After ‘downsizing’ to 1.3 acres in Exeter, Eleanor and John Dartnell quickly built garden beds near the house, for interest and privacy, before expanding with aplomb. HIGHLIFE visits their inviting and abundant garden, which includes pergolas, a covered orchard, a chook house, a pond and a treehouse.

A dream to grow truffles led to Sue and Peter Woodward buying three hectares in Exeter and building an all-white modern farmhouse designed by their architect son. The couple tell HIGHLIFE about their “easy-to-live-in” house with its framed valley and garden views.

Catherine O’Neill’s skills in mapping and intricate watercolour techniques have taken her around Australia, the UK and Europe, recording estates and gardens in exquisite detail. She tells HIGHLIFE the stories behind some of her beautiful commissioned artworks.

Since 2015, Southern Highlands bird lovers have been working to save a threatened local: the glossy black-cockatoo. HIGHLIFE meets some of the Glossy Gang bird spotters and Glossies in the Mist tree planters who love this flighty, fussy and fascinating bird.