Art Trails and a road trip or two. Your 5 day guide for a creative getaway.

Whether you’re a practicing artist or you enjoy other people’s creative abilites, we have two weekends of art trails to give you the perfect excuse for a country getaway. The inaugural Condamine Country Art & Craft Trail will be held over the weekend of the 17-18 October at various locations around Warwick, Qld. Either stay on or return the next weekend, with the second annual Granite Belt Art & Craft Trail on Friday 30 October to Sunday 1 November. Both weekends will be full of art, craft, wine and food as you enjoy warm country hospitality and Springtime in our beautiful Southern Downs and Granite Belt region.

Download the Condamine Country Art & Craft Trail Map here: CCART Map

Download the Granite Belt Art & Craft Trail Map here: GBArtCraftTrail_District_Map-2

Of course, you can vary your trail to however you want – mix it up, go back more than once and make sure you sample the local fare and pick up some cases of wines as you go.

Day one: Condamine Country Art & Craft Trail – Saturday 17 October

Artist Louise Tait. Photo by Krista Bjorn

A road trip with a side of art!

Start your trail off in Allora which is at the northern end of the region. To set the mood and get your creative juices flowing we suggest a visit to Wild Sage Collective in Allora – a zen space at 72 Herbert St where you can also get a coffee fix and be inspired by beautiful homewares while you sip. Then it’s time to hit the art trail!

  1. Leah Kelly, 13 Forde St, Allora. Leah has chosen the ancient mediums of glass and ceramics to express
    her story. Leah will demonstrate glass beading throughout the weekend. You can also make your own pendant or try your hand at making a glass bead.
  2.  Robert Cullen, 90 Quigley’s Rd, Deuchar. Rob’s pottery studio is an oasis of creativity surrounded by bush 19 km north west of Warwick. Crystalline glazes and a passion for ingenuity drive Robert’s pottery creations. Rob will be opening his studio from 9am to 4pm.
  3.  Sue Keong, 185 Paynes Rd, Freestone. Sue draws on landscapes and colours of the country to produce sensitive 2D Artworks. Over the trail weekend you can watch Sue work or join one of her two hour painting classes.
  4.  Donna Hey, 98 Orchard Rd, Loch Lomond. Donna learnt her trade from a qualified chandler, making and selling her range of high quality, fragrant candles. Sign up for a workshop to make your own candles.
  5.  Christopher Hulme, 2 Eliza Court, Warwick. Christopher is a mosaic artist specialising in glass and ceramic mosaic.
    He has created several large mosaic works for both public and private gardens. Chris will offer 4 x 2 hour classes in mosaic over the weekend.
  6.  Nikki Malone, 7 Cecil St, Warwick. A passionate painter, Nikki paints predominantly in oils, but also loves to experiment with a variety of different art mediums. She shares her love of art by holding regular workshops from her home studio in Warwick. Visit Nikki’s inspirational studio and watch her work.

To round off the day and relax with a G&T perhaps, check out the new Butterworth Arms, a gin and whisky bar boasting an array of liquor from around the globe. If you’re looking for somewhere to rest for the night, there’s a great selection of accommodation in and around Warwick. 

Day two: Condamine Country Art & Craft Trail – Sunday 18 October

Donna Hey Windy Haze Creations. Photo by Helen Robinson

Time for walking. 

Lace up your comfy walking shoes, as today the art trail is in Warwick. Warm up with a coffee and hearty breakfast at Gardens Galore. Then hit the trail starting at the Warwick Art Gallery, 49 Albion St:

  1. Jayde Clacy, Warwick Art Gallery. Jayde is having her first solo exhibition in the Orange Wall Space. Jayde will be at the Gallery on Sunday to talk about her work and about her experience as a beginning artist and what it was like working towards her first solo exhibition.
  2. Sue Hamlet, Warwick Art Gallery. Sue balances her time between creating optimistic and uplifting works on canvas and
    facilitating artistic/therapeutic workshops. Warwick Art Gallery has invited Sue to be a resident artist in the gallery’s studio on both days
    of the trail weekend.
  3. Warwick Spinners and Weavers, St Marks Anglican Hall, Grafton St. Activities cover many of the fibre arts including spinning, weaving, crochet, knitting, dying and felting. Members of the group will be demonstrating spinning, weaving, solar dying and twining and you can also join in a workshop to learn felting.
  4. Louise Tait, 13 Clarke St. Louise is the driving force behind Studio Style Inside Out. Louise is an established mural artist and has murals in Allora, Warwick, and Stanthorpe and has sold artworks both nationally and internationally. Louise delivers group workshops in watercolour, mosaic, clay hand building, macramé, acrylic and much more. Workshops will be offered over the weekend.
  5. Warwick Artist Group, 21 Willi St. The group presents a weekend of creative ways to embellish silk fabric and try your hand at Watercolour Pen and Wash. Visit their quaint studio to take part in one of their mini workshops or just pop by to watch one of their artists demonstrate their processes and techniques.
  6.  Warwick Potters Association, Barnes Park, 63 Horsman Rd. The Potters will run demonstrations over the trail weekend between 10am to 2pm. You can have a try yourself for free.

Day three: Granite Belt Art & Craft Trail – Friday 30 October

Fromes Lane, Railway St. Mural by Guido Van Helton

Weekend two. 

Back for another weekend of creativity and sightseeing, on the Granite Belt this time.

The Granite Belt Art & Craft Trail Open Studio Event (GBART) is a dedication to all things creative and showcases the ever growing talent of artists and artisans who call the Granite Belt home.

You’ll discover a variety of local artisans at GBART 2020 as they exhibit at studios and galleries as well as taking up residence in community spaces. Inspired by the Small Halls Festival, the beautiful small local community halls have been invited to join in the fun.

There’s a full schedule of workshops on each day to keep in mind, and if you want to simply start at the north and work south here is our suggested itinerary:

  1. Tim & Tammy Jackson and Owen Ronalds: Stained Glass and Leadlight. Heritage Estate Winery
  2. Crank’d Socks: Vintage Knitting. Suttons Apple Juice & Cafe
  3. Boomerang Bags: sewing. 101 Granite Belt Drive, The Summit
  4. Alpaca Artisans: Fibre Polymer & Painting, 101 Granite Belt Drive, The Summit.
  5. RZ Art: Watercolour. 101 Granite Belt Drive, The Summit.
  6. Tindarra Fine Arts: Splash pet portraits. 101 Granite Belt Drive, The Summit.

Time for a break? Check out where to stay in Stanthorpe and surrounds.

Day four: Granite Belt Art & Craft Trail – Saturday 31 October

Artist Krishna Heffernan

In need of coffee?

Try any number of great cafes in the main street of Stanthorpe such as Brinx Deli. 

Then head back out towards Applethorpe to pick up the art trail.

  1. Alpaca Arts Collective: Fibre Art. 432 Old Warwick Rd, The Summit
  2. Borderline Arts Collective: Fibre, clay and more. 15 Mayfair Lane, Applethorpe
  3. Krishna Heffernan: Indigenous Collage and printmaker. Granite Belt Brewery
  4. Pam Docherty: Precious metal and clay. Robert Channon Wines
  5. Louise Jenkins: Painter print maker. Robert Channon Wines
  6. Amiens History Association:  Heritage Park, 17 Goldfields Rd, Amiens

In need of some exercise after all that time in the car? If heading back into Stanthorpe for the night, stretch your legs along the pretty Quart Pot Creek which meanders through granite country and natural bushland, passes through the town of Stanthorpe, and continues out through the south-west, where it meets Spring Creek to form the Severn River

Day five: Granite Belt Art & Craft Trail – Sunday 1 November

Artist Emily Coelli

The final day of art trails!

Don’t forget to check the workshops schedule here.  Keep your energy up with supplies and save room for some goodies at Jamworks Gourmet Larder on the way.

  1. Yve Gray: Pottery. Ridgemill Estate Winery
  2. Jen Martin: contemporary dot painting. Jamworks Gourmet Larder and Cafe
  3. Granite Belt Arts Hub and Meeting Place: Various Indigenous arts and craft. New England Highway Ballandean
  4. Anna’s Candles: Candlemaking. Curr Rd, Ballandean
  5. Judi Pidgeon: Watercolours. Ballandean Estate Winery
  6. Emily Coelli: Watercolour portraits. Twisted Gum Wines.

In Stanthorpe itself check out these studios:

  • Artists Collective: Railway Station, Davadi St
  • Imagined Boundaries Exhibition: Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery. Weeroona Park
  • Jenny Cooke: 13 Hillcrest St

The open studios and artists in residence events finish at 4pm each day.

The Granite Belt is home to an eclectic community of creatives. Their artistry brings colour and diversity to our rural way of life. GBART is an opportunity for our local artisans to share their gifts and their talented processes with you.To find out more about the artists on the Granite Belt art trail CLICK here.

How to get to Southern Downs and Granite Belt

By car: Only 2 hours’ drive south-west from Brisbane and 2.5 hours from the Gold Coast, you’ll enter our region at the top of the beautiful Cunningham’s Gap. Visitors from New South Wales will cross the border at Wallangarra (restrictions allowing). The region is well connected via highways and road networks including the Cunningham, New England and Australia’s Country Way. To plan your journey, check out Drive Queensland’s site or RACQ’s easy to use trip planner.

While You’re Here

Fill in the week between art trails by checking out these other things to do in the area:

Celebrate Spring on the Southern Downs

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Start Your Engines: 2024 Motorsport Events in the Southern Downs

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Rugged Countryside in Sundown National Park

Rev Up Your Weekend: Ultimate 4WD Adventures in the Southern Downs

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Contact Information

Stanthorpe Information 07 4681 2057
Warwick Information 07 4661 3122
Email us: visitor@sdrc.qld.gov.au

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