How wise words from a design teacher, the bright lights of New York city, and a ridiculously expensive pair of statement earrings led Maddie Fleming of Made By Maddie to her dream life, back home in Armidale, NSW. Read on…

From the pulpit to pubs, festivals to Memphis, Sam Buckley’s journey to play the blues has been one soul-stirring, riff-filled ride.Sam Buckley heard rock and roll for the first time when he was 12 years old. The sounds swept over him, gritty and raw, pouring out of his dad’s record player – something that was previously reserved for gospel music alone. But not this day. Read on…

C‍ontemporary Indigenous artist Lauren Freestone never dreamed of people buying her art, instead imagining painting would remain a hobby outside of her paid work. Today, her pieces grace the walls of homes countrywide. She’s constantly inspired by her childhood spent beneath the Scotts Head sun, her family, their story, the country they call home and the stars above. Read on…

‘Farmer Benjamin’ says he’s had his time in the spotlight – and that, in part, is true. But consider this the well-deserved next chapter, one told openly, honestly, and in celebration of a good man doing extraordinary things just 30km west of Guyra. Read on…

Curiosity, athleticism, devil-may-care vibes and her mother’s belief led Jorja Creighton to cycle solo the world over. So how exactly has she ended up on a cattle farm in Walcha, designing cycling routes across the New England? Read on…

She’s won ARIAs and Golden Guitars, played Glastonbury, appeared on Rockwiz, Play School and runs her own record label – but at the heart of it all, Fanny Lumsden is a girl from the bush with a degree in Rural Science, an achingly beautiful voice, a drive to support the land she came from and a nickname that won’t quit. Read on…

From a German NATO base to Michael Jordan’s tennis court, Soho institution L’Escargot to sailing the high seas serving a Ukrainian oligarch – Simon Jones’ cheffing career has been anything but ordinary. Discover how he landed sunny side up at Charlie’s at Church in the heart of Bellingen. Read on…

Sera J Wright’s photography practically cradles you in colour, so rich is the sense of place behind her work. Here’s how she’s honed her self-taught craft, from the shores of Byron Bay to acreage at Tenterfield. Read on…

Artist Aidan Jarvis is influenced by whatever goes into his head and stays there – and boy is it a mixed bag. Read on…

Jamie-Lee Garner describes herself as a visual artist and glamorous gremlin – which is both apt and entirely unexpected, much like her story so far. Read on…

How two humans, one poodle and a rooster named Billy Idol landed sunny side up in a mudbrick house born from the sands on which it stands 30km north of Glen Innes. Read on…