Places to stay on Australia's Sunshine Coast: Think boutique heritage, hinterland farmstays, a tiny place, coastal resorts – and Richard Branson's Makepeace Island

I loved the story of UK Post Office campaigner Alan Bates' marriage on Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands so much it made me cry. The private island's famous owner Richard Branson not only hosted Alan and his partner Stephanie, but also officiated at the ceremony. Class act! Coincidentally, I received a press release about what's new for Australia's fabulous Sunshine Coast this spring. Class act! Included was a reminder that Richard Branson is also an owner of Makepeace Island there. 

Makepeace Island

The heart-shaped, private island resort has just re-opened to the public following extensive refurbishment – think new bathrooms and furniture, a new tennis court and barge – catering for groups up to 22 guests exclusively, with three two-bedroom villas and four private rooms with ensuites in the Bali House. 

Dining, Makepeace Island

But Makepeace is only part of the story as the Sunshine Coast is buzzing with news from delicious boutique hinterland hideaways and farmstays to refurbished coastal stays. Also, new immersive animal encounters with seals, penguins and whales, and a new helicopter tour taking guests to new heights. 

New heritage homes open their doors

Elsie's Cottage. Photo: Hannah Puechmarin.

Despite being built in 1916, Elsie’s Cottage opened for guest stays for the first time last month. This enchanting hinterland retreat is named after the youngest granddaughter of Joseph and Alice Dixon, pioneers of the Sunshine Coast in the 1800s. The cottage has been lovingly restored by Joseph and Alice’s great-great-grandson Matthew Clarke and his wife, Sarah. Sleeps four with two exquisite ensuite bedrooms and panoramic views over the Blackall Range to the coast. 

Montville Estate

Following a luxury re-design, the entire Montville Estate (c.1895) is now available to guests, offering a large original homestead and a private, self-contained luxury cottage on the sprawling 1.5 acre property. 

In the Gympie Region, an atmospheric cottage has been created out of the heritage building, The Wimberley (c. 1911), which was once part of Wimberley & Sons Grocery & Hardware Store in the hinterland village of Goomeri. Fully renovated and accessible, this two-bedroom boutique stay is the perfect base for exploring the rail trail and enjoying the region’s renowned local produce. 

Hinterland Farmstays

Thirlestane Farm

Thirlestane Farm is a quintessential farm worker's cottage renovated to an exceptionally high standard with an adjoining newly built barn set in 28 acres of peaceful rolling hills in Cooroy, just 20-minutes’ to the stunning beaches of Noosa. Sleeping up to eight, these two properties are ideal for families or small groups to escape to the country to relax and soak up the serenity of the farm – complete with Highland cows! 

Seven Peaks Farm 

Nestled just 50 minutes away from both Sunshine Coast Airport and Brisbane Airport, Seven Peaks Farm Stay in Beerwah is a tranquil retreat with six modern private cabins and a family cottage with superb views of the Glass House Mountains. This area is known for its gourmet food trail, craft breweries, distilleries, hiking, mountain biking and scenic drives.

Tiny Ahana. Photo, Doe and Deer Photography

Into The Wild has launched their second tiny home on the Sunshine Coast, Tiny Aahana, perfect for tranquil family getaways. Sleeps up to six guests with all the amenities, including an outdoor bathtub. 

Refreshed coastal stays

Ramada Marcoola

Ramada Marcoola Beach is undergoing a $2million “Hamptons-style” refurbishment of 24 of its holiday apartments and hotel rooms. Construction has started to transform the rooms with a classic coastal theme. 

Glen Eden Beach Resort is located in one of the Sunshine Coast’s most in-demand villages Peregian Beach. Located just 10-minutes’ from Noosa with direct beach access, the resort is under new management and being given a fresh new look with refurbished public spaces and furnishings. 

In Mooloolaba, Mirra Chana resort is the perfect beachside getaway with direct access to Mooloolaba Beach and only a short walk from The Wharf Mooloolaba. The resort's beach-level three-bedroom apartments have undergone impressive renovations with deluxe bathrooms and full-sized kitchens. 

Attractions & tours

Oceanview Helicopters is set to launch a new ‘Picnic on a Peak’ experience that will provide the ultimate aerial tourism and local food experience on the Sunshine Coast. 

Oceanview Helicopters, Caloundra

New immersive animal encounters

Mooloolaba’s SEA LIFE has launched a new ‘behind the scenes’ Ultimate Animal Experience, while Epic Ocean Adventures has launched a first-of-its-kind whale encounter with ocean kayak tours. 

Food & drink

Established by two mates with a passion for fine spirits, Hayden Mokaraka and Trent McEvoy will open Buderim Distilling Co on Ocean St, Maroochydore, later this month. 

Glasshouse Plantation has reopened after renovations complete with a working coffee farm for a full farm-to-cup coffee tasting experience, all accompanied by stunning Glasshouse Mountains views. 

Events

Big Pineapple Music Festival 19 October, one of Australia’s most-loved outdoor concerts. 

Pop & Pour Festival 26 October, is a one-day brewery and distillery adventure.

Source: Press Release Visit Sunshine Coast 

Culinary treats, Makepeace Island, Sunshine Coast.

Read more about the Bates' wedding on Necker Island here.

Stokesay Castle: Touch of Magic on the Welsh Marches

Stokesay Castle, Shropshire. Photo ©Alison Plummer.

I fell for Stokesay Castle, Shropshire, many moons ago and love it to pieces. The whole aura of it – the building, the setting, who knows what exactly, but it's like a magnet for me. The exterior blends castle walls with a medieval beamed manor house, and the gatehouse is a fairytale in itself. Inside is bare today, but still interesting. Climb the tower for views over the lush Teme Valley countryside.

Stokesay Castle Gatehouse. Photo by English Heritage.

Stokesay is close to Ludlow, a hill town with a very different castle, mighty and formidable, despite its ruined walls. Explore Ludlow's streets leading up to the castle and the adjacent market square. Markets are held four days a week and foodie Ludlow delivers local produce in many cafes, delis and restaurants. Explore this border country and its tiny towns and castles, hike the hills, feel the magic.

Photo by Alison Plummer©

Photo by The Clive Arms

Photo by The Clive Arms

Stokesay Castle

Ludlow Farmshop

The Clive Arms

Amalfi Coast Count Down – Farewell Angelina

A timely message about the end of summer on the Amalfi Coast popped into my inbox with the reminder of the seasonal closure of Casa Angelina in Praiano on 31 October. The description of thinning crowds, glorious sunsets and skippered boat trips to Positano, Amalfi, Sorrento and Capri tugged at my heartstrings. Who can fail to fall desperately in love with this curvaceous coastline and its mesmerising light? 

Image: Casa Angelina, Praiano, Amalfi Coast.©

The prompt made me smile as we would have done well to have heeded such advice on our first visit to Italy's Amalfi Coast. We were winging it, indie travellers somewhat carelessly piecing together our own itinerary, researching features for print and shooting images for an agency campaign to an exacting brief requiring shots of Positano.

Arriving in Rome, we lingered a little too long in a tiny, romantic hotel in Campo de Fiore. (Sigh!) We travelled by train to Naples and then to Sorrento for a delicious sojourn in a beautiful villa surrounded by lemon groves. We taxied to Positano, sure of finding accommodation – but this was 30 October and shutters were being closed and nailed fast in many restaurants and hotels around the tiny bay. Even the legendary Le Sirenuse hotel was shutting up shop.

Dismayed, we enquired and were directed to a pensione where the main rooms were already closed for winter. We were shown to a side room not facing the sea but it still didn't click that the end of the season was for a reason!

We scoped the beach for the exact location for the advertising shoot and then went to dinner. The narrow passage and stairways of Positano were lined with large pots of geraniums and we looked forward to a romantic stroll back through them towards the sea. But while we dined the wind came up – and what a wind. It howled through the passageways taking plant pots with it. "Hang on to me Dorothy," he exclaimed, invoking lines from The Wizard of Oz, and we literally clung to each other as we battled the elements.

The storms raged and it poured with rain all day every day for the next six days. We went to our chosen spot on the beach for the ad photos in case the clouds parted, but no luck. Sheltering, we dined on delicious meats, cheeses and tomatoes from the local deli, complaining about being 'stuck' and then laughing as we realised how privileged we were to be there, even in the rain. Finally the sun did shine, the Hasselblad shutter locked the photos in place and we were done, free again to explore at will, heading south to Praiano, Ravello, then Capri and points north back to Rome.

Last of Casa Angelina's summer season

So hurry if you will to Casa Angelina and its glorious sunsets at Praiano. Hop aboard a boat inspired by the traditional Sorrentine Gozzo fishing vessels with half and day cruises around Capri, the Blue Grotto and the Faraglioni Rocks. Sail south to small coastal towns such as Maiori, Minori and Cetara; or to Leranto Bay – a place of awe-inspiring beauty, where the mythical Homerian Sirens were said to have sung their enchanting songs to passing sailors. 

Image: Casa Angelina, Executive Chef Lepoldo Elefante.©

You will not go hungry as Casa Angelina Executive Chef Leopoldo Elefante offers boat-goers his favourite plates: Rice with White Sea Truffles, Sfusato Amalfitano & Zucchini flowers, Oyster & Raspberry, Shrimp Avocado & Dill, Prawn & Kaluga Amur Caviar, Squid Celery & Peach, Octopus Yellow Dapper & Mint, Mozzarella & Sorrento Tomatoes – conjuring for me the very tastes and colours of the Amalfi Coast.

If you can't make it before 31 October then it's farewell Casa Angelina until next year. Book ahead now for 2023 while you think of it! 

Information and bookings:

Casa Angelina is a 42-room hotel offering barefoot luxury in modern minimalist surroundings. The season runs from early March to late October.

In Australia and New Zealand contact Unique Tourism

Casa Angelina

Source: Press release and big thanks to Unique Tourism for the reminder!

   

App update 'Stratford & West Midlands: As You Like It'

Updated my West Midlands app and looking at new places to eat for the next round ... Dormy House has all-day dining at The Potting Shed so I am heading there next...

Tour de France Tour Tracker app

Australians can follow the Tour de France on an app –
http://thetourtracker.com/apps/

Time to head the Jaguar F-type to Polperro ...

Polperro: image supplied.

I'm in the mood for a crab sandwich and Cornwall is calling. Polperro, near Looe, was a childhood favourite (although I did get lost on the beach at Looe, aged three). Now I'm told that Polperro and surrounds has been designated  an ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ in an area of Heritage Coast and is a walker’s paradise with coastal walks and inland footpaths through valleys, forests and beside  estuaries and rivers. To the east is Talland Bay which has its own beach café, rated as one of the top 10 beach cafes in Cornwall. To the west along the coastal path are Lansallos, Lantic Bay and Polruan. Jaguar F-type? In my dreams. Crab sandwich? Eminently achievable – I'll let you know ...
More info: www.polperro.org and www.lovepolperro.com

Plolperro harbour: image supplied.

RSC costume exhibition 'In Stitches'

 

‘In Stitches’ at the Royal Shakespeare Company

In Stitches <http://www.shakespeare-country.co.uk/Stratford-upon-Avon-In-Stitches-at-Royal-Shakespeare-Theatre/details/?dms=13&amp;venue=2730310&amp;feature=5103&amp;campaign=4461> , a new free costume exhibition at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, celebrates the fascinating costume making skills of the Company.   Visitors have an exclusive chance to see rarely displayed costumes from RSC productions produced over the last 60 years.  The 35 hand-crafted costumes were all made in Stratford and worn by some of the country’s best loved actors including Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi, Ian McKellen, Antony Sher, Juliet Stevenson, Patrick Stewart and David Tennant. Open daily from 10am and running throughout 2013. 

Enjoy a summer of Jaguar at the Heritage Motor Centre!The Heritage Motor Centre is celebrating the iconic Jaguar with a number of themed family activities <http://www.shakespeare-country.co.uk/Stratford-upon-Avon-Summer-Holiday-Activities-at-Heritage-Motor-Centre/details/?dms=13&amp;venue=2730200&amp;feature=5117&amp;campaign=4461> . Visitors can take part in special events and activities celebrating the car’s history, design, brand and racing pedigree.  Activities include Jaguar themed Art and Craft Thursdays, the chance to view iconic cars from the Jaguar Heritage Collection, as well as talks and family tours. In addition, every Tuesday is Lego Technic day, where children can design, build and test their own Lego Technic machines.  The infamous Artist in Residence, Ian Cook of PopBang Colour <http://www.shakespeare-country.co.uk/Stratford-upon-Avon-Painting-with-PopBangColour-at-Heritage-Motor-Centre/details/?dms=13&amp;venue=2730200&amp;feature=5108&amp;campaign=4461> , who paints using remote controlled cars, is back by popular demand on the 13, 14 & 15 August. Children can have a go at creating their own works of art using remote controlled cars and car parts. 

Step in the footsteps of Jane Austen at Stoneleigh AbbeyWalk in the footsteps of Jane Austen at Stoneleigh Abbey and see the portraits of some of her ancestors. The Abbey is playing host to a special Jane Austen evening <http://www.shakespeare-country.co.uk/Kenilworth-Tea-With-Jane-Austen-at-Stoneleigh-Abbey/details/?dms=13&amp;venue=2700280&amp;feature=1013&amp;campaign=4461> on Tuesday 13 August. Guests will be given a tour of the West Wing by a guide in period costume followed by a glass of wine and canapés at the riverside Orangery.  Tours take place at 7pm, 7:45pm, and 8:15pm and must be pre-booked through the ticket office. Tickets cost £14 per person. 

More things to do around Stratford-Upon-Avon
Source: Marketing Aloud

Listen to live music at the Shakespeare Houses!
Music will be in the air at Mary Arden’s Farm and Hall’s Croft this summer with concerts for all musical tastes. The award-winning folk band ColvinQuarmby will headline ‘Folk on the Farm’ <http://www.shakespeare-country.co.uk/Stratford-upon-Avon-Folk-Concerts-at-Mary-Arden's-at-Mary-Arden's-Farm/details/?dms=13&amp;venue=2730849&amp;feature=1016&amp;campaign=4461> at Mary Arden’s Farm on the 24 & 25 August.  The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and Stratford Folk Club are planning a whole weekend of concerts with activities for the family at the working Tudor farm. The line-up for the Hall’s Croft season of music in the garden <http://www.shakespeare-country.co.uk/Stratford-upon-Avon-Concerts-in-the-garden-at-Hall's-Croft/details/?dms=13&amp;venue=2730178&amp;feature=1018&amp;campaign=4461> (26 August - 7 September) includes: Silly Songs of Shakespeare, an Edinburgh Festival style review featuring different styles of music, Shakespeare Trio, 12 sonnets set to original contemporary folk music, Amicantus – rising regional stars in the choir world, workshops for children with Escape Community Arts and Japanese drumming as featured in the current production of Titus Andronicus. The grand finale will be a thirties Style Garden Party with lively jazz from The Swing Museum.

Take in a major art exhibition at Compton Verney
Compton Verney will premiere a major exhibition from 13 July – 22 September from Turner and Constable: Sketching from Nature <http://www.shakespeare-country.co.uk/Stratford-upon-Avon-Turner-and-Constable-Sketching-from-Nature-at-Compton-Verney/details/?dms=13&amp;venue=2730145&amp;feature=5066&amp;campaign=4461> , which includes approximately 60 works by Turner, Constable and their contemporaries, including John Sell Cotman, John Linnell and Francis Danby. These works from the Tate collections provide a unique exploration of the art of oil sketching in the landscape rather than in the studio, which became fashionable in the late 18th and 19th centuries. This is a rare opportunity to see extraordinary works that have not been seen together before.
 

Experience Sculptural works at Coughton Court!
See a stunning outdoor exhibition of sculptural works <http://www.shakespeare-country.co.uk/Alcester-Sculpture-in-the-Gardens-at-Coughton-Court/details/?dms=13&amp;venue=2730156&amp;feature=1048&amp;campaign=4461> at the award-winning Throckmorton Family Gardens at Coughton Court from 31 July - 6 September. Over 250 pieces of sculpture have been carefully selected from a chosen list of over 60 national and international artists. A wide array of mediums will be on display from traditional marble, wood and bronze to more contemporary forms of expression such as water, ceramics, polystyrene and rubber. Some are figurative, others abstract, some kinetic, others evoking the sense of time standing still.

 Release your MAD inventor at The Mechanical Art & Design Museum
Situated in Stratford-upon-Avon, The MAD Museum <http://www.shakespeare-country.co.uk/Stratford-upon-Avon-The-MAD-Museum/details/?dms=13&amp;venue=2752420&amp;campaign=4461> houses over 100 interesting, witty and bizarre exhibits filling over two floors.  Robot arms, marble runs, swirling lasers and quirky clocks, The MAD Museum offers a curious concoction of inspiration, education and entertainment for the entire family! Running from 20 July – 1 September is The MAD Museum’s Summer Competition.  Upon entry into the museum, visitors will be handed a competition sheet full of hands-on activities including a treasure hunt with puzzles and games to take home. Crack the secret word hidden in the treasure hunt to be in with a chance to win crazy MAD goodies. Visitors will also be entered into a draw to win a big bag of bonkers MAD gifts!
Have a pirate summer at Tudor World!Tudor World will be having a Pirate Summer <http://www.falstaffexperience.co.uk/page.php?linkid=5&amp;sublinkid=197> ! Each young pirate will be given a treasure map to find all the contraband afore the other pirates and will receive some bootie at the end. Visitors can search for their quarry using the new torches to explore the exhibits; smell some of those nasty aromas of Elizabethan England; try on hats or write a secret message using a quill as well as find out what happened to Lucy, the little girl who worked in the tavern.  Visitors can also see some of the summer shows in the Elizabethan theatre area, where they could be punished for their pirate-loving ways! 

Ready your steeds for the Grand Medieval Joust at Kenilworth Castle!
Experience the sights, smells and entertainments of an authentic Medieval Joust <http://www.shakespeare-country.co.uk/Kenilworth-Grand-Medieval-Joust-at-Kenilworth-Castle-Elizabethan-Garden/details/?dms=13&amp;venue=2700710&amp;feature=1101&amp;campaign=4461> celebration from the 13 – 14 July as the Castle springs to life.  Jousting on horseback and armed with a lance, the knights will fight to prove their power and chivalrous skills. Visitors will be able to meet them and discover the secrets of their armour and weaponry. Raphael Historic Falconry will show their birds of prey in the ‘mews’ and visitors will also have the opportunity to wander around a medieval encampment to meet some of the knights’ entourage, and enjoy a medley of music and dance. With breathtaking displays of skill, entertainment and capers, this family day out promises an unrivalled way to experience the fun and thrills of medieval amusements.

 Experience a Victorian Weekend!
Join the re-enactors in Victorian costume and play croquet on the lawn at Hill Close Gardens <http://www.shakespeare-country.co.uk/Warwick-Victorian-Weekend-at-Hill-Close-Gardens/details/?dms=13&amp;venue=2730530&amp;feature=1013&amp;campaign=4461> in Warwick on Saturday 10 & Sunday 11 August. Hear stories about the Victorian garden owners and the Victorian plant hunters who helped shape how the gardens look today. Discover what the Victorians liked to cook and how they preserved their food. Enjoy an exhibition of unusual antique garden implements. Learn the Victorian language of flowers and how to make a Tussie Mussie, a small bouquet to present to a loved one.

For accommodation <http://www.shakespeare-country.co.uk/where-to-stay/thedms.aspx?dms=1> , special offers and more information visit the official website: www.Shakespeare-Country.co.uk <http://www.Shakespeare-Country.co.uk>  or call Shakespeare Country on 0871 978 0800.

China Southern Airlines' expansion and visa-free short-stays on the Canton Route t/c

Source: Press Release, MG Media Communications, Sydney

China Southern Airlines has announced a major overhaul of its Australian operations with its newest airliners being deployed to every port, including one of its five A380s on the Guangzhou to Sydney route.

Speaking at the Australian Tourism Exchange in Sydney, China Southern Executive Vice President Chen Gang said the A380 service would start on October 27 as part of a major expansion strategy down under.

The superjumbo will replace the present CZ325/326 A330-300 service, which departs Sydney at 9.50am and arrives back in Guangzhou at 5.30pm the same day.

Mr Chen also revealed that Melbourne and Sydney would receive China Southern’s latest A330-300 and -200 aircraft offering flatbed comfort up front and personal TVs throughout, by the end of October. The new A330-223 aircraft was introduced to Brisbane and Perth at the start of April.

“Australia remains our most important overseas market and the test bed for our global strategy,” Mr Chen said.

“The new A380 Sydney service will be only the second international route for our superjumbos and underlines how crucial the region is to China Southern’s network growth.”

A Sydney Airport report estimates that China Southern’s single daily A380 service will generate 5000 jobs and contribute about $390 million to the Australian economy over a full year.

Tourism Australia Managing Director Andrew McEvoy said China Southern was an important aviation partner.

“Ever since the airline first started flights to our country, China Southern has continually looked to expand its Australian operations, through new services, more frequencies and, now, by deploying the largest commercial passenger aircraft in the world,” he added.

“Last year, China Southern carried more than one in five of all Chinese visitors to Australia, and the introduction of the A380 is the most powerful indication yet of the airline's future ambitions and confidence in the Australian market.”

Mr Chen also revealed that Guangzhou, the airline’s bustling hub in southern China, would introduce a 72-hour visa-free stay policy for Australians travelling on its Canton Route in the second half of 2013.

“Our Canton Route via Guangzhou is the new and exciting way for Australians to fly and we are absolutely thrilled that they will soon be able to stop over in this vibrant city with a free transit permit for up to 72 hours to try some authentic Cantonese Yum Cha, enjoy the local culture and shop ‘til they drop,” Mr Chen said.

As part of an ongoing strategy to improve the airline’s inflight service, Mr Chen also announced that a pool of 400 dedicated English-speaking cabin crew were being deployed across the airline’s vast network including on the Sydney A380 and new A330s.

China Southern presently operates 38 weekly flights to the region, with plans to increase to 55 flights by 2015.
For information visit a local travel agent or call 1300 889 628 during AEDST/AEST business hours.

British artist Jim Lambie takes over Pearl Lam Galleries Hong Kong

Image: Pearl Lam Galleries

Image: Pearl Lam Galleries

HONG KONG, 16 April 2013 

Internationally acclaimed Scottish artist Jim Lambie takes over Pearl Lam Galleries Hong Kong with a major exhibition, The Flowers of Romance opens to the public tomorrow. The exhibition showcases site-specific installations, which give an overview of Lambie’s creative output over the last decade, displaying a mixture of dynamic new works alongside iconic masterpieces from his oeuvre. Lambie’s work is a charged synthesis of colour, line and space, which he employs to challenge viewers’ perceptions. The Flowers of Romance, titled after an early British punk band from the 1970s and studio album by Public Image Ltd released in 1981, represents a unique opportunity to see a number of key works from Lambie’s career which reference popular culture and music. 

....

Pearl Lam Galleries is dedicated to encouraging cultural exchange between the East and West, bringing important Western artists to a new audience in Asia as part of its exciting programme. Jim Lambie’s installation works directly engage with the exhibition space whilst demanding the participation of the audience. As the phenomenon of interactive installation art grows in Hong Kong, Pearl Lam Galleries is once more at the forefront of breaking new boundaries in the Hong Kong art scene.  

“We are delighted to have Jim Lambie’s first solo exhibition in Hong Kong. He is a dynamic and inspiring artist whose energy is pure creativity. I look forward to exposing this artist to the recognition he deserves in Hong Kong and hope that his vision will inspire our visitors as it has done me over the last decade.” Althea Viafora-Kress, International Gallery Director of Pearl Lam Galleries, April 2013

Extract from press release: Erica Siu and Veronica Chu / Sutton PR Asia 

http://www.pearllam.com/

BVLGARI ART AWARD winner, Jon Cappatan.

The Art Gallery of NSW and Bulgari announced today that Jon Cattapan is the 2013 recipient of THE BVLGARI ART AWARD.

The Bulgari Art Award consists of a $50,000 painting acquisition for the Art Gallery of NSW and a residency in Italy valued at $30,000. The total award of $80,000 is one of the most valuable art awards in Australia. The award-winner has been selected by the Art Gallery of NSW Trustees and the head curator of Australian art. 

Jon Cattapan is a highly regarded artist and one of Australia’s finest contemporary painters. Cattapan’s subject is often contemporary cities, both their architecture and organisation and how we inhabit them. He overlays specific imagery with an abstract patterning that recalls the digital matrixes through which information circulates, extending local references into more global concerns. 

Cattapan’s winning painting Imagine a Raft (Hard Rubbish 4+5) 2012 is a triptych painted over a five year period. Images of a city and abstract digital grids are juxtaposed with an image based on humble discards, a pile of disused furniture waiting for the council collection trucks at the end of Cattapan’s street in Melbourne’s St Kilda. The discarded objects resembled a marooned vessel and started Cattapan thinking about broader issues of what we value and what we discard. How do simple belongings shape our sense of identity? And how, by extension, can global preoccupations with territories and surveillance inform the creative zeitgeist of our times? These questions are a part of the artist’s thinking and aesthetic. 

Jon Cattapan’s parents were born in the Veneto region of Italy and this award will enable him to reconnect with his family origins as well as experience the rich contemporary and historic cultural life of Rome and Italy.

Wayne Tunnicliffe, head curator of Australian art, said:

'The Gallery has looked to acquire a major painting by Jon Cattapan for several years now and we are thrilled that the Bulgari Art Award will enable us to have Imagine a Raft (Hard Rubbish 4+5) 2012 for our permanent collection. It is a tough but also lyrical painting, which finds a form of beauty in an unlikely subject matter. This winning painting veers between abstraction and representation and is a superb addition to our contemporary Australian collection.’

Julie Ann Morrison, managing director of Bulgari Australia and UK, said:

'We are delighted that the Art Gallery New South Wales has selected Jon Cattapan as the recipient of the Bulgari Art Award 2013. Jon’s work acquired for the state collection is highly distinctive in the context of Australian painting, combining a contemporary sensibility with a mythical and vivid depiction of the “city” as cast out from the landscape. Throughout his extensive career, Jon has challenged the conceptual boundaries of Australian art, bringing new questions and allusive associations to realisation with particular force, expressed with the tradition and timeless skill of a fine painter.’ 

Bulgari was founded in Rome in 1884 as a single jewellery shop, whose magnificent jewellery creations soon became emblems of Italian excellence. Throughout the last few decades Bulgari developed into a global luxury brand renowned for its highly creative design in jewels, watches and accessories, and retailing in the major luxury retail precincts of the world. Up until 2011 Bulgari was majority-owned by the Bulgari family and, though it is now part of the LVMH Group, the Bulgari family are still instrumental in the management of the Bulgari brand and the design of jewellery. International success has carried the distinctive Bulgari design into a diversified portfolio of products and services and, increasingly, hotels. 

Picasso at AGNSW

Finally saw the Picasso Exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. It's on until 25 March, 2012 and it's fantastic. Go see it!
The new Director of the Gallery is Dr Michael Brand, consulting director of the Aga Khan Museum (currently under construction in Toronto) and the former director of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
The Art Gallery of New South Wales kindly supplied the image for me to post. www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/