Polly McDonald and Sarah Mercieca in their magical shop The Copper Frog. Photos: Supplied.
Cobargo is well known for its historic wooden shopfronts and vibrant community of creatives and artisans who have filled the village with whimsical shops, boutiques and eclectic galleries.
Even before the long awaited rebuild of its main street after the Black Summer bushfires is officially complete, people are getting its renaissance underway.
Two local women have opened The Copper Frog Apothecary that sells organic dried herbs and teas, along with intentionally magic wares such as brooms, cauldrons and wands.
At Saltbush Creative Studio Jess Collins is running art and craft workshops, initially with a focus on children. A range of tallow products and items she has made from repurposed textiles are also on offer.
Rounding out the most recent additions to Cobargo’s main street is Cobargo Bank Cafe. Owner and builder Jason Miles and his wife Louise have no end of ideas for where the restoration of the 1917 building could lead them.
Polly McDonald and Sarah Mercieca grew up in Cobargo, moved away, and met two years ago when they returned to Cobargo.
Ms McDonald is a nutritionist and herbalist. As she was finishing her studies, she had a dream of opening an apothecary. The wheels were set in motion when she mentioned it to Ms Mercieca who is somewhat of a dynamo. It really took shape when a space became available in the same building as the Cobargo District Museum and Visitor Information Centre.
Saltbush Creative Studio runs art and craft workshops for children.
“It is this beautiful light-filled space in an original Cobargo building that survived the Black Summer bushfires,” she said. “That felt really special to us.”
It turns out that the two women had been separately thinking about and practising caring for nature, having wise intentions and being guided by the seasons for years.
“We practise a lot of the things we talk about and sell, so yes, we are witches,” Ms McDonald said. “I think we have been doing it all our lives and only just put a name to it in the past few years.”
The Copper Frog stocks more than 60 teas and herbs, wherever possible all organic and sourced in Australia. Ms McDonald makes small-batch tea blends in-store for specific purposes such as anti-inflammatory, digestive support, and a sleep potion. As a nutritionist, she makes blends for people with specific requirements.
They also stock tea wares, tarot decks and crystals which attract “magically inclined” people from further afield, complementing the great support they receive locally.
Saltbush Creative Studio is nearby, between Cobargo Creators and the pharmacy. Ms Collins grew up on a local farm watching her parents create things.
Her father had a leather shop in Melbourne and made items including jackets and saddle bags for motorbikes. On moving to Cobargo her mother made wedding dresses, curtains, did alterations and made the uniforms for Cobargo Public School and screen printed them.
Bega Valley artist Netty teaching kids to paint.
So, after a few years as a daycare educator and a hospitality manager/owner, Ms Collins took the plunge to do something she has always wanted to do, namely share her creative skills.
The workshops are for children aged five years and up. She and other local artists teach macrame, sewing, canvas painting, mosaic tiling and how to make suncatchers, among others.
There is a special program of workshops for the school holidays which includes making slime – timely for Halloween.
Ms Collins also sells items she has repurposed, such as turning a woollen blanket into a jacket, men’s shirts into kids’ pants, doona covers into dresses and jacket lining and old terry towels into bucket hats. Plus, there are soaps and body lotions made with tallow.
Jason and Louise Miles and their four children moved to Cobargo in the winter of 2022 after they bought the building that originally was a bank and many years later, a winter sports shop.
A cafe was not the first thing on their list but that is what happened. They were fortunate to have Cobargo Motel owner Dave Allen and his family generously giving advice about how to run a hospitality business and it has a strong following.
Locals are tempted by Cobargo Bank Cafe’s coffee that is roasted in Moruya and made with Tilba Dairy’s milk. Focaccia made from a wheat flour that is non-genetically modified and non-glyphosate desiccated features strongly in the menu, topped with fresh and seasonal ingredients.
Cobargo Bank is definitely one to watch.
