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Coast & Country Edition
ELEGANT ESCAPE
177 COOLART ROAD, HASTINGS
INNER
GREEN MANGO & COS LETTUCE SALAD FROM Y Ū GEN RECIPE
IN CONVERSATION WITH
DARL’
COAST & COUNTRY
THE LIVING LANDSCAPE OF MONTALTO
NOW IS THE TIME TO PREPARE
Despite the usual lull that accompanies the school holiday period, auction clearance rates have remained strong, indicating that buyer demand is holding firm even as many Melburnians take a mid-winter break. This is an encouraging indicator for vendors considering a late winter or early spring campaign.
What’s becoming increasingly clear is that many sellers are turning their attention to the pre-spring market. Activity has ramped up behind the scenes, with property owners preparing their homes for August and September launches. This early groundwork is expected to lead to a wave of new listings hitting the market over the next four to six weeks, particularly in established family suburbs and inner-city lifestyle pockets where demand is strongest.
On the buyer side, enquiry levels remain high across most price brackets. With limited quality stock currently on the market, active buyers are moving quickly when opportunities arise, especially for properties that are well-presented and priced to meet the market. We are also seeing greater urgency among upgraders and downsizers, many of whom are aiming to purchase before the traditional spring rush begins in earnest.
All signs point to a fast-paced run into spring, with August shaping up to be a pivotal month. For sellers, the message is clear: if you are considering a move, now is the time to get organised. Buyer competition is healthy, and listing ahead of the traditional September peak may provide a distinct advantage.
Thinking of making a move this spring? Reach out to your local Marshall White team for tailored advice and a strategy designed to achieve an outstanding result. ■
By John Bongiorno
ELEGANT ESCAPE
“An exceptional 65.7-acre (approx.) equine oasis featuring a luxurious near-new farmhouse, premium stable complex, arena, and 17-paddock agistment facility designed for elite country living.”
JAKE EGAN, SALES EXECUTIVE
An equine oasis on approx. 65.7 acres (approx.), Eternal Flame presents an outstanding rural opportunity combining lifestyle and vocation. Purpose-built for equestrian pursuits, the property features a full stable complex, 17 well-fenced paddocks and a professional arena, catering perfectly to agistment or private training.
The luxury five bedroom, 3.5 bathroom farmhouse –constructed just four years ago – delivers generous proportions and refined comfort, with two living areas enhanced by wormy chestnut timber flooring, hydronic heating, a fireplace and splitsystem air conditioning. The chef’s kitchen is a true highlight, boasting sleek stone benchtops, premium appliances and a full butler’s pantry.
Seamless indoor-outdoor living continues with a covered alfresco area that includes an in-deck spa and breathtaking views across undulating pastures. Whether you're seeking a tree change, business base or weekend retreat, this property offers the ideal blend of function, luxury and serenity in a picturesque rural setting. ■
FOR ENQUIRIES CONTACT
STEPHEN BASTER 0417 695 644
ALICE ORMROD 0433 942 462
JAKE EGAN 0491 129 137
GREEN MANGO & COS LETTUCE SALAD
Drawing on the bold, distinctive flavours of Asia, this fresh and vibrant salad from Yūgen is a perfect expression of the restaurant’s Japanese and Asian-fusion inspiration.
COMPONENTS
Cos lettuce
Green mango
Sesame dressing
Mixed herbs
INGREDIENTS
Roasted Sesame Dressing:
500g palm sugar
100ml water
100g roasted sesame seeds
150ml gluten-free soy sauce
500g tamarind purée
100ml lime juice
Salad Assembly:
1 baby cos lettuce, leaves separated
Sprigs of Vietnamese mint
Sprigs of regular mint
Sprigs of dill
Shiso leaves
Snow pea tendrils
Chickpea tendrils
1 green mango, shaved with a peeler
METHOD
Roasted Sesame Dressing:
1. Combine palm sugar and water in a medium pot. Bring to a boil until the sugar dissolves.
2. Reduce the mixture until thickened, being careful not to burn it.
3. Add soy sauce and tamarind purée. Bring back to a boil.
4. Stir in the roasted sesame seeds and set aside to cool.
5. Finish by adding the lime juice.
Salad Assembly:
1. Trim cos leaves to size and pick all herbs.
2. Arrange cos leaves at the base of the plate in a V-shape.
3. Layer a mix of herbs and shaved green mango on top.
4. Season with salt, pepper, lime juice, and lime zest.
5. Drizzle generously with the roasted sesame dressing.
IN CONVERSATION WITH
DARL’
We spoke to Josie Penn, co-founder of Darl’ Skincare, to learn how she and Emma Vaughan are shaking up the beauty industry with Australia’s first truly microbiome-supportive skincare range. From why the skin’s natural barrier matters more than ever to what’s next for the brand, Josie shares the story behind Darl’, and why doing less can mean so much more for your skin.
What inspired you and Emma to start Darl’, and how did your creative backgrounds shape the brand’s direction?
Emma and I didn’t come from science labs or corporate boardrooms; we came from creative industries, which meant we approached skincare from a consumer-first perspective. We both struggled with sensitive skin, and the more we learned, the more frustrated we became with mainstream products that seemed to do more harm than good. That frustration became the spark for Darl’. We wanted to create a brand with zero compromises — something thoughtful, honest, and radically supportive of skin health.
Darl’ puts the skin’s microbiome at the centre of its philosophy. Why do you think this has been so overlooked in mainstream skincare?
In short, the industry has prioritised shelf life over skin health. Water-based products dominate the market, but when your formula is 60–90% water, you must add preservatives just to keep it stable. Those preservatives kill the microbiome — your skin’s most powerful defence system. The irony is that these products, which are supposed to help, are actually harming the skin barrier. The microbiome has been left out of the conversation for too long, and we’re here to change that.
With such an increase in sensitive skin issues globally, what do you see as the biggest misconceptions about how we treat our skin?
People are taught to strip, scrub, and sanitise their skin in pursuit of “clarity” or “glow,” but that’s the opposite of what sensitive skin needs. Over 50% more people report sensitivity than just a decade ago. That’s a huge increase. The biggest misconception is that more active ingredients equal better results. In reality, less is more. Our skin needs support, not stress. That’s why every Darl’ product is designed to be as gentle and effective as possible, without fillers or irritants.
What can you share about your plans for retail expansion and the upcoming crowdfunding campaign?
We are excited to take Darl’ into physical retail spaces so customers can truly experience the products firsthand. We are in advanced talks with one of Australia’s biggest beauty retailers and are also building relationships with curated stockists across Melbourne, Sydney, and New Zealand. To help fund this next stage, we’re raising $350,000 via the Birchal crowdfunding platform. The funds will go toward manufacturing two new products and building out our digital content and marketing so we can reach even more skinconscious customers.
Looking ahead, how do you see Darl’ helping to shift the skincare conversation, for both the industry and everyday users?
We believe that skincare should be about support, not stripping, not perfecting, not masking. Just real support for real skin. Darl’ is proof that you don’t have to compromise performance to prioritise health. We’re already seeing our return rate — 47%, which is double the industry average — as a sign that people are ready for something different. We want to keep driving that shift by educating customers and holding the industry to higher standards. ■
LEARN MORE
THE LIVING LANDSCAPE OF MONTALTO
Within the stunning 80-acre property of Montalto, the kitchen gardens showcase the estate’s commitment to organic, locally grown, and sustainable food systems.
The gardens, originally designed by the acclaimed landscape architect Andrew Laidlaw, have evolved over the years under the careful stewardship of Wendy Mitchell and the current Produce Manager, Julie Bennett. Andrew helped Wendy design and plan the original Piazza gardens in 2002, now affectionately known as Wendy’s Garden.
The Montalto kitchen gardens are a patchwork of unique microclimates and soil profiles, each area contributing to the diverse range of heirloom fruits and vegetables grown on the estate. From heritage raspberry canes and rhubarb plants to citrus groves and seasonal vegetable plots, the gardens are a living landscape of colours, textures, and flavours. The northfacing Piazza gardens, founded by Wendy nearly two decades ago, showcase an assortment of heirloom herbs, edible flowers, and vegetables, easily accessible to the Montalto chefs who harvest throughout the day.
The estate’s dedication to permaculture and organic principles is evident in every aspect of the gardens. No soil is ever turned over or disturbed, and old crops are either twisted out of the soil or cut off at soil height, allowing the earth to retain its natural structure and nutrients. Composting is an essential part of the gardening process, with all green and brown waste kept on-farm and used to enrich the soil.
Julie Bennett is a passionate advocate for rare and endangered heirloom vegetable varieties. “These are the vegetables our grandparents grew and saved seed from with the knowledge that every year, these seeds would grow ‘true to type’ just as their parent plants had,” she explains. “They were grown for amazing flavour, colour, vigour, disease resistance and for abundance,
unlike today’s varieties that are grown for uniformity, evenripening and the ability to transport well over long distances and to last a long time on a supermarket shelf.”
Bennett’s commitment to seed saving is shared by Wendy and championed by the estate’s chefs, who take the time to create beautiful and respectful dishes that showcase these outstanding varieties. The Montalto kitchen gardens are not only a source of fresh, organic produce but also a vital repository of genetic diversity in an era where 93% of food seed varieties have been lost worldwide.
The gardens thrive under Bennett’s holistic approach, which incorporates organic pest management, companion planting, and crop rotations. The abundance of edible flowers encourages nectar-feeding pollinators and predator insects, helping to maintain a delicate balance within the garden ecosystem. The estate’s bees and chickens also play a crucial role in the gardens’ success, with the bees pollinating the crops and the chickens providing rich manure for composting.
The Montalto kitchen gardens are a prime example of what can be achieved when a commitment to sustainability, organic practices, and the preservation of heirloom varieties is combined with a passion for exceptional produce. As visitors stroll through the gardens and savour the dishes crafted from the day’s harvest, they are not only experiencing the flavours of the season but also bearing witness to the legacy of the estate’s dedication to nurturing the land and preserving our agricultural heritage.
Visit Montalto this July to sample the freshest seasonal produce, including kales, broccoli, cauliflower, leeks, radicchio, Jerusalem artichokes, rainbow chard, radish, turnips, beetroot, broad bean tips, and citrus, all lovingly grown in the magnificent Montalto Estate kitchen gardens. ■
THE LOCAL EDIT
Roola Boola Children’s Art Festival8th July - 18th July 2025
12 Little Chapel Street, Prahran, VIC 3181
HSBC Spanish Film Festival at Palace Cinemas - Until 9 th July 2025
Your local Palace Cinemas
Soul Night Market Mornington - 11th July 2025
Peninsula Community Theatre, 91 Wilsons Road, Mornington, VIC 3931
Regional Farmers Market at Abbotsford Convent
- 12 th July 2025
1 St Heliers Street, Abbotsford, VIC 3067
Run Melbourne - 13 th July 2025
Melbourne Park Oval, 20 Olympic Boulevard, Melbourne, VIC 3004
Mornington Racecourse Market - 13 th July 2025
Mornington Racecourse, 320 Racecourse Road, Mornington, VIC 3931
Soul Night Market Moorabin - 18th July 2025
30 Cochranes Road, Moorabbin, VIC 3189
Boroondara Farmers Market - 19 th July 2025
484 Auburn Road, Hawthorn, VIC 3122
Treasures and Tastes at Trinity Market - 19 th July 2025
177 Union Road, Surrey Hills, VIC 3127
Top Arts 2025 - Until 20 th July 2025
National Gallery of Victoria, 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC 3006
Music at McClelland with Marshall McGuire and Genevieve Lacey - 20 th July 2025
390 McClelland Drive, Langwarrin, VIC 3910
Orchestra Victoria: Meet at the Market Series
- 25th July 2025
The Meat Market, 3 Blackwood Street, North Melbourne, VIC 3051
Mount Eliza Farmers’ Market - 27th July 2025
Cnr Mt Eliza Way and Canadian Bay Road, Mount Eliza, VIC 3930
Beetlejuice the Musical - Until 3 rd August 2025
Regent Theatre, 191 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Manjimup Truffles and Mount Mary Mushrooms at Maha
- 4th August 2025
21 Bond Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000
Soul Night Market Mornington - 8th August 2025
Peninsula Community Theatre, 91 Wilsons Road, Mornington, VIC 3931
Regional Farmers Market at Abbotsford Convent9 th August 2025
1 St Heliers Street, Abbotsford, VIC 3067
Mornington Racecourse Market - 10 th August 2025
Mornington Racecourse, 320 Racecourse Road, Mornington, VIC 3931
Albert’s Wine Bar Sunday Lunch with Avani Winery
- 10 th August 2025
17 Morey Street, Armadale, VIC 3143
Lightscape at Royal Botanic Gardens - Until 10 th August 2025
Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, Birdwood Avenue, Melbourne, VIC 3004
Winter Night Market - Until 27th August 2025
Queen Victoria Market, Queen Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000
Stonnington Winter Food Drive - Until 31st August 2025
311 Glenferrie Road, Malvern, VIC 3144
Hill and Ridge Community Market - 6 th September 2025
184 Arthurs Seat Road, Red Hill, VIC 3937
Connor’s Run - 14th September 2025
Melbourne, VIC 3004
McClelland Maker's Market - 20 th September 2025
390 McClelland Drive, Langwarrin, VIC 3910
Kimono - Until 5th October 2025
National Gallery of Victoria, 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC 3006
French Impressionism - Until 5th October 2025
National Gallery of Victoria, 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC 3006
Martin Grant Exhibition - Until January 2026
National Gallery of Victoria, 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC 3006
A 2-4 B 1-2 C 0-2
From $1,995,000
Bakehouse Terraces, located at 390A Queens Parade in Fitzroy North, offers 14 architecturally designed terrace homes in one of Melbourne’s most desirable inner-city suburbs. Once the site of a historic bakery, this development combines heritage charm with modern living.
LIAM
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