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Waaaaay back in 2012, when this blog was but 18 months old, I interviewed Brisbane-born, US-based food and travel editor David Prior. He’s one of smartest people I’ve ever met.

Today we introduce David’s newest offering. Prior Knowledge Travel is a membership-based ‘travel society’ – a luxury service with a not-for-profit arm, focusing on truly unique travel experiences that highlight and preserve culture, rather than exploit it.

Membership for Prior Knowledge is by invitation – register your interest here!

Today we tour the National Rhododendron Garden, Park’s Victoria’s 42-hectare public garden in the lush Dandenong Ranges east of Melbourne.

Established in 1960, this exceptional conservation project is home to 15,000 rhododendrons, but also thousands of other flowering shrubs and perennials.

We photographed the breathtaking garden earlier this month – you MUST see it in full Springtime bloom!

Today we visit beautiful garden in Melbourne’s Eaglemont, the result of a 25 year collaboration between garden designer Sharon Harris and her client.

The result of an ongoing ‘ebb and flow’, this is a brilliant example of the magic that can occur as a result of a long-term creative partnership between garden owner and designer.

Today our gardens columnist, Georgina Reid of The Planthunter, tours the Healesville garden of artist Clare James.

An inspiring, storied place, this property is the product of years of creativity, lateral thinking and thrift.

Apparently around 150 plants can fit in one carry-on bag… or so modern day planthunters Matt Reed and Michael Morant inform us, in this incredibly moving story!

The duo from Antique Perennials, a nursery in Kinglake, 45km North East of central Melbourne, talk to Georgina Reid of The Planthunter about losing their property in the Black Saturday bushfires, re-building from scratch, and the incredibly diverse plants available to grow in Australian gardens.

Some people just have a gift for creating beautiful spaces, and one of those people is Melbourne based designer, decorator and creative entrepreneur Lynda Gardener.

‘The Apartment’, completed last year, is Lynda’s latest project –  a lovingly decorated one bedroom rental apartment in a grand old 1920s building in St Kilda. This serene space, which Lynda originally purchased more than 16 years ago, channels a distinctly European feel.

Today our gardens columnist, Georgina Reid of The Planthunter, takes us through a lush heritage garden in Sydney.

Designed around 20 years ago, it has been re-invigorated by Sydney-based landscape designer Michael Bates. He’s embarked on a considerate update, with a little ‘chainsaw gardening’ to make way for the new!

As you probably know, TDF is a tiny team, but we are so lucky to have a wonderful network of contributors from across Australia that help us to bring you coverage of creative happenings from outside our Melbourne base. Today we’re excited to welcome writer Karen Locke and photographer Honey Atkinson of Will Work For Food to the fold.

Each month, the duo will be travelling to rural and regional areas across the country to bring you insights into the lives of those living sustainably, on and from the land.

Today Karen and Honey visit the Hunter Region of New South Wales, where they meet Vanessa Garcia and Dominique Northam of The Flower Farm Collective.

Today we bring you the second instalment of our new travel column! Our tour guide on this occasion is architect, designer and big-ideas person Sarah King.

You may have heard of ‘Sarah K’ in connection with  her sustainable design initiative Supercyclers, or perhaps The Other Hemisphere, which showcases Australian design at various international design events, including the Salone del Mobile in Milan and design weeks in London and Tokyo. Sarah K is a dynamic do-er, and is devoted to preserving and sharing beauty – be it natural or thoughtfully man-made!

Having lived all over Australia, Sarah is now based in Moss Vale, and has recently converted a workshop on her property into a charming weekender called closed(work)shop, furnished with a beautiful edit of Australian design pieces.

Today, Sarah introduces us to her top spots in the NSW Southern Highlands, just over one-and-a-half hours drive south-west of Sydney, with stop-offs at Fitzroy Falls, Moss Vale and Bowral.