Come for the art, stay for the scenery and take some time to explore the towns along the way
Spring is about to get a whole lot more colourful across the Flinders Ranges and Outback, with five weeks of art, workshops and creative experiences giving you the perfect excuse to hit the road.
A Brush with Art returns from September 5 to October 11, stretching from Crystal Brook all the way to Coober Pedy, with more than 30 exhibitions, workshops and special events popping up across 17 towns and locations.
And there’s plenty worth pulling over for.
You’ll find everything from traditional landscapes and modern abstracts to photography, sculpture, textiles and First Nations art, with plenty of chances to meet country artists and watch some of them at work.
At Wilpena Pound, 110 paintings inspired by the Flinders Ranges will fill the historic Woolshed for The Flinders Revealed, with artists creating works there each day.
In Jamestown, the Mural Festival takes the art outside, with artists painting live in Ayr Street, while in Peterborough, you can even get involved and add something of your own to the Growing Together community artwork.
There’s handcrafted printmaking and fabrics in Laura, paintings, sculpture and fused glass in Melrose, Indigenous art and culture in Blinman, and art trails to wander through Hawker and Quorn.
You might even stumble across something a little unexpected, with exhibitions and creative works appearing in galleries, halls, local businesses and other spaces along the way.
Come For The Art, Stay A While
A Brush with Art has come a long way since 2004, when the original Flinders Ranges Art Trail linked just three exhibitions at Hawker, Wilpena and Blinman.
Now in its 22nd year, it stretches across about 63,500 square kilometres, almost the size of Tasmania, and recorded more than 11,400 visits last year.
And while the art might get you there, Event Director Leonie Hunt hopes you’ll stick around and explore a little further.
“We want people to come for the art, but stay to experience the towns, landscapes, local businesses and country hospitality along the way,” she said.
There’s no need to tackle the whole trail either.
“Choose part of the trail, take the scenic route and discover somewhere you may never have visited before,” Leonie said.
Make a day of it, spend a weekend wandering through a few towns or add some creative stops to a bigger Flinders Ranges and Outback road trip.
New signage will also pop up across towns this year, making A Brush with Art easier to spot as you travel through the region.
So take the scenic route, leave yourself some time to explore and see what you find along the way.
Explore the full program, check dates and start planning your own route at the A Brush with Art website.
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