Although Liz Gallie is celebrated as a maker of jewellery, the backbone of her creations is far from the precious metal and stones one might expect. Prominent at Liz’s workplace is a selection of rattan – and not just any old cane, but pieces taken from the loya vine, a native climbing palm of north-east Queensland, the signature element of her ‘jungle art'.

Though the vine grows wild, Liz approaches it as carefully as a vigneron selecting grapes for a rare vintage: “It needs to be slow growing, on high, not wet ground, so it is strong and durable”, she says.

For Liz Gallie, her home at Mission Beach is a paradise, the only place in which to live and work. “I feel so privileged to live like this. My work is not forced or pressured. Her work includes photo frames, candlesticks, knife handles, sculptural pieces, napkin rings, bracelets and striking cane-based necklaces.