STM Loves: Mary’s Farm Cottages, Fusion festival, Home/Away exhibition, The Ellington matinees & Scribblers

Mary’s Farm Cottages

Looking for a farmstay that combines delicious local produce, a king-sized bed and the chance to watch a harvest in action? Mary’s Farm Cottages in Kukerin, about four hours drive from the city, ticks those boxes. The eco-village of cottages, which can host up to 48 people if you want to get a group together, all back onto a lawn shaded by trees, complete with some kids play equipment and a barbecue under the bonnet of an ancient Austin truck. Book ahead, and they’ll set you up with a dinner of their Cambinata Yabbies with dipping sauces, bread, olive oils and dukkah. And if you head there from November through the end of December, you’ll be able to see them harvesting paddocks of wheat, barley, lupin and peas.

Fusion Food and Culture Festival

This celebration of cultural diversity features more than 40 food trucks, performers, roving entertainers, carnival rides and a fireworks finale at Mills Park in Beckenham. Organised by the City of Gosnells, this year’s highlights include a performance by the band Coterie and a 10m-long glow-in-the-dark puppet with smoke, wind and lighting effects, which will move through the crowd. The free event is on 5pm-9pm on November 10 and 11. See www.gosnells.wa.gov.au/fusion for details.

Home/Away exhibition

A collective of celebrated photographers from across Australia have captured their interpretation of the theme of home/away to be showcased in a book as well as across Stylecraft showrooms in Perth, Sydney and Melbourne. Local photographers include Dion Robeson (work pictured), Bo Wong, Robert Frith and Peter Bennetts, with founder of DesignFreo, Pippa Hurst, set to open the Perth exhibition on November 2.

The Rosé Dinner

In celebration of Global Champagne Day, seaside destination Shorehouse will set sail on an extra-luxurious dinner on October 27 that showcases eight rosé champagnes. In addition to the French fizz list curated by Tracy Mann and Lexie Thompson, chef Pali Singh has created a five-course menu, including blue swimmer crab and prawn-filled pappardelle as well as Wagin duck breast with potato gratin. Tickets are $295. Head to shorehouse.com.au for more information.

Scribblers Family Festival

This popular celebration of literature and arts for youngsters is headed to the city this year for its weekend of free activities. The guests for the event, run by cultural non-profit Form, include bestselling American author Lev Grossman, cartoonist Gavin Aung Than and First Nations storytellers and illustrators including Brenton (Eszra) McKenna, Gary Lonesborough and Helen Milroy. There will be creative story and illustrating “battles”, workshops, family-friendly gallery tours and a sensory zone spread across the Cathedral Square precinct over October 28 and 29. The Golden Feather Hunt, where kids look for one of 15,000 feather bookmarks hidden in 159 libraries state-wide, is on until October 27. Visit scribblersfestival.com.au.

The Ellington Saturday matinees

If you love jazz AND an early night, you’re in luck. The Ellington Jazz Club has announced it will start doing lunchtime shows from November 4, through the festive season and finishing up on January 13 as Fringe World starts. Thanks to a newly approved extended-trading permit, you can now get lunch as you take in shows featuring local and interstate performers. The run will kick off with a jazz for kids show with Libby Hammer, then singer Simone Craddock the following weekend. For tickets and the program, check out ellingtonjazz.com.au.