Why I only travel overseas with one carry-on bag
Brian Tunks is the founder of glassware and ceramics company bison and a frequent flyer. He has one rule when it comes to packing.
Brian Tunks’s earliest memory of travel is as a toddler on a dinky bike “running away” from home. “Grenfell in the central west of NSW was a bit restrictive for me, even at that early age,” he says. “I made it to the town pool on the dinky before I was returned to my amused parents. They had actually ensured that a neighbour’s child would follow me to make sure I was safe. I do remember how liberating it felt to escape along with my teddy bear and box of ‘treasures’.”
At age 17, Brian travelled as an exchange student to Sweden, where he developed his love of pared-back aesthetics and colour. He then studied Classics and ancient history at ANU and completed a Master of Letters degree. He also worked for three seasons on an archaeological dig site in Syria, close to Aleppo on the Euphrates River, and discloses that he learned rudimentary Arabic by listening to the dig assistants talking about their husbands.
Brian established bison, his ceramics and glassware company, in 1997 after teaching himself glazing and clay-forming methods. Fast forward to now and bison is sold at his two branded cottage-scale stores in Pialligo, ACT, across the world and nationally through galleries, providores and leading design stores. The collections have also grown to feature blown and faceted glass and accessories, and the wares are frequently found in the décor of Australia’s leading hotels.
“I love the transformative power of colour and memory,” he says, “and how that triggers recollections and can also be part of our everyday lives. Use and re-use is the motto … no cultural landfill here.”
On the agenda in 2024
As bisonhome is on the site of a former nursery, it makes sense to grow dahlias. Brian’s inaugural Dahlicious festival, running through March from Wednesdays to Sundays (2pm-5pm), is described as a “fusion of design meets colour paired with flowers”. There will be floral masterclasses, fragrance and candle-making workshops, potting shed tips, paddock and flower-gathering tours, yoga (among the dahlias) and styling events. The Commons at Pialligo is at 12 Beltana Rd.
Pared-back packing
As I get older and wiser, I really try to take less when I fly. A soft carry bag is sufficient and I don’t buy as much as I used to. I enjoy the experience of travel these days as opposed to any need to acquire yet more stuff. An object has to be uniquely special or have personal meaning to deserve a place in my luggage. And I always take books, which I leave in hotel libraries or on shelves along the way for fellow travellers to pick up and enjoy.
Hotels in the heart
I stayed at Gritti Palace in Venice after a family wedding in Montenegro and scored the Serenissima Suite. It felt a little like being in the glamorous home of an eccentric relative, who just happened to have the Grand Canal in the front yard. My husband and I were married in Brazil and we love Belmond Hotel das Cataratas at Iguassu Falls. The national park closes at 4pm and during our stay there were iguanas lazing by the pool and a sign in the foyer suggesting guests should not wander at night in case of hungry jaguars.
Many happy returns
I went as an exchange student at age 17 to live in Malmo, and Sweden was a country of “firsts” for me, from skating on the frozen ocean between Denmark and Sweden to hiking in the countryside and casually finding rune carvings, plus learning to ski on the Norwegian border. It’s a land of such order and function, so incredibly green and rich with architecture. My time there provided the basis for my love of simple forms and colour and an abiding obsession with Mora clocks (I have four). My close friend and favourite photographer Lean Timms and I keep checking out summer houses for sale there.
Buon appetito
Working in a profession where my ceramics and glassware are used by chefs and cooks has given me access to some truly special experiences. I’m excited that my talented Australian/Japanese friend Emiko Davies, cookbook author and stylist, has recently opened Enoteca Marilu, a beautiful eatery, cooking school and wine bar/shop with her Italian husband, sommelier Marco Lami, in the Tuscan hilltop town of San Miniato. She’s running five-day food and wine classes this year, with a focus on northern autumn harvests and even a white truffle workshop, November 12-16. Emiko has produced five cookbooks, including Torta della Nonna, a collection of sweet recipes.
My perfect stopover
The Siam in Bangkok is another favourite, with interiors and gardens by Bill Bensley and offering just 39 suites, all very chic throughout in black and white. The owners provide pieces from their personal collection of antiques and treasures on display. There’s a Han dynasty horse and cart plus priceless pottery that would make a museum curator weep with envy. It’s a luxury urban resort in the best sense of that description, set in 1.2ha of gardens by the Chao Phraya River and offering its own shuttle boat service.
India, always
Where to start? The exotic colours, the clamour and almost overwhelming press of humanity can make travelling here a life-changing experience. The local people I work with there for bisonhome projects are warm and incredibly hospitable. Memorable experiences abound, such as a journey on the Maharajas’ Express train from Delhi to the holy city of Varanasi, and multiple stays at Raas Hotel, my favourite bolthole in Jodhpur. It’s built around a beautiful merchant’s house with direct views to Mehrangarh Fort. The call to prayer floats out across the city at sunset, which is the perfect time to repair to the rooftop bar to watch the lights come on across the blue city and the fort.
Next in line
I’m planning to spend my 60th birthday this year with friends in Egypt. We’ll fly from Cairo to Luxor and then board a Viking river ship on a cruise to explore the fabled sites I read about as a child and studied at university. Hopefully, I’ll follow up with Jordan and Istanbul. When I was on the dig site in Syria, we’d often take breaks and travel to Turkey, which offered a calm escape and great food after the desert heat.
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