Therese Cullen enjoys life on the family’s 10ha Southern Highlands home

The Cullens enjoy life on their 10ha Southern Highlands home.

Therese Cullen enjoys the fruits of country living with extensive gardens.

Nutritionist Therese Cullen, the youngest of 12 children, grew up in the country town of Yass amid loads of laughter, fun and a touch of chaos.

It’s an atmosphere she and husband, David – one of five – have duplicated with their family, Toby, 21, Ella, 18, Jack, 15 and Digby, 10 and dogs Saxton and Millie.

They live in the Southern Highlands at High Range, midway between Berrima and Mittagong on a 10ha property where they built a rammed earth house eight years ago.

“We used to have picnics here and one day we saw a paper sign saying it was for sale,” says Cullen.

They purchased the land in 2008 and planted the bones of the garden well before they started building.

“There was just one tree, so we started from scratch but we both had a feeling that this was where we were meant to be,” says Cullen.

“It is very windy, and David has planted more than 500 trees including a silver birch forest and snow gums. Then there are white bush roses, a stone ha-ha wall and curved lawn areas that mirror the landscape shape.”

Therese Cullen spends a lot of time cooking nutritious meals with bounty from the orchard, vegetable garden and resident chooks.

The five-bedroom house has natural thermal insulation and even in June the under-floor heating hasn’t been switched on yet.

A sleek open kitchen with stone bench top is where Cullen spends a lot of time cooking nutritious meals with bounty from the orchard, vegetable garden and resident chooks.

She specialises in gut health and helping people in rural and remote areas via online counselling.

“Research shows about one in three people have gut problems and I have noticed a big upsurge in people concerned about their health,” says Cullen, who advocates eating 30 plants a week, including herbs, to improve gut health.

Her website livingnaturally.com.au offers a five-day healthy living plan and gut health information.

Cullen loves to sit in her caramel-coloured leather chair and enjoy the views in the cosy living area with timber cathedral ceilings.

Nutritionist Therese Cullen.

Features include a Zoe Young painting in the foyer and three striking pendant lights she ordered online and held her breath while an electrician assembled them.

An old wool classing table with glass top is one of Cullen’s most sentimental purchases.

“I was always after one and I purchased this at clearing sale,” she says.

“I then discovered my father, who was a wool classer, worked around it in a neighbouring wool shed years ago.

“I grew up sitting around the kitchen and dining tables with my big family.

“No matter what everyone was doing we would all make an effort to return home for Sunday lunch.

“My 90-year-old mother still hosts lunches there.”

The tradition continues. “People and family are always calling in. My siblings don’t believe in telephones, instead they like to pop in – it is a bit of a revolving door, which I love.”

The Cullens met at university, married in Yass and then worked in the city for a short time, but wanted to give their children a country lifestyle like they had.

“I love the peacefulness out here and consider we have an ‘artscape’ that’s always changing, so we don’t need a lot of art. There was a pink reflection from the sunrise on my bedhead this morning,” she says.

Cullen instructs yoga and meditation classes in summer on a specially built deck above the dam where they swim and have fishing competitions. “I am definitely not a city girl. When we were first married, we lived in Woolwich because of the wide-open streets, and I even had chooks there – I’m just a country girl at heart.”