Snooker

The front of The Boorowa Hotel may be home to a rather fancy bistro, but the rest of the building is a little down-at-heel.

The colours in the snooker area match every bawdy image of late night playing, complete with cigarette burns and un-mopped beer spills. The atmosphere is the epitome of a working class pub in country Australia, which — as always in my book — makes it the perfect stop for any tourist.

Note the vintage cinema chairs in the background … these would look very nice on my front porch!

All Saints’, Tangmangaroo

Built in 1889, All Saints', Tangmangaroo is an Anglican church in the middle of nowhere, next to a wooden house that was once a school, and surrounded by paddocks. Lonely churches, barely or never used, are common in the Yass Valley and vicinity — their congregations must have been farming families, the numbers of which would have shrunk as farm sizes grew bigger, transport developed and Christianity waned in popularity.

I spent two weeks working on this image, trying to blend the past and present, showing the luminous beauty of the church’s stonework and hinting at its spiritual past.

Kewpie Doll

One of 12 giant kewpie dolls created for the closing ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, this six-metre tall darling is now for sale at Village Antiques in Bungendore.

Designer Brian Thompson was clearly inspired by 1930s Hollywood. With pencil-thin eyebrows, red "cupid's bow" lips and golden hair styled into finger waves, his "girls" imitate the likes of Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich.

As for where to put a doll that towers above the average single storey building ... I'd put her in the outdoor eating area of a cafe or, if I was daring, in my courtyard, surrounded by sleek and sumptuous plants.

Her fibreglass and steel body would certainly stand up to the elements.