Art and artists of the Central West NSW

Detailed Itinerary

Included meals are shown with the symbols B, L and D.

Monday April 26: The mountains

We gather for coffee at Wynyard in the Sydney CBD before setting off at 9.30am. Our first stop is the Haberfield studio of painter Euan McLeod. Winner of both the Archibald and Sulman prizes, the Blake Prize and the Gallipoli Art Prize, Euan’s work is to be found in major public collections, such as the National Gallery of Australia and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Euan has worked extensively in the Central West, including stints at Hill End. His energetic, gestural style has ensured him a keen following among contemporary art collectors. In the Blue Mountains, after a picnic lunch stop, we call in at the home and studio of landscape painter Jeff Rigby. Jeff’s meticulous landscapes are to be found in collections including the Art Gallery of NSW and Parliament House in Canberra. He has created many depictions of Bathurst and the landscape of the Central West. In the mid-afternoon we arrive at our ‘destination hotel’, the gloriously restored Hydro-Majestic at Medlow Bath. There will be time to enjoy sunset drinks overlooking the Megalong Valley and a tour of the hotel’s heritage before dinner in the hotel’s well-regarded restaurant. (L,D)

Tuesday April 27: Oberon and Bathurst

We descend Victoria Pass this morning and take the highly scenic Jenolan Caves Road to ‘Essington Park’, south of Oberon. This 150-year-old homestead is today owned by painter Joanna Logue and her sister, the Sydney caterer Simone Logue. A selection of Joanna’s paintings of the area has been installed in the homestead especially for our visit. Just a few kilometres away is the impressive Mayfield Garden. Created by the Hawkins family over the last 20 years, the European-inspired plantings will have superb autumn colours for our visit. After lunch at Mayfield we travel the short distance to Bathurst to visit the regional gallery, known for its collection of ‘Hill End’ artists of the mid-20th century, including Russel Drysdale, Donald Friend and Jeffrey Smart. We also take a short walking tour of the historic architecture of Bathurst’s Town Square, a product of the Gold Rush and the pastoral wealth of the region. We then head to Mudgee, our base for the next three nights. (B,L)

Wednesday April 28: Gulgong and Wineries

Just north of Mudgee, the town of Gulgong retains an authentic gold rush heritage and has several places of interest. Our first stop is the Holtermann Collection of photography. The images were created by Bernard Holtermann, a German immigrant who struck it rich when he found a 153kg nugget at the Hill End goldfields in 1872. The collection, from the earliest days of photography, won a Silver Medal at the 1878 Paris Exposition Universelle Internationale and is recognised by UNESCO. The State Library of NSW, custodians of the Collection, recently moved it to a purpose built gallery in Gulgong. Our next stop in Gulgong is the Henry Lawson Centre. This celebrated poet spent his childhood in the region and the Centre celebrates his life and writings. There will also be time to pop in at the Settler’s Museum, containing some well-preserved colonial buildings and other artefacts from the earliest European settlement of the area. We return to Mudgee for a late lunch at The Zin House, located on a winery and regarded as one of regional NSW’s best restaurants. In the late afternoon we take the short drive out to Lue, to visit Lue pottery. The Gulgong area is well known to potters, thanks to its range of clays and minerals, including white kaolin used for making porcelain. Overnight Mudgee. (B,L)

Thursday April 29: The artists of Hill End and Sofala

This morning we take the dramatic back road to Hill End, famous as a Gold Rush town and later for the artists who settled in the area, seeking to capture and mythologise the spirit of the Australian bush in the mid-20th century. Thanks to these pioneering artists, the pretty village remains the home of several artists of note. As well as visiting heritage sites at Hill End we hope to visit the home and studio of one of Australia’s leading contemporary landscape artists. This artist’s home also has a fine collection of works by the original ‘Hill End School’. (The artist is busy working on a show and will only confirm closer to the tour date.) We will stop for a simple café lunch at Hill End. In the afternoon we travel via some dramatic scenery to Sofala, immortalised by Russel Drysdale. After strolling the town we visit the home and studio of landscape painter Amanda Penrose Hart. Penrose Hart moved from Sydney on to a property that includes stretches of the original coach road and goldfields in order to paint the landscape she loves. As well as a studio visit, we enjoy sunset from the panoramic terrace in front of the house and a dinner cooked by the artist! Overnight Mudgee (B,L,D)

Friday April 30: The Foundations and Mt Wilson

Portland was a company town, built to house workers at the Portland Cement Works. The Works closed in 1991, but recently a private philanthropist has purchased the entire site and is rehabilitating it as an arts and entertainment precinct. We will tour this exciting project with the site manager, and visit the foundry and studio of sculptor Harrie Fasher, now widely recognised as one of Australia’s leading sculptors. Harrie’s large scale works in steel, wood and bronze, many featuring horses, are represented in collections from Canberra to New York, and you may have seen her work in Sydney’s Sculpture by the Sea over several years. We continue via Bells Line of Road to Mount Wilson, famous for its gardens. By a stroke of fortune, Mount Wilson was spared the devastation of the 2019-20 bushfires. The gardens will be at the height of their autumn splendour for our visit, and the contrast with the devastated landscape on the approach is unforgettable. We visit Windyridge Garden before continuing to Sydney, where we arrive in the evening. (B)