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Tickets are now on sale for Sovereign Hill’s famous Winter Wonderlights

Words by Tehya Nicholas
Images supplied

Everyone loves a white Christmas, but we Aussies rarely get to experience it the way our European friends do. Unless you head to Ballarat from June 24.

Victoria’s most popular living museum, Sovereign Hill, is once again hosting its Winter Wonderlights Festival: a three-week bright, white Christmas-themed extravaganza.

Just 90 minutes from Melbourne, it’s the perfect spot to take the family for the school holidays – and don that daggy Christmas sweater you’ve been saving.

Christmas in July

Imagine cosying up by the fire, drinking a mug of hot chocolate while fairy lights twinkle nearby. Sound good?
Now add a brilliant light show illuminating a century’s-old Gold Rush museum into the picture.
You’re starting to get an image of Sovereign Hill’s Winter Wonderlight Festival.

Sovereign Hill

From 24 June to 16 July, the Sovereign Hill streetscape will transform into a snow and light-filled space, sure to dazzle visitors from young to old. There’s a bustling schedule of family-friendly daytime and night-time activities, opportunities to meet Saint Nicholas himself, and enough Christmas-themed treats to last the year.

With so much on offer, we thought we’d give you our pick of the activities. So you can worry less about scheduling – and focus more on merrymaking.

Bright lights, little city

We must begin with the hero of the festival: the light show!

Each night after sundown (around 5.30 pm), Sovereign Hill’s Main Street transforms into a rainbow of light and imagery. Designed in tandem with Electric Canvas – the team behind much of Melbourne’s White Night – these displays are nothing short of magical.

Candy canes twinkle above an antique sign. Neon bows loop and unloop on a tin veranda. Paired with the Christmas carols echoing through the street and faux snow pluming into the air, it’s a feast for all the senses.

The projections finish at 7 pm and can be very busy. So we recommend starting at the top of the hill and meandering through Main Street towards the exit rather than away. You’ll dodge the big crowds and enjoy a better view.

Winter Wonderlights

Warm up your winter with these old-school activities

A regular day pass will buy you all day and night access to the museum. That means you can enjoy plenty of daytime activities and the light show for one affordable price.

Famous for its Gold Rush character, Sovereign Hill has ample activities for the whole family. From candle-making and horse and cart rides to gold panning and lolly eating – you could easily spend three days at the museum and still have more to see.

If you’re travelling with children, you can’t miss the gold panning. We recommend bringing gumboots because things can get wet as you sift through the mud for the treasures.

Once you’ve exhausted the pan, stop by the lolly shop, Brown’s Confectionary, to taste its famous boiled raspberry drops. Handmade to a traditional recipe, these treats are especially sweet in winter.

Continue the shopping spirit with a stroll through the European-inspired Christmas Market. Grown-ups looking to imbibe can warm up with a mulled wine. And there’s gingerbread for the little ones.

Costumed characters walk around throughout all areas, performing pantomimes and interacting with guests. You can find Saint Nicholas and ask for a photograph if you’re lucky. These actors are the final flourish of a very immersive experience.

You can also head to the Victoria Theatre on-site to watch a scripted theatre performance, which we hear is Christmas themed too. A carefully created replica of the eponymous 1850s Ballarat theatre, the space and the stories told there transport viewers to a bygone era.

Winter Wonderlights

Our tips for a smooth stay

The Winter Wonderlight Festival is extremely popular, with tickets selling out quickly. So your best move is to plan your trip and book early.

Here are our top tips to ensure your visit is fun and friction-free.

  1. Book early: We can’t say it enough. Tickets are available now via the Sovereign Hill website. A wide range of access is available, from single to family passes.
  2. Rug up: It’s no secret that Victoria’s Central Highlands get cold. The days in Ballarat average 10 degrees, so be prepared for even chillier nights.
  3. Make a weekend of it: Because the light show is only visible at night, it’s a good idea to book an overnight – or weekend – stay. There are plenty of accommodation options in nearby Ballarat. And if you want to continue the historical theme, BIG4 just opened a holiday park next to Kryal Castle.
  4. Reserve a table: The restaurants inside Sovereign Hill tend to fill up early. So if you’re looking to eat on-site, call or pop in ahead of time to book your seats.
  5. BYO marshmallows: There are places to roast them, but sadly no places to buy them. You will be the envy of everyone there.

THE DETAILS
WHAT: Winter Wonderlight Festival
WHERE: Sovereign Hill Museum, Bradshaw St, Golden Point
WHEN: 24 June – 14 July 2023
MORE INFO: Book your tickets here

We wish to acknowledge the Wadawurrung people as traditional owners of this land and to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.

Healesville jeweller turning old jewellery collections into a single unique piece

Words and images by Jay Dillon
Additional images supplied

Like so many makers during the lockdown periods of 2020 and 2021, Jeweller Tim Peel and partner Liz were witness to an astonishing increase of customers who wished to have their collection of gold and gemstones reimagined into one singular piece with significant personal importance.

Many requests came with a personal story of loss and love and often these stories would provide the inspiration for a unique jewellery piece for the owner.

Jewellery Maker Yarra Valley

Liz speaks of a time one customer called, who had recently lost her husband. The couple had married 27 years earlier in the month of September and it was her intention to fulfil his desire to celebrate their 30th anniversary with a sapphire. After hearing her story of loss and plans for remembrance, Liz suggested that her husband’s wedding band be the structural base for the sapphire stones.

‘I think a lot of people have shifted from the idea of accumulating a large collection of rings and necklaces and making the decision to bring them all together into a special and unique piece of jewellery that will become an heirloom of sorts’.

Developing a craft

Tim started tinkering with metal in his fathers’ shed as a boy growing up in Yarra Junction. The passion continued through high school, TAFE and onto the completion of a degree at Monash University, ultimately leading to a job at a jewellery store in the CBD. This was the same store that Liz had previously worked at, and through this connection a loving relationship bloomed, culminating in the union of marriage in 1995.

Eventually, the couple moved back to near where Tim grew up, choosing to make the small bustling village of Healesville a home for their young family. The town also became the location for a studio where Tim could continue in his dedication to his craft, creating exquisite custom pieces formed by the personal stories of his customers.

Even as a master jeweller himself, Tim continues to develop his skills by learning from others and studying new and revisiting old jewellery-making techniques. This includes a continued dedication to the skill of stone setting and gemology, a journey that started by studying alongside Australian jewellery legend Rex Steele Merten (the only Australian jeweller to have won four Diamonds International Awards) before he sadly passed away in 2020.

Healesville Jewellery Maker

‘People are surprised to learn that even the most accomplished jeweller will send the ring and gemstones elsewhere to be mounted. Setting is considered a separate skill and can take years of dedicated practice to become proficient in’.

From quality comes trust

In recent years, Tim and Liz have noticed a shift in people’s understanding of quality when it comes to jewellery and their customers really benefit from their skill in gemstone selection. The Silvermist benchmark for diamonds is an FG colour and VS clarity, which is not something that is normally available at the jewellery chain stores.

In the industry, we jokingly refer to these diamonds as petrified pixie poo, because they are usually cloudy, murky, translucent at best and often full of inclusions. Once upon a time, these diamonds would have been considered industrial grade.

Due to 20 years of building a relationship with local gemstone suppliers, Tim and Liz have the ability to arrange a viewing for the customer that includes a number of gemstones that they can select from.

‘The dealers that I work with have already done the legwork. They have filtered out the rubbish and are only providing our studio with high-quality stones’.

Reputation built through connection

Since the uplift in customers placing orders online rather than in person, Liz has realised the importance of developing trust with the customer.

‘I like to share photos of our family on holidays and out to dinner amongst images from the studio and of individual jewellery creations. I feel it’s important to show that we are people just like them and they are going to receive the personal service that they might not get from the big jewellery chains’.

Jewellery Maker Healesville

Recently, Liz was able to provide an extra level of personal service to a lady whose son was marrying a Vietnamese girl. Liz has first-hand experience, via a Vietnamese brother-in-law, of the custom for the groom’s family to offer gifts to the family of the bride including bespoke jewellery pieces.

Liz encourages all past customers to leave honest reviews, as this is also an important part of building trust with customers who may be placing orders from as far away as Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia.

‘We understand that it can be a big decision for people to commission a jeweller to create a piece that is made with the intention of being passed through the family for generations to come. We are grateful to have a long list of positive reviews that we can direct people to so that they can have that piece of mind’.

THE DETAILS
Who: Silvermist Studio
Where: Healesville
More details: Silvermist Studio

Project 49’s Italian-style tomato sugo

Words & Images: Richard Cornish

In the heart of Beechworth is a little café and providore. Set in an historic building a few doors up from the Kelly Bar at Tanswell’s Hotel Project 49 has become part of the town’s fabric. For the past eight years it has been the place locals go for a cup of coffee and an egg and bacon corn roll in the morning and for a bowl of soup and pasta for lunch. It was the pasta sauce that Lisa and her kitchen team were making that had everyone turning their heads as the rich aroma of cooking tomatoes filled Beechworth’s broad main street. The sauces are based on tomato sugo that Lisa had been making for years to an old family recipe.

“Dad was from San Danielle in Northern Italy, and we would make the sugo, like many expat Italians, in the backyard at Pasco Vale,” she says. “He would store them in his cantina under the house with the salume over winter,” she remembers.

Mum and dad have gone now so making the sugo is a link back to them.

Lisa makes her Project 49 Sugo in small 40 litre batches in the kitchen in Beechworth using ripe tomatoes. She bottles it beer stubbies in remembrance of the Melbourne Bitter longnecks her dad used. The sugo is rich, thick capturing the essence and nature of the ripest tomatoes. It is rich enough to be heated, seasoned and used as a basic pasta sauce but makes a great base for a Bolognese or amatriciana. It can be bought at Bar Rosella in Gertrude Street, Fitzroy. Rosella is owned by Rocco Esposito with whom she founded Project 49. It can also be bought directly from Project 49 along with great salume and compact collection of organic and biodynamic wines.

THE DETAILS
What: Hand made tomato sugo 360ml/$6.50  720ml/$12
When: Now
Where: Buy from Bar Rosella in Fitzroy or Project 49 in Beechworth

We wish to acknowledge the traditional owners of this land and to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.

 

Six of the best Christmas markets in regional Victoria

Words by Amanda Kennedy
Images Supplied

Victoria in December might not be a winter wonderland but we still enjoy Christmas markets, twinkling lights and tasty treats included. Markets offer that perfect blend of gifts for young and old, delicious food (& drink) options to keep you going plus entertainment for the kids.

Whether it’s an annual ritual or you’re starting a new tradition, we’ve rounded up six of the best Christmas markets in regional Victoria. And with a little planning, you can get the gifts sorted, stock up on some local produce for the big day and have a road trip – all rolled into one.

Wine X Sam Sip, Sit & Shop

Seymour #oneandahalfhoursout

Catch up with friends and do a spot of shopping at a winery? Don’t mind if we do! Enjoy a cheese & charcuterie board with a glass of something delicious while staff create hampers bursting with local produce and their award-winning wines. Now things are starting to look festive.
Wine X Sam Sip, Sit & Shop Seymour – Friday evenings 10th & 17th December.

Piccadilly Christmas Market

Geelong #onehourout

Saturday afternoons should be made of sugar and spice and all things nice ‘n’ Christmassy. Over 100 stalls will be offering their wares at the Barwon Valley Activity Centre in Geelong. Parking is free (woohoo), there’ll be face painting and a fun farm for the kids as well as live entertainment and food stalls for the adults. If you don’t achieve most of your Christmas gift shopping here, you’re just not trying.

Piccadilly Christmas Market, Geelong – Saturday 11th December 10am – 3pm.

Ballarat Christmas Market

Ballarat #oneandahalfhoursout

If you were to design the quintessential Christmas market, then Ballarat Christmas Market would be it. From eco-homewares to Christmas gifts, jewellery to pet portraits, local produce to food and beverage stalls, this market is set to be a bonanza. Located on Zoo Drive by Lake Wendouree, this twilight market will showcase over 100 stalls so there really is something for everyone.

Christmas Market, Ballarat – Friday 17th December 4 – 8pm.

Gigs in the Bridge

Hurstbridge #onehourout

Each Saturday from mid-December through the New Year, celebrate the festive season with live music from local Nillumbik musicians. Hurstbridge is uniquely blessed to have a true country feel even while being located right at the edge of the city. Explore its pretty streets and over 60 stores to a yuletide soundtrack.

Gigs in the Bridge, Hurstbridge – Saturday 11th & 18th December – 10am – 6pm.

Glenlyon Xmas Event

Glenlyon #oneandahalfhoursout

Glenlyon is one of those charming little villages in spa country which is growing in popularity. What better way to get a feel for the area, than to check out the Christmas event at the local shire hall and celebrate with the locals. There’ll be lots of kids’ activities, food and gift stalls as well as plenty of live music to keep you going all afternoon. Rumour has it, the guy in the big red suit is even planning to visit!

Glenlyon Xmas Event, Glenlyon – Saturday 18th December 4 – 8pm.

Castlemaine Twilight Market

Castlemaine #oneandahalfhoursout

Find a unique gift for that hard-to-buy-for relative whilst sipping on a local brew and some sweet tunes play in the background? Yes please! The 13th annual Twilight Market has it all. Over 120 makers from across the Goldfields region will be on hand at Western Reserve, right in the heart of Castlemaine. Mark this one in your diary!

Castlemaine Twilight Market, Castlemaine – Friday 20th December 4 – 8pm.

QR codes, vaccination conditions may apply. See listings for details.

We wish to acknowledge the traditional owners of this land and to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.

Things Just Got Spicier in Healesville with the Opening of Gewürzhaus

Words by Amanda Kennedy
Images Supplied

Just when you thought Healesville and the Yarra Valley could not be more of a foodie destination, Gewürzhaus has come and proved you wrong. Sisters Eva and Maria Konecsny, with some help from mum, opened the first Gewürzhaus in Lygon St, Carlton in 2010. And the brand has grown from strength to strength ever since, having just opened their tenth store, smack bang in the middle of Healesville.

Gewürzhaus (literally spice house) offers more than 300 products to choose from including single origin spices and proprietary spice blends all waiting to entrance your senses. Anyone who cooks with spice understands that freshness and purity are key. So, the ability to buy as much or as little as you need is paramount, one scoop at a time. Spices are also milled and blended in Melbourne with no preservatives added to maintain their high quality.

Gewürzhaus is more than just spices though. They also stock salt, tea, confectionary, homewares for your table & cooking needs, as well as a Christmas range that recalls a wintery Christmas that may only exist in your imagination.

Store design is pared back allowing the goods to take centre stage. Signage on the clear perspex bins features not only a comprehensive ingredient list but ideas on how to use the products. For those who prefer the personal touch, friendly staff know their chops and are on hand if you’ve got questions.

Worse-case scenario you get home and forget what you to do with your newly purchased goodies, their website offers more recipes and hints than a person could reasonably get through in a lifetime. There are a multitude of recipes (including seasonal favourites), How-to guides and a health section with articles on FODMAP cooking that doesn’t skimp on flavour.

A couple must-trys: treat yourself to mukhwas, a post-meal snack of sugar-coated fennel seeds in all their menthol freshness and don’t pass by the Shichimi Togarashi, an increasingly popular seasoning from Japan which includes dried red chilli, dried citrus peel, nori, black & white sesame seeds and more. An essential with your ramen or rice bowl, it is also a surprise winner on freshly popped popcorn.

THE DETAILS

WHAT: Gewürzhaus
WHERE: 2/262 Maroondah Hwy, Healesville
WHEN: Open now
MORE INFO: gewurzhaus.com.au

We wish to acknowledge the Wurundjeri people as traditional owners of this land and to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.

Yarrawonga’s new provedore from Rich Glen Estate brings the goods

Words by Amanda Kennedy
Images Supplied

Ros Vodusek’s background as a trained chef is evident as you watch her recipe videos on Rich Glen’s YouTube channel. Her mise-en-place allows her to quickly and seamlessly take the viewer through her simple recipes which highlight the beauty and taste of Rich Glen premium food products – and it all starts from the humble olive.

Located in Yarrawonga, in North East Victoria near the banks of the mighty Murray River is Rich Glen Estate. In 1997 36,000 olive trees were planted on the farm and several years later, the oil began to flow. In the years since, Ros and her husband Daimien have grown the business, now employing 30 people producing over 150 olive-oil based food and skin-care products. And every single one of those products is made on the estate with 100% Australian grown ingredients. Can’t get more local than that!

The three-generation strong family enterprise is showing no signs of slowing, having just opened a new provedore store in the main street of Yarrawonga in a suitably rustic building which embraces its history.

‘It used to be a big old garage a 100 years ago,’ she says. ‘In a few years’ time we plan to gut the whole thing and take it back. Then we’ll have artisan producers, like a beautiful market showcasing regional producers with a coffee roaster, some beautiful pastries and so on.’

In its current incarnation the provedore stocks the estate-produced range of luxurious skincare products, premium pantry staples including oils & dressings, spice rubs and more, as well as a highly curated selection of regional Australian produce.

Everywhere people go, they are looking for what’s made in the area, what’s regional. Food has become the new souvenir. Everyone wants to take something home from the region. I feel that we’ve kind of brought the farm into town.

When asked to name her top picks from the range, Ros doesn’t hesitate.

‘Poppy’s No1 Dressing was the first product we made and it’s still the most popular one and I guess it’s still my favourite too. It’s something I can’t do without. I love it on corned beef and it’s gorgeous with prawns, as a dipper, or even on a chicken salad. It’s always a staple in my cupboard that’s for sure.’

‘The Bar-B-Q Meat Rub. We’re coming into BBQ season and I can’t have a steak without it really.’

While getting to the new provedore in person is tricky for most of us right now, you can check out the wonderful range of Rich Glen products via OHO Markets.

THE DETAILS

WHAT: Rich Glen Estate Provedore
WHERE: Shop 3, 137 Belmore St, Yarrawonga
WHEN: Open Mon – Fri 9-4:30, Sat 9-3, Sun 10-3
MORE INFO: Rich Glen Estate

We wish to acknowledge the Yorta Yorta people as traditional owners of this land and to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.

Guilt-free fashion that turns trash into treasure

Words by Della Vreeland
Images Supplied

They say in the midst of chaos, there is always opportunity. And this was most certainly the case for Jessica Yorston. Her jewellery-making story started last year as she was dealing with the chaos of managing an ailing tribe.

“I was home with sick children, looking at all the single-use plastics, and I thought ‘what can I make with this? Let’s make something useful, and potentially nice to look at.”

After some quick scouring online, Jessica came across videos of people melting plastics using sandwich presses. And so started the Single Use Multiverse (SUM) journey.

Having studied Fashion Design at RMIT and with years of practical experience, including the creation of her own ethical fashion label, Jessica already had an eye for good design and a passion for sustainable practices. It was just a matter of harnessing these into another medium.

Disheartened by the copious amount of waste produced by the fashion industry, Jessica decided to use her creative prowess to make a difference.

I’d arrived at the realisation that I couldn’t bear to make anything from new materials and to be honest, I was completely over the fashion industry – so wasteful and vacuous.

“I was about to begin studying something completely not-fashion, when the maker in me began playing around with creating colourful sheets by melting waste plastic.”

“It’s been deeply exciting to continue creating products by turning trash into treasure for our ears. The awful feeling that my creating was contributing new matter to the huge expanse of it wrecking the earth, was gone.”

“It’s so satisfying.”

Jessica’s statement earrings are bright, bold and edgy – certain to make an impression.

Her items are made from 100 % recycled single-use plastics such as milk cartons, straws, plastic lids, shampoo bottles, pot plants, formula lids and more. Using a portable oven, Jessica melts the plastics into colourful sheets before cutting the eclectic shapes that form her earrings.

A Blackwood resident, she says her lush and serene home provides the perfect backdrop for the forging of eco-friendly products.

According to Jessica, she’s become the “crazy plastic-collecting lady”, with her fellow Blackwood comrades encouraging her and supporting her along every step of this creative journey.

“We were living in Melbourne, but finding ourselves chasing trees on nearly every day off. So we thought, let’s just live where we want to be on our days off,” she says.

“Besides the very beautiful forest setting, and the dreaminess of being able to wake up to it every morning, the creative community here is epic! Lots of talented and friendly characters experimenting in their fields – it’s inspiring.”

“I also love the amazing encouragement I receive, in the form of words and plastic donations. All the local townsfolk leave bags of their single-use plastics at the top of my driveway, or in their letterboxes for me to collect. It’s brilliant! I’ve also got some amazing neighbours who help me process the plastics for melting by washing and chopping it. Carbon emissions are low!”

While Jessica’s business is primarily based online, with the exception of a few stockists around the state and the odd market appearance, she says the onset of COVID didn’t have too drastic an impact on her – even though she started just as the pandemic hit.

“Perhaps I was at an advantage as people were online more,” she says.

“It was really nice being able to connect with people, through social media platforms, regarding what I was making. Lots of lovely Instagram chats with people excited about my materials and process, which helped ease the bizarreness of that first lockdown.”

What did have an impact on Jessica’s creative process, however, was the fierce storms that hit the community of Blackwood and its surroundings earlier this month.

Jessica says the whole landscape changed as a result, and her business faced a temporary halt.

“I couldn’t melt plastic with no power!” she says.

“I’ve been so blessed to have so many earring orders, both wholesale and online, that I had absolutely no backup stock before the storms.”

“Every pair has been made to order the last few months, so no power meant my lovely customers had to wait longer for their orders.”

“But I’ve been so blown away by everyone’s understanding and patience.”

THE DETAILS

WHAT: Single Use Multiverse
FIND OUT MORE:  OHO Markets

Six Regional Artisan Chocolatiers Delivering to your Home

Images Supplied

Put away that store-bought chocolate block now and treat yourself to locally produced artisanal sweet treats instead. Here are six Victorian producers of chocolate that you need to know about because now more than ever we should all be supporting local businesses and these boutique makers are producing quality chocolate that will make you turn your back on those big brands.

Platypi Chocolate

Great Ocean Road #twohoursoutPlatypi Chocolate Artisan Great Ocean Road

Platypi Chocolate came to life after the founders Mandy & Michael were inspired by a small artisan chocolate maker while taking a holiday in W.A, 30 years ago. Based in Forrest in the Otway Ranges, their chocolate factory and cafe has become a central part of the local community and in usual times is a popular tourist destination.

All their small-batch chocolate is hand-made onsite from coverture chocolate and natural products.

Buy from OHO Markets or direct from Platypi

Atelier Chocolat home of Pain et Chocolat

Trentham #oneandahalfhoursoutAtelier Chocolat home of Pain et Chocolat Artisan

Atelier Chocolat started production three years ago and is a central part of the community in Trentham.

Their bars are made with Felchlin boutique couverture chocolate, manufactured in Switzerland and they also produce small batches of chocolate made from scratch with organic beans from Panama or Peru to give you high percentage bean to bar.

When you can get out and about again, a visit to their shop is a worthwhile adventure but in the meantime, you can shop online.

Head here to choose your favourite

Only Mine

Olinda #onehouroutOnly Mine Chocolates

Jason & Anya started out from their home kitchen and sold their first chocolates in 2016. Now they operate from a boutique factory in Olinda where you can usually watch the action happening in the factory from their store and dessert cafe.

Their handcrafted chocolates are produced with flavour in mind, they pick the best ingredients and let the taste do the talking.

Check out their range here

Cabosse & Feve Chocolates

Castlemaine #oneandahalfhoursoutCabosse & Feve Chocolates Castlemaine

Husband and wife team Thomas and Freya handcraft their products using carefully selected quality ingredients from around the world. They ensure they deal with farmers who receive more than the average Fair Trade wage in the market and are passionate about environmentally friendly packaging.

They offer an extensive range of chocolate treats and also have a vegan range with fourteen products.

Head this way

Indulge Chocolates

Bendigo #twohoursoutIndulge Chocolates Bendigo

Hayley and her team started out in 2008 opening the Indulge Cafe, in Bendigo. With the business growing The Indulge Chocolate Lab was opened in September 2015. They specialise in moulded chocolates and chocolate bars, made with Belgian Callebaut chocolate, sourced ethically from around the globe.

With 30+ varieties to choose from and some amazing gift boxes you won’t leave their online store without a purchase.

Shop here

Echuca Chocolate Company

Echuca #threehoursoutEchuca Chocolate Company

Echuca Chocolate Company produces hand-made chocolates, truffles and a range of chocolate liqueurs. Everything is made on-site with speciality ingredients to craft a unique and flavoursome product range.

For now it’s online only, add their chocolate store to your road trip list once restrictions are eased.

Take look here

James Northfield – the pioneer of vintage travel posters

Words by Della Vreeland Images © All Northfield images courtesy of James Northfield Heritage Art Trust

Roger Saddington first discovered James Northfield’s works during his university years in the late 80s, years before the current resurgence of vintage poster design.

“I instantly recognised him as a seminal figure in Australia’s design history,” Roger says.

No-one captures the most aspirational aspects of our culture in the early 20th century as effectively as Northfield.

As an artist as well as a lecturer, Roger is the director of Melbourne-based consultancy Art Strategies Australia. He believes Northfield’s works have stood the test of time due to their idyllic depictions of Australian life and leisure.

“Northfield depicts Australia as a sun-soaked place of leisure, peace and abundance,” he says.

“I believe many Australians still aspire to these values and readily recognise them in his work, even though superficial aspects of our culture have changed.”

James Northfield is arguably Australia’s best-known graphic designer. Renowned for his vintage posters, his work promoted the Australian travel industry and also appeared in billboard advertisements and posters relating to World Wars I and II.

According to the James Northfield Heritage Trust, Northfield is one of Australia’s most celebrated commercial artists of the 20th century.  He was recognised for his ‘sound draughtsmanship, excellent composition and the remarkable atmosphere of light and colour with which he captured the quality of the Australian landscape’. 

“(His posters) were part of a protracted ‘craze’ for poster art that gripped the western world between the 1880s and the 1940s,” Roger says.

“The commercial utility of Northfield’s travel and propaganda posters is evidenced by long-standing patronage from a cadre of insightful business leaders in Australia, allowing him to run several lucrative studios over a 40-year career.”

Northfield was also a pioneer in lithography – a process which involved drawing on a stone tablet using a special crayon before processing with acid, covering with coloured ink and then reprinting. 

“Although it allowed many reproductions to be made, lithography was very laborious,” Roger says.

“Every colour in the finished poster had to be done on a seperate lithographic stone, printed and dried before the next colour was applied. Eventually the finished design was built up in layers.

“At the time, this was the most advanced process available for commercial artists printing in colour.”

While Northfield’s most successful years were from the 1920s through to the 1950s, it is clear to see how his legacy has lived on, providing such a strong inspiration for artists of the modern age.

“The last decade has seen a huge wave of renewed interest in poster design from the height of the ‘Art Deco’ period during the interwar years and many graphic artists today are producing designs in Northfield’s style on the back of this wave,” Roger says.

Northfield pioneered the idea that ‘modern’ design styles could be used to portray Australia as a tourist destination equal to European and American counterparts. This led to ever more confident assertions of Australia’s uniqueness as the century progressed, culminating in the multi-million dollar tourism campaigns of today.

One Hour Out is currently selling James Northfield prints through its online Market. To make your purchase, click here.

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