free
Break
Diving for abalone, visiting farm gates,
herding cows and scaring off snakes – it’s all
in a day’s work for these tree-change chefs
who’ve left the bright city lights behind.
ANALIESE GREGORY
Franklin (Hobart, Tasmania)
Analiese Gregory remembers running out of fuel on the drive
between Hobart and home after missing the last petrol station
for 50 kilometres. She mentions going hiking on her way into
work atFranklin, stopping to pick flowers and native ingredients.
There were the Sundays when she’d have wine for dinner
because she forgot to visit the supermarket and couldn’t bear
a two-hour round-trip into town on her day off. Relocating from
Sydney, Australia’s largest metropolis, to Hobart, its second
smallest, was bound to result in some eye-opening moments.
But after moving in the winter of 2017, she’s now a self-sufficient
wonder woman, keeping chickens, diving for abalone and sea
urchin, and making her own cheese and charcuterie.
“I never meant to do the sustainable lifestyle thing, but it
does seem to be going that way,” she says. Perhaps it’s more
like a return to her roots: Gregory grew up on a dairy farm in
Matamata on New Zealand’s north island, the small town whose
claim to fame is being home to the Hobbiton set used in the
The Lord of the Rings. After years living in Sydney, the vibe of
Hobart and its friendly, inquisitive locals was a jolt for Gregory.
“It’s more about you slowing down enough to have time for
them,” she says. Sounds like she’s pulled it off like a natural.➤InterviewsEMMA BREHENY & FIONA DONNELLY64 GOURMET TRAVELLER