Paul Kelly

Singer, songwriter and poet

He’s arguably Australia’s most prolific songwriter, having penned 27 albums across his 46-year career, but according to Paul Kelly he’s not done honing his craft. “I learn from younger artists,” he says. Collaborating with music’s next gen and bringing others into the spotlight, including talents such as Thelma Plum on her song, Made For You, “is as much for me as it is for them. I get to hear new music and work in a different way. You come up with something neither of you could have found on your own.” Looking to his peers is equally rewarding

– to Kelly, Kev Carmody is an inspiration whose body of work is “one of Australia’s enduring cultural treasures”.

Many would say the same of Kelly’s music, such is his ability to write songs that feel personal to a nation; to make magic out of everyday Australian moments. “I like creating songs you can see as well as hear. Folk music is an influence; that genre is all about telling stories that never really belong to a particular time. I believe that helps people across ages to connect with [the songs].”

It’s true: if you’ve ever been to a Paul Kelly gig, you’ll have spotted a cross-section of generations in the audience. “Maybe lots of children got brainwashed on long car trips going on holidays!” he jokes. “I’ve even heard of schools using From Little Things, Big Things Grow as a way of teaching history. Music has a role in storytelling in ways you can never totally quantify and that’s one of the things that makes it so great.”

Photograph by Cybele Malinowski

Allan, Alla and Larissa Wolf-Tasker

Owners of Lake House, Wombat Hill House and Dairy Flat Farm in Victoria

You opened Lake House retreat in Daylesford more than 30 years ago. What do you attribute its ongoing success to? Alla