:57:39an amazing connection
00:57:41between the indoor spaces
00:57:42and the garden.
00:57:48Graeme, welcome to the drawing room
00:57:50of Septon Hall.
00:57:51Oh, goodness gracious.
00:57:56Another room built for the view
00:57:58into the garden.
00:58:00You're the historian of the team
00:58:02and obviously kept a contact
00:58:04with the Marcus Clark family as well.
00:58:06Indeed.
00:58:07I mean, they have a very strong
00:58:08connection to Septon.
00:58:09It was in their family for 80 years.
00:58:12One of the clerks said to us,
00:58:14thank you so much
00:58:15for looking after Septon for us.
00:58:24I can't think of a better way
00:58:25than to finish our visit
00:58:28with a traditional
00:58:29Mount Wilson afternoon tea
00:58:31here at Septon Hall.
00:58:32Thank you, boys.
00:58:32It's been beautiful.
00:58:33A pleasure.
00:58:34Well, I know this is spring
00:58:36and it's full of beautiful colour,
00:58:37but you must have experienced
00:58:39some incredible winters
00:58:40and other seasons.
00:58:41That's right.
00:58:42Look, we're a blaze of colour
00:58:44in spring and summer
00:58:45round about now,
00:58:46but then often it snows
00:58:48and you see the garden structure
00:58:51and the house covered in snow and frost.
00:58:53Yeah.
00:58:53And it's quite a picture.
00:58:56Thank you for what you are doing
00:58:58for Australian horticulture
00:58:59and architecture and history.
00:59:01I know Septon Hall's
00:59:02not open to the public,
00:59:03so our visit has been
00:59:05very precious indeed.
00:59:06Thank you for letting us in today
00:59:08and sharing this beautiful estate.
00:59:11A pleasure.
00:59:13And young lady, she's had it.
00:59:16She's exhausted like us all.
00:59:17We've had a wonderful visit.
00:59:21OK, Scarlett,
00:59:22take me to the chickens.
00:59:24Come on, lead the way.
00:59:26This should be good.
00:59:29In the March issue
00:59:30of the Better Homes
00:59:31and Gardens magazine,
00:59:32we are celebrating
00:59:33the plant colour of the year, teal,
00:59:35and we're showing you
00:59:35how to incorporate it
00:59:36into your garden.
00:59:38Plus, we explore Gather Flower Farm
00:59:40in the Yarra Valley,
00:59:41which is home to a huge range
00:59:42of vibrant blooms
00:59:43like dahlias, roses,
00:59:45proteas and peonies.
00:59:47And in 2025,
00:59:48Better Homes and Gardens magazine
00:59:49is searching for Australia's
00:59:51most passionate
00:59:51and dedicated tradies.
00:59:53That's all in the March issue
00:59:55of the Better Homes
00:59:55and Gardens magazine.
00:59:56Out now.
01:00:04I've come down to one of
01:00:05Sydney's northern beaches
01:00:07to visit a family
01:00:08who have a problem
01:00:09with one of their chickens.
01:00:11So what's the problem?
01:00:12Well, the family thinks
01:00:13the chicken is depressed.
01:00:15Sounds interesting, doesn't it?
01:00:16Come on.
01:00:24Good morning, everybody.
01:00:25Hi, Dr. Harry.
01:00:26Graham, I know you.
01:00:27Thanks for coming.
01:00:28Who's in charge of the chickens?
01:00:30That'll be me.
01:00:31And your name is?
01:00:32Scarlet.
01:00:33Scarlet.
01:00:34OK, Scarlet,
01:00:35take me to the chickens.
01:00:37Come on, lead the way.
01:00:39This should be good.
01:00:44OK, I see them.
01:00:47So how many birds
01:00:48have we got all together?
01:00:49So we've got four in here.
01:00:51Four.
01:00:51OK.
01:00:56I'd better come in, Graham.
01:01:02Well, this is the patient.
01:01:03Yes, it is.
01:01:04Does she have a name?
01:01:05She's called Lizzie.
01:01:07Lizzie.
01:01:07So can you tell me
01:01:08how long she's been sick?
01:01:10She started losing feathers
01:01:12when I first noticed
01:01:13that her neck was getting less thick.
01:01:16Yes.
01:01:16And recently we've seen
01:01:18that she's been sleeping
01:01:20and like a couple of days ago,
01:01:21she stopped laying
01:01:22and she's gotten more skinny.
01:01:24She doesn't eat as much
01:01:25as the other chickens.
01:01:26I think since I saw her losing feathers,
01:01:29she just started to look sad.
01:01:31Yeah.
01:01:32Have you had her treated by anybody
01:01:33or anybody looked at her?
01:01:36No, I don't.
01:01:36No?
01:01:37No, we haven't had anybody look at her.
01:01:38We've given her some
01:01:40worming solution
01:01:41and drinking water.
01:01:43Yes.
01:01:43Yeah.
01:01:43And we isolated her
01:01:44so she got her first dose.
01:01:46OK.
01:01:47We've deliced her with powder.
01:01:50Yes.
01:01:51And we tried some
01:01:52multivitamins as well.
01:01:54And has anything
01:01:55made any difference to her,
01:01:56do you think?
01:01:56I think she has some days
01:01:57where she seems a bit perkier than others,
01:01:59but more often than not,
01:02:00she seems a little bit isolated
01:02:02and withdrawn from the rest of the flock.
01:02:04Righto, let me have a feel.
01:02:08You did lose a bird
01:02:08some time ago, didn't you?
01:02:09How long ago?
01:02:10About six months ago.
01:02:11So six months ago, she died
01:02:13with what we think
01:02:14were respiratory symptoms.
01:02:15What did she do?
01:02:15Did she sneeze or cough or crow?
01:02:17She did sneeze a lot.
01:02:18She coughed and she'd sleep in the corner.
01:02:21Right.
01:02:22And she did this.
01:02:25It looked like she was gasping for breath.
01:02:27Did she sit there with her mouth open?
01:02:28Like...
01:02:29She did.
01:02:31OK.
01:02:32We need now to try and,
01:02:33if possible, relate that
01:02:34to what's going on here.
01:02:36So we might take her
01:02:38down to the veranda
01:02:39where we can sit down at ease
01:02:40and have a look
01:02:41and see what's going on.
01:02:48OK, let's put her up here
01:02:49and weigh her, all right?
01:02:51Hold her steady.
01:02:521.6.
01:02:531.6 kilos.
01:02:54OK.
01:02:55Lift her out.
01:02:55Take her up.
01:02:56So 1.6 kilos is not very much
01:02:59for a chicken to weigh, is it?
01:03:00And besides, if she's not well,
01:03:02she probably won't eat as well
01:03:03as the other chickens.
01:03:04So she won't carry the weight.
01:03:05But she is not as skinny
01:03:07as you thought
01:03:07and not as skinny as I thought.
01:03:09So have a look at the front end.
01:03:11Now, we talked about
01:03:13the previous chicken dying
01:03:14of what sounds like
01:03:15some sort of respiratory tract disease.
01:03:18I'm worried about this bird
01:03:19because when I look at her head,
01:03:22her head's not normal.
01:03:24You look at this side of the head
01:03:25and look at the swelling here.
01:03:26It's more swollen on the right side
01:03:28than it is on the left side.
01:03:29And the right side
01:03:30is the one with the funny eye.
01:03:33Yeah.
01:03:33So I get my magnifying glass
01:03:35and I have a good look.
01:03:39And the nostril is damaged
01:03:41on the right side.
01:03:42It's certainly not normal.
01:03:43I think she has very poor
01:03:45and possibly no vision
01:03:46in the right eye, OK?
01:03:47Can we tell if there's
01:03:48anything still going on inside?
01:03:51Well, I think we can
01:03:51have a try, don't you?
01:03:53Yeah.
01:03:53Let's have a listen.
01:03:54I'm interested in listening
01:03:55to what are called the air sacs.
01:03:58Normally speaking,
01:04:00you can hear the heart very well.
01:04:02And you should not be able
01:04:03to hear any noise
01:04:04within the air sacs at all.
01:04:06There is a very faint noise
01:04:08within the air sacs.
01:04:09So I think there is
01:04:10some residual inflammation
01:04:13still in the air sacs.
01:04:15Now, there are a couple
01:04:17of respiratory tract diseases,
01:04:19but the big one is called ILT,
01:04:21infectious laryngotracheitis.
01:04:23And the symptoms
01:04:24that your other bird showed
01:04:25with this big gasping respiration,
01:04:27that's ILT.
01:04:29So what happens with that is
01:04:30it's a really nasty virus
01:04:33and it affects the whole
01:04:34of the windpipe in these birds
01:04:36and they die fairly quickly.
01:04:38However, there are a percentage
01:04:41which go on and carry the disease
01:04:43in a very low grade form.
01:04:45And I believe this is one of them.
01:04:46Right.
01:04:47So I'm going to put her
01:04:48on a course of antibiotics.
01:04:50And the antibiotic you give,
01:04:51you give by injection,
01:04:52you give it every second day.
01:04:54And it's particularly good
01:04:55for treating respiratory tract
01:04:57infections in birds.
01:04:58It cannot kill the virus,
01:05:00but what it will do is
01:05:02eliminate any of the secondary
01:05:03infection that's around the patch.
01:05:05I'm going to slip this needle up here.
01:05:08In.
01:05:09Just in.
01:05:10Bingo.
01:05:12Didn't even know it happened.
01:05:13Easy.
01:05:14Didn't even know it happened.
01:05:16You got me here
01:05:17because you had the chicken
01:05:18that was depressed.
01:05:20Well, you were correct, weren't you?
01:05:22She is depressed.
01:05:23And if you'd been sick
01:05:24for four or six weeks,
01:05:25you'd be depressed as well.
01:05:28And you're not getting any better.
01:05:29OK, so we're going to try and help her.
01:05:32That respiratory tract infection.
01:05:34ILT.
01:05:35Remember the name.
01:05:36ILT is responsible
01:05:37for the whole darn problem.
01:05:40So if you've got chickens,
01:05:42make sure you get them vaccinated.
01:05:46I love showing you around
01:05:56the stunning Hunter Valley
01:05:57in New South Wales,
01:05:59exploring the many
01:06:00lifestyle opportunities
01:06:01that are available to you.
01:06:02It's so easy to see why
01:06:04so many people come back here
01:06:06and why even more are moving
01:06:07to this part of the world.
01:06:09I'll see you next week
01:06:09with more Better Homes and Gardens.
01:06:11Bye bye.
01:06:15Next time,
01:06:16who doesn't love
01:06:17a bit of French flavour?
01:06:19Well, combine that
01:06:19with farm fresh air
01:06:21and it's pure heaven.
01:06:22Whether it's gorgeous flowers
01:06:24or delicious food,
01:06:25you are going to love
01:06:26the story and the people
01:06:28behind Babington Park.
01:06:30Colin is finding new ways
01:06:31to work with lettuce
01:06:32while looking like a wet lettuce.
01:06:34I am cooking.
01:06:36Yes, in the rain.
01:06:37And I'm cooking lettuce.
01:06:39So work that out.
01:06:41This shed spruce up is so good,
01:06:43you'll want to move in.
01:06:44Watch me turn an old shed
01:06:46into a brand new one
01:06:47with a bit of paint.
01:06:49You put in the work,
01:06:50so you want to enjoy
01:06:51your garden's colour
01:06:52all year round.
01:06:54Creating a perennial garden
01:06:55can certainly add
01:06:56a lot of character to your space.
01:06:58I'll give you all the tips
01:06:59to get a look just like this.
01:07:01Plus, is this 40-year-old bird
01:07:03having a midlife crisis?
01:07:05Meet Daisy,
01:07:06a self-requested cockatoo
01:07:08that won't stop screeching.
01:07:10Juliette's wall art is so easy,
01:07:12it won't tie you up in knots.
01:07:14So how long is a piece of string anyway?
01:07:16Trust me, this little art project
01:07:18might surprise you.
01:07:20And we're helping Peter
01:07:21get his gardening groove back.
01:07:23Beautiful, that's absolutely magnificent.
01:07:25Thank you very much.
01:07:27That's next time
01:07:28on Better Homes and Gardens.