18 GOURMET TRAVELLER
PHOTOGRAPHY FRANCES HAYSEY (THE HONESTY BOX).High roads
GAME,
SET,
MATCH
Whendidyoufirstseeanhonestybox?
I grewupona farmincountryVictoriaand
my firstencounterwithhonestyboxeswasnot
farfromhome.I remembermarvellingat the
conceptthatyoucouldjusttakesomething
andleavecash.I’veadoredthemeversince.
Doyouoftenencounterhonestyboxestoday?
I’ma bigroad-tripperandlovetakingthe
randombackroad.I alwayspulloverif I spot
onewhenI’madventuring.Theycombinemy
passionsfornostalgicsmall-townAustralia,
seasonal,sustainablefoodandquirkydesign.
WhendidyoustartyourInstagramaccount,
TheHonestyBox?AfterI movedtonorthern
NSWa fewyearsago— thevolumeandquality
ofthestallsupthereis prettyincredible!
You’vefounddragonfruit,custardapples
andgingerthisway.What’sa highlightof
buyingsodirectlyfromthesource?Onthe
waytoa concertinRousMill,I pickedupa
bagofthemostamazinglycheesI’veeatenin
my life. We almost ate the whole bag before weevenmadeit tothevenue.Theworstpartis
thatI haven’tbeenabletofindthestallagain!
Butyoudidseea greathonestyboxover
theQueenslandbordernearNaturalBridge?
They sellthemostbeautifulstuffincluding
seedpackets,relishesandjams.It’slikea
CWAcraftstoreonthesideoftheroad.
Why arehonestyboxesthrivingwhengoing
cashlessanddeliveryappsarethetrend?
Shoppingat yourlocalhonestyboxwillmake
youfeelbetterabouttheworld.Forthe
farmer,they’resharingexcessstockandthe
luckytouristorlocalis gettingfresh(often
organic)produce.There’slessfoodmiles,
lesswasteandit’ssomuchnicertobuy
organicgingerfroma woodenboxona
beautifulcountryroadthana supermarket.
Anyhonestyboxesyou’rekeentocheckout?
Myhusbandsentmethebestphotoofa stall
thatwasfestoonedwithorangessomewhere
outsideMildura.I’llreportback.
Follow The Honesty Box at @thehonestybox_FrancesHaysey’sInstagramaccount,TheHonestyBox,documents
unattended roadside stalls that deal in local produce (and charm).WhenJimCourierwonthe 1992
AustralianOpen, thetennisplayer
jumpedstraightintotheYarraRiver
afterwards.Courieradmitsit was
“notparticularlypleasant”,butdidn’t
stophimfromrepeatingthevictorious
dip.“Weendedupdoingit again
whenI wonthenextyearaswell,”
hesays.Astheworld’snumber 1
maletennisplayerat thetime,he
hada lottocelebrate.
Today,hecontinueshislong-
runninglinkwiththeAustralian
Open:thisis the15thyearhe’llbe
commentatingtheevent.Although
theAmericangrewupinFlorida,his
connectionstoAustraliastartedearly:
hewasmentoredbytheSydney-born
HarryHopman.“I wasluckytospend
manyweekendsas a 12-year-oldat the
HopmanAcademyinLargo,Florida.”
HecurrentlycountsMelbourne’s
France-Soiras oneofhisfavourite
restaurantsaroundtheworld(the
steakaupoivreis hisgo-toorder)and
he lovesthelocaldrops.“I likered
wineandhaveAussiefriendswhohave
drivenmedownPenfoldslanemany
a night.It’squitea pleasantride,I
mustadmit.”Hiscommentatingdiet,
though,is prettystrict.“I alwaysneed
waternearby– andif wegolateinto
thenight,thereis oftensomeespresso
involvedas well.It’salsobestnot
toovereat,lestyoufallasleepinthe
boothina foodcoma,”hesays.
InterviewingRogerFedereron
courthasbeena highlightoverthe
years;sohasbeinginMelbournefor
thefirstGrandSlamonthecalendar.
“AustraliainJanuaryis thebestway
tostarta year,everyyear.”
TheAustralianOpenscreenson
Nine from 20 January, 9now.com.auLeftandbottom:Friday
HutMarket,Coorabell,
NSW.Below:A jam-
filled stall in Queensland.