Art & Craft

The Fleurieu Peninsula has been an inspiration to creative people for many, many generations – from the strong and distinctive weaving traditions of the Ngarrindjeri, to sculptors, painters, weavers, glass workers, craftspeople, printmakers and performers who engage their talents in an ongoing tradition that is distinctively ours. You will find that many restaurants, wineries and other venues regularly feature live music by local musicians.

The peninsula has inspired some of the great names in Australia’s visual arts and a stroll into national and state galleries and museums will find our landscape in the works of Hans Heysen, Dorrit Black, John Olsen, Horace Trennery and Kathleen Sauerbier. Early painters included G.S. Angas and William Light. A drive along the coastal Fleurieu Way interpretive drive will help you to understand their inspiration.

The artistic environment continues to flourish with individuals and cooperatives in many of the region’s towns and communities. A stroll down the main streets of Willunga, McLaren Vale, Normanville and in the laneways of Port Noarlunga leads to several art cooperatives and small galleries, stained glass workshops and the quirky finds of curio and antique shops.

There are galleries attached to many of the area’s restaurants, wineries and the visitor centres that regularly host local and touring exhibitions.

In Yankalilla, Port Elliot, Middleton, Goolwa and Strathalbyn you will discover several private and public art spaces. Some specialise in wildlife, others combine good coffee and a browse, while others provide the ambience of historic public buildings to exhibit their works, such as the South Coast Regional Arts Centre in Goolwa.

Strathalbyn Art Show, Fleurieu Peninsula.

The annual Strathalbyn Collectors, Hobbies and Antique Fair, held at the beginning of August, has interesting and rewarding browsing as do the craft markets held across the region throughout the year.

There are shops specialising in framing, paint supplies and craft materials so if you are inspired during your visit, be assured that the materials are at hand to allow your creative juices to flow.

Many towns host annual art awards and exhibitions, often coinciding with other festivals and events. The Fleurieu Peninsula Biennale, Australia’s richest landscape prize, is a major drawcard to McLaren Vale and takes place biennially on South Australia's famous Fleurieu Peninsula.

The Victor Harbor Art Award exhibition is hel in January each year. In Yankalilla, the annual Quilters Exhibition and Auction provides an insight into a specialist artform while the annual Strathalbyn Eisteddfod provides budding musicians and dancers a public platform.

The Langhorne Creek Winemakers sponsor a biennial art exhibition in the Stationmasters Gallery, Strathalbyn and Yankalilla’s biennial Leafy Seadragon Festival continues this tradition. Performing arts are another feature of the region with town halls, small theatres and even old churches used. Regular musical performances are held at Singing Gallery, McLaren Vale and at the Alma Hotel & Bush Inn, Willunga.

Public art can be seen in the parks and on public buildings, in some of the national parks and on the byways and laneways of the Fleurieu Peninsula.

There are countless opportunities to browse the galleries and shops, visit artists’ studios, participate in a local cultural event, and to buy that permanent reminder of a Fleurieu Peninsula holiday.

Artist painting at the Bluff in Victor Harbor.