Country Style champions regional renewal with renovation series led by Edwina Bartholomew

Are Media’s Country Style has welcomed journalist Edwina Bartholomew as a contributor, bringing her short-form renovation series to the brand’s social community alongside a new column in print and online.

Launching in the November issue, on sale this week, the collaboration follows Bartholomew and her husband, Neil Varcoe, as they restore Saltash Farm, a historic guesthouse in the small NSW town of Carcoar, to create a boutique hotel.

Through vlog-style video, exclusive stories and images, and a monthly column, audiences will follow the project as it unfolds, discovering the realities of heritage renovation alongside the people, places and local businesses inspiring the couple’s country adventure.

Country Style Editor-in-Chief Tanya Buchanan said: “Our community loves beautiful homes and inspiring places, but there is also a real appetite for the lived experience behind them. Personal, short-form video invites audiences into that experience - the decisions, setbacks and small wins that make a story relatable and give people a reason to keep following.”

The series combines the immediacy of a personal video diary with the considered storytelling of a monthly column, creating complementary ways for audiences to connect with Bartholomew’s renovation and regional life.

Buchanan said the partnership also builds on the brand’s longstanding commitment to championing regional Australia.

“Country Style has always celebrated the people and places that make regional Australia special. As Australians continue to look beyond our cities for places to visit and build a life, we have an opportunity to introduce them to the communities, creativity and local businesses behind that appeal, and help brands connect with the stories shaping regional Australia’s future.”

For Bartholomew, becoming a contributor marks a new chapter in her longstanding connection with the magazine. Writing in her debut column, she said: “For many years, I have been a reader and subscriber of Country Style, and now, for the very first time, I am a writer.”

Her first contribution shares how a family visit to Carcoar sparked the decision to purchase and restore an 1880s guesthouse. Taking readers beyond the country renovation daydream, she reveals the practical challenges of bringing the property back to life, from heritage restrictions to septic systems and power poles.

The new series builds on Country Style’s growth, with a social community approaching one million and print readership increasing 9% year-on-year to 280,000, according to Roy Morgan’s June 2026 results.