COUNTRY HOUSE LIFE IN AUSTRALIA.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 282, 21 August 1908, Page 5

COUNTRY HOUSE LIFE IN AUSTRALIA.

Mrs. Creed, who as Miss Louiso Mack was known to a'large number of Australian girl readers, has for the- past few. years ; been the editor of an' English paper in Florence, but she lately , resigned the position to return to London. In the London "Daily Mail", 'she. has an article on life in an Australian .countrj'-houße • which to show that she lias found nothing in : the Old World to overcome her affectionate memory of the new. .' • , .

; "Breakfast; when a good many steaks and chops are eaten, is at half-past eight,•but," says Mrs. Creed, "you may be as late as you like. It is oven. possible' that you will come down so late that the servants are busy, with other/tilings, and you, will go out to. the kitchen ana cook yourself a chop, or: bacon and eggs, and mako fresh tea. . 'No; one will think anything of it. Nothing is locked up, and you may take what you . like without asking. . It may be that you; will have to'help .tj. wash.up'.afterwards. Yes I , Even in the most luxurious countryhouses this may happen. Servants -are always an uncertain quantity in '.Australia, and every Australian girl and woman knows that,she may .be called upon to 'dothings' even when she goes to stay with friends.

'.'But nobody minds. Nobody minds anything, in fact. The Premier's wifo is ironing her blouses in the wash-house. Lord' ; M., tlio young. Englishman,. is cleaning his boots in the scullery. Four ladies and six. men are washing up in the kitchen. The Premier is feeding the fowls. Tho daughter of tlio house is rolling out pastry. Half a'dozen people-are clearing away, tho breakfast- table and bods.: Tho three maids have all gone off without notice! The hostess, .is'driving round in a buggy trying to find-others. She will havo hard work to find them, but - she has wired to tho registry office in Sydnoy to send . up threo moro;:by':to-night's train. Let usliopo they come 1 Let us hope they stay, •at any rate till the next holiday, for the Australian domestic has- one direful habit—sho leaves when a holiday' conies round. - The Order of tho'Day. '"After breakfast you-may help to catch the horses in the paddocks, and then you can.go .riding a's long as you chooso. 'Do as you like' is tho only recognised order of the day. There will bo golf, tennis, croquet, polo, kangaroo hunting, vowing on tho creek (but no punting), moonlight rides, billy tea, and picnics galore. • And there will bo gaiety and laughter, music and song, dancing and bridge, night and day and day'and night. And all day long , there will be tea l Tea at seven, tea for breakfast-, tea in the sittingroom or-verandah'at eleven, tea for lunch, tea with dinner.. Thei gentlo art of making coffee'is. jiot ; one of Australia's accomplishments. .'At l'olclock lunch will" bo served of cold -meat/.mutton chops, curries, salads, iand a-bewildering array of gorgeous fruits, peaches, nectarines, persimmons, passion fruit, pineapples, grapes, guavas, custard, apples, melons, heaped up on enormous dishes. "Dinner will be at seven, and then champagne will bo drunk. Tlio ladies will all dress for dinner, and remarkably well too ; ■but if a man or two appear in morning clothes, no . one will bo in the-least disturbed. "Another characteristic of an Australian house party as opposed to an English one will be the remarkable absence of letterwritingi among the guests, and Elizabeths, Ambrosines, and will also bo mercifully to seek. And yet thcro will always be more cirls than married women. Girls, in fact, ; abound in a country house, for Australia is pre-eminently tho land or the girl. . ■ Everything is for her. Married women, unless very, beautiful or very dashing, are put on one side when girls arc present. An Australian lady who had'been living for years in Italy-paid a visit, to Sydtey last year, andafterwards confided to her Italian friends how glad sho was to get back to Italy. .'ln Australia,' said she, 'I was - left out of everything because I was married. It. was always Ethel- who was asked, never me. If by chance I did go I was • sorry. I was given something to eat, and then left alone, while all the young peoplo talked to -each other. It's nice to •ge't back to Italy,,whore a married woman is the only one who counts!'

'And all day long and all night the front % r will stand wide open, and the strange . who icomo drifting in are never turned . empty-handed." .