October/November 2025 
Once an empty “windswept paddock”, Laney and Darren Clancy’s 43 hectare Berrima property now features an off-grid, architect-designed home with pool area, landscaped garden and an olive grove. HIGHLIFE finds out how the couple have spent 11 years transforming their special piece of land, doing much of the work themselves.
Five years ago, Ellie Scott decided she finally had time to create a garden in the
untended back section of her one-acre Burradoo block. She tells HIGHLIFE about the steps she took to grow a colourful haven that she can mostly care for on her own, enjoying its beauty in every season.
Our annual wedding special is filled with inspiration for anyone planning a Southern Highlands wedding. From relaxed country settings with rolling hills and vineyards to luxury hotels, boutique historic venues and scenic gardens, the Highlands is full of stunning locations. (Photograph Moody Imagery)
It’s little surprise that an ambitious new book about Australia’s most engaging artists includes Ben Quilty, one the Southern Highlands’ best-known residents. In Artists by Artists, authors Michelle Grey and Susan Armstong have paired 50 Australian artists, challenging them to capture each other in portraiture and to discuss their art. The following extract features Archibald Prize winners Ben Quilty and Vincent Namatjira.
(Photograph Alexander Cooke)
The Southern Highlands of New South Wales is as much a state of mind as a place, a retreat less than two hours from the Sydney CBD where most can find (even for a short weekend getaway) their version of peace and tranquillity. For residents, the Southern Highlands represents a unique lifestyle opportunity to enjoy rural vistas, boutique shopping, eclectic dining, vineyards, premier sporting facilities and privacy.
Highlife Magazine delivers the best of everything and reflects the unique lifestyle afforded to the residents Southern Highlands area. The magazine’s modern editorial and award-winning photography delivers diverse content covering real estate, rural living, local identities and culture, architecture, food and dining, travel, design, philanthropy, celebrities and pop culture.
Published six times a year (Feb-March, April-May, June-July, August-Sept, Oct-Nov and Dec-Jan) Highlife Magazine is a quality showcase of the region’s finest attributes and people. Highlife Magazine encapsulates what makes our region the unique community it is.
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