Graziher x Bush Exchange
Image above: The Dartbrook hat, $495, by PHLLII, Saddle from Australian Stockman's Saddlery
Bridget, our Founder, was honoured to be approached by Graziher magazine to feature in their 2021 Spring edition to share her story, her ties to rural Australia and her visions and hopes for The Bush Exchange.
In the midst of the local polo season Grace Quast visited us in the stables to shoot a lovely styled piece with the the kids and horses in tow.
To be honest at the time we were very busy with promoting our upcoming local Goondiwindi Polo Carnival and were not quite ready to put our brand out into the wider world - but it has been the best thing for the growth of our brand this year.
Having a magazine with the "bush culture" calibre of Graziher, interested in our story, was just the encouragement a Mum of three young kids needed to take her brand to the next level by launching her long-awaited website.
We will always be grateful to Graziher magazine and Grace Quast for showing such interest in the beginnings of our brand - when we were just a little Instagram page sharing little pieces from the heart of the Australian bush - from time to time.
Below we share our story as featured in Graziher.
Photography & styling by Grace Quast
Bridget wears Madilyn wrap dress, $240, by Flaex; her own Ivylee Copenhagen Jennry boots, halfpenny and pearl necklace, $160, and halfpenny necklace, $110, by Dumble Collective, and Kristin Ash rings. Hunter wears his own Love Henry zip-front jumper, Korango Construction shirt, Sunbody hat and Baxter boots.
A SPRING BREEZE gentles its way through the open windows of the Tandawanna North stables, over the tin walls and past the towering timber beams to the horses gathered in their respective stalls.
For the Coulton family, Bridget and Tom, 35 and their children Hunter, six, Evie, five and Jack two, the stables are the heart of their family farm; a cattle, cotton and cropping property north of Bungunya and 80 kilometres west of the Queensland border town of Goondiwindi.
Hunter and Evie are brushing down and cleaning the hooves of Evie's new Shetland Pony while Jack meanders around with a polo ball in hand. There are polo ponies stabled for an upcoming carnival and broodmares and young horses are grazing in nearby paddocks.
Despite growing up in Melbourne, Bridget has always had strong family ties in the country and longed for wide-open spaces. Her favourite childhood memories are filled with horse riding through bushland on her paternal Grandparent's Yarra Valley property “Tibooburra”, or visiting her Mum's parents at “Ivanhoe” in the Barossa Valley where her family have been grazing sheep since 1863.
That childhood love ignited a lifelong passion when Bridget headed north-west to Kununurra, Western Australia, as a jillaroo after university. This was where the boab trees and sunsets melted Bridget further into the landscape of rural Australia and where she fell in love with Tom, now her husband.
Meeting Bridget, it is easy to see how those golden childhood memories have shaped the life she and Tom have built together. Their weeks are filled with school, hard work and long days, but when weekends allow - it's time for the odd polo carnival, pony camps and afternoons riding horses as a family.
"Whether we’re riding down to the river or around our sand ridge, everyone relaxes and enjoys the present moment," says Bridget. "We will often stop along the way, tie the horses up to a gum tree, light a campfire and let the kids have a play."
That relaxed love of rural life is also reflected in Bridget's style, her favourite brands are a mix of old faithfuls such as RM Williams, Akubra and Driza-Bone, paired with more modern artisans such as Saddler and Co and whimsical Australian labels such as South Australian label, Binny.
When asked what she values most about country life her answer is simple. "The space, the colours, the people and the way of life." Bridget is now channelling that love into a new venture: the Bush Exchange, a place for Bridget to showcase her passion for rural life.
Bridget wears Lola shirt, $245 by Passenger; Levi's 312 shaping slim jeans, $115, from Arthur Schofield & Co; Ivylee Copenhagen Jenny Boots, $449, from Hunter Store
Bridget wears her own Queen Charlotte midi dress, $299, by Binny; her own Ivylee Copenhagen boots as before.
Bridget wears Chasing Waves cotton dress, $189.95 by Boho Bird, halfpenny and pearl necklace, $160, and halfpenny necklace, $110, by Dumble Collective; her own Golden Light dome ring, $169, and Botanica double ring, $159, by Kristin Ash, Evie wears Love Henry jumper and shirt, Sunbody hat.
"The kids learn so much from growing up on the land, whilst developing a great sense of adventure and imagination."
Jack wears his own Love Henry Shirt and Sunbody hat.
Alexis weekender travel bag, $119.95, by Louenhide, Kara Rosenlund The Cozy Scarf Bronzed Olive linen scarf, $90, from Mary and Me, Bridget's own polo boots.
Perhaps you live in the city and haven't come across Graziher magazine. We highly recommend it as a beautiful insight into life on the land as a rural women.
The Spring and Summer editions of Graziher magazine can be purchased here.