Tweed Regional Gallery, Murwillumbah SouthCredit: Destination NSW
Design your own art trail in the NSW Northern Rivers.
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From renowned regional galleries to small seaside venues with a focus on local talent, there are a number of excellent art galleries to discover in the Northern Rivers region of the New South Wales North Coast. Here are five to add to your own art trail.
Tweed Regional Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre, Murwillumbah
Housed in a modern, award-winning building on the southern fringe of Murwillumbah, with spectacular views of Wollumbin (Mt Warning), the Tweed Regional Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre (TRGMOAC) showcases the work of regional, national and international artists. The gallery also offers free workshops for all ages and abilities, hosts the A$20,000 biennial Olive Cotton Award for Photographic Portraiture, and brings travelling exhibitions like the Archibald Prize to the region.
Learn all about Australia’s most celebrated still life and interiors painter in the Margaret Olley Art Centre, where you can also see a recreation of the late artist’s home studio. As well as using the original windows and doors from Olley’s Paddington (Sydney) studio, TRGMOAC’s curators filled the rooms with more than 20,000 items that Olley collected over the years to feature in her paintings.
Next, head to downtown Murwillumbah’s M-Arts Precinct to see Gallery DownTown, where a permanent collection from TRGMOAC joins changing exhibitions by local artists in a creative hub of art, food and fashion.
Lismore Regional Gallery, Lismore
The oldest cultural organisation in the Northern Rivers, Lismore Regional Gallery was established in 1953 at Lismore, 50 minutes’ drive southwest of Byron Bay, and moved to its new location alongside the Lismore Quadrangle in 2017. Its permanent collection includes works by Australian greats Margaret Olley, Jon Molvig, Lloyd Rees and Thea Proctor, as well as a collection of photographs of the last counter-culture Aquarius Festival in Nimbin in 1973.
Following your indoor gallery visit, head to Lismore’s back alleys to admire the ongoing street art project known as the Back Alley Gallery, which includes a colourful mix of murals, stencils, graffiti and installations by local and international street artists.
Ninbella Art Gallery, Bangalow
Admire (and maybe also purchase) contemporary Aboriginal art by Dorothy Napangardi, Minnie Pwerle and other leading and emerging indigenous artists at the Ninbella art gallery in Bangalow.
The commercial gallery works with Fair Trade organisations and Aboriginal-owned community art centres from the Central Australian Desert, and also displays works by local Aboriginal artists. Ninbella also works with non-indigenous artists and has an eclectic mix of pieces by local alternative artists alongside mid-century Italian designer furniture, bespoke chairs created by designer Gray Hawk, tapestries and chandeliers.
Tweed Regional Gallery, Murwillumbah South Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying a visit to the Tweed Regional Gallery in Murwillumbah South.Margaret Olley Art Centre at Tweed Regional Gallery; re-creation of the Duxford Street, Paddington, home studio of artist Margaret Olley; Yellow Room.
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Tweed Regional Gallery, Murwillumbah South Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying a visit to the Tweed Regional Gallery in Murwillumbah South.Margaret Olley Art Centre at Tweed Regional Gallery; re-creation of the Duxford Street, Paddington, home studio of artist Margaret Olley; Yellow Room.
Lismore Regional Gallery, Lismore Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying a visit to the Lismore Regional Gallery, Lismore.
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Lismore Regional Gallery, Lismore Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying a visit to the Lismore Regional Gallery, Lismore.
Mist Gallery, Cabarita
A new addition to Cabarita Beach on the Tweed coast, Mist Gallery opened in September 2020 with a vision to share affordable Australian art. Take home a piece of the Northern Rivers in a landscape painting by a local artist. As well as displaying paintings, sculptures, ceramics and handcrafted jewellery, Mist Gallery also hosts ‘Meet the Artist’ events and offers kids’ art programs.
Coldstream Gallery, Ulmarra
Halfway between Byron Bay and Coffs Harbour, the Coldstream Gallery is housed in an old department store building dating back to 1907 in the river port village of Ulmarra. Since transforming into a fine art gallery in 1975, Coldstream has been promoting local artists and artisans, including painters, sculptors, woodturners, glass artists and jewellery makers. The gallery also has two accommodation offerings: a self-contained apartment and the Coldstream Gallery Studio, which is ideal for an art-loving couple.
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Credit: Helen Otway
Mist Gallery in Cabarita on the Tweed Coast.
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Mist Gallery, Cabarita Credit: Helen Otway
Mist Gallery in Cabarita on the Tweed Coast.
More Inspirational Stories
Art Gallery of New South Wales, SydneyCredit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoying a visit the the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney.
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Come alive with the possibilities as you delve into Sydney’s dynamic arts scene and cultural institutions. Feel moved as you immerse in striking contemporary artworks at public and private galleries, and take in cutting-edge performances and exhibitions across the city.
Be moved by must-see cultural landmarks
Marvel at the ‘sails’ of the Sydney Opera House as you approach this iconic performing arts venue, then join one of several fascinating tours on offer here. Discover the building’s unique history and construction on an Architectural Tour, or go behind the scenes on a Backstage Tour. See a show from an ever-changing program of theatre, dance and music in one of the venue’s many impressive performance spaces, then head to the Opera Bar to take in the front-of-house harbour view as you enjoy seasonal fare and a refreshing drink.
Appreciate the striking art deco façade and waterfront location of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), across the water from the Sydney Opera House at Explore the diversity of Australian modern art as you view highlights of a collection of more than 4,000 works, including a significant body of works by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. Take time out and digest the wonderful works you’ve just seen as you enjoy panoramic views across Sydney Harbour from the museum’s rooftop café.
Feel far away from the bustle of the city centre as you enter the Domain parklands next to the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and make your way to the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the leading museum of art in the state. Step back in time to view colonial and 19th-century Australian works and European masters, as well as a dedicated gallery of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art. Then explore Sydney Modern, the AGNSW’s dynamic new addition, to discover site-specific works by leading Australian and international artists.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoy a tour in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
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Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoy a tour in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, The Rocks Credit: Destination NSW
Friends arriving outside the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in The Rocks, Sydney...Artwork: Moon in a Dew Drop.Artist: Lindy Lee
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Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, The Rocks Credit: Destination NSW
Friends arriving outside the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in The Rocks, Sydney...Artwork: Moon in a Dew Drop.Artist: Lindy Lee
Immerse in art in cutting-edge galleries
Lose track of time as you explore a myriad of inner-Sydney art galleries. Delight in a dip into one of the world’s most significant collections of Chinese contemporary art at the White Rabbit Gallery in Chippendale, on the fringe of the city centre. Be intrigued by the selection from philanthropist Judith Neilson’s collection of almost 3,000 works created in China since 2000 by around 750 artists, before taking in the tranquil vibe at the gallery’s Teahouse as you snack on handmade dumplings and fine Chinese and Taiwanese tea. (You can also plan ahead and enter the ballot for tickets to cutting-edge performances at Phoenix Central Park, Judith Neilson’s risk-taking cultural centre a short walk from White Rabbit Gallery.)
Lean into the grand scale of Carriageworks, a multi-arts centre housed in expansive former railway workshops in Eveleigh, a five-minute drive or around a 15-minute walk from White Rabbit Gallery. Keep an eye on Carriageworks’ events page for visual arts exhibitions and new performance works.
Take your time exploring the many art galleries dotted around the hip inner-city suburb of Surry Hills. Enter the fascinating world of significant Australian artist Brett Whiteley at Brett Whiteley Studio, tucked away in a side street off Crown Street, one of the main streets running through Surry Hills. Take in the singular atmosphere of the late artist’s former home and workplace, with its unfinished paintings, art equipment, books and graffiti wall of quotes and images, and view one of the changing exhibitions of the artist’s works.
Find yourself challenged and stimulated by the conceptual and design-driven art at independent Surry Hills gallery China Heights, then take the short walk under the train tracks to 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art in Haymarket. Learn about the Asian diaspora in Australia via contemporary art at this fascinating gallery run by the non-profit Asian Australian Artists’ Association Inc.
Thrill to a sense of discovery as you find leading commercial art galleries tucked away in the leafy streets of Paddington in Sydney’s inner east. Roam the side streets of this fashionable suburb to find the likes of Saint Cloche, where gallery director Kitty Clark fosters the city’s emerging artistic talents; Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, one of the most influential commercial art galleries in Australia; and Olsen, founded by Tim Olsen to represent the late John Olsen, one of the country’s greatest painters, and showcase contemporary Australian artists.
White Rabbit Gallery, Chippendale Credit: Destination NSW
Women walking through an exhibition at the White Rabbit Gallery, Chippendale.
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White Rabbit Gallery, Chippendale Credit: Destination NSW
Women walking through an exhibition at the White Rabbit Gallery, Chippendale.
Brett Whiteley Studio, Surry Hills Credit: James Horan; Destination NSW
Brett Whiteley Studio in Surry Hills
#feelnewsydney #ilovesydney
Brett Whiteley Studio, Surry Hills Credit: James Horan; Destination NSW
Brett Whiteley Studio in Surry Hills