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I’ve got a new crush. It’s happened before: when I first visited Bellingen Farm House (a delightfully quirky farmstay on the Mid North Coast) back in 2021, and when I spent a week at a magical eco-resort in the Whitsundays in 2024. As a hopeless romantic with an overly optimistic belief that beautiful spaces can make the world a better place, there are certain pockets of Australia that have left me dumbstruck and enchanted. A collection of architectural masterpieces suspended in the hills of Shoalhaven, built with the sole purpose of connecting people with nature and art, Bundanon is the latest addition to the list.
What is Bundanon?
Sprawled across a sweeping bend of the Shoalhaven River on the NSW South Coast, Bundanon is a one-of-a-kind arts campus, gallery and creative camp – less museum, more creative ecosystem hiding in the bush. At its heart sits Bundanon Art Museum – an award-winning, super modern gallery built into the hillside – alongside artist studios, walking trails, a historic homestead and a dramatic bridge-like building that houses accommodation and creative learning spaces.
The whole magnificent operation exists thanks to the prolific and multi-talented Australian painter Arthur Boyd and his wife Yvonne, who gifted their Shoalhaven property to the Australian public in 1993 to create a space where artists could work, students could learn and the public could engage with art amongst the beauty of the bush.
Today, Bundanon hosts exhibitions, festivals, residencies, workshops and performances throughout the year. But it’s just as much about the setting as the program: far-reaching river views, teams of kangaroos grazing on the rolling lawns and award-winning architecture that feels surreally radical against the bushland backdrop.
Where is Bundanon?
You’ll find the Bundanon Art Museum deep in the bush on the banks of the Shoalhaven River near Nowra, roughly two and a half hours south of Sydney on the traditional lands of the Dharawal and Dhurga people. The museum itself sits within the wider Bundanon property – which stretches across the riverbanks for more than 1,000 hectares of protected land.
The art museum site is located at 170 Riversdale Road, Illaroo, overlooking the river and surrounded by forested escarpments. The homestead (a beautifully grand historic house, once the home of Arthur and his wife) is a twenty minute drive from the museum, and definitely worth a visit – hundreds of kangaroos graze on the grounds, and you can look through the windows at Arthur’s studio which has been preserved to look as though he’s just popped to the kitchen for a cup of tea.
When did Bundanon Art Museum open?
The new museum officially opened on March 5, 2022 as part of a major redevelopment of the Bundanon site, but the story stretches much further back. The broader arts organisation, Bundanon Trust, was established in 1993, after Arthur Boyd and Yvonne Boyd gifted their property to the Australian public.
What’s the story behind Bundanon?
In the 1970s, Arthur and Yvonne Boyd bought a sweeping property along the Shoalhaven River, where Boyd painted some of his most celebrated landscapes. In 1993, they gifted the land, buildings and a vast art collection to the nation, creating the Bundanon Trust.
For decades, Bundanon operated as a residency and cultural site. The 2022 art museum and creative learning centre dramatically expanded that vision, adding a purpose-built gallery embedded into the hillside and v impressive new visitor facilities.
Is there a café at Bundanon Art Museum?
Yes – and it comes with a pretty spectacular outlook. The museum site is home to Ramox Café, which serves coffee, light meals and snacks with views across the valley. The site also hosts occasional pop-up dinners and collabs with big name Aussie chefs.
How do you get to Bundanon Art Museum?
The easiest way to get there from Sydney is by car – the drive takes about two to three hours depending on traffic.
Can you stay at Bundanon Art Museum?
You actually can – which makes the whole thing feel even more special – like a living, breathing creative community hub.
Accommodation is located inside “The Bridge”, a striking structure that spans a gully near the museum, and houses both creative learning spaces and guest rooms, designed by Kerstin Thompson Architects to be resilient in the face of climate disasters that increasingly threaten our beautiful state. Visitors can stay overnight for events or weekend escapes, though it’s often booked out with groups of students on immersive arts programs.
You can learn more and plan your visit over here.
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