At the end of a working day, Julie Black’s garden is a place for rest and restoration.

Story + Photos Kathy Mexted

“At the end of a long farming day you need to walk into the garden and have that sigh of relief and know that things will be okay and that what you do is worth the effort,” Julie Black says.

Julie’s own garden, on Medindee, 33 kilometres north of Narromine, NSW, on the banks of the Macquarie River, is testament to that knowledge. She learnt about gardening from her father in Moree, who grew vegetables and enjoyed being outdoors. And it was his parents-in-law who taught Julie about flowers.“Grandfather and Gran showed me how to prune roses at their Peak Hill property,” Julie says. “I thought rose bushes were ugly, long, prickly things with the occasional flower, but as a collective in a vase I realised what joy a garden can bring.”

This story excerpt is from Issue #119

Outback Magazine: June/July 2018