The gems at the National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, include Kaylene Whiskey’s (Yankunytjatjara people) Visitors to Iwantja Arts, 2022. Photos: Supplied.
Australia’s capital is included in a travel ‘‘hot list’’ for a good reason – along with a few other domestic destinations!
Tourism Australia’s latest and greatest Down Under collection for September includes amazing exhibitions at the National Gallery of Australia and the National Gallery of Victoria. There are many stimulating journeys, and other inspiring experiences and tourism products, as you venture to partake of unexplored natural beauty.
Following a national and international tour, Ever Present: First Peoples Art of Australia returns to Kamberri/Canberra for its final showing at the National Gallery. This exhibition of historical and contemporary works by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists from across Australia will run until 24 August, 2025.
Tina Baum, a senior curator of Indigenous art based at the National Gallery, has a passion for learning and sharing First Peoples cultural knowledge and representation through the arts, culture, histories and Indigenising/de-colonising voices, perspectives and truth-telling. She has more than 35 years’ experience working in museums and galleries in Australia.
“To understand the richness, diversity and depth of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and culture would take many generations, many lifetimes, but to appreciate it only takes a moment,” Tina says. “Together, the artists and their works powerfully reinforce that we always have been and always will be ever-present.”
Ever Present includes more than 260 works from more than 200 artists as it considers seven overarching and interlinked themes. It is a celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and does not shy away from Australia’s complex histories.
More than 100 items are on display as part of the Joan Ross: Those Trees Came Back to Me in My Dreams exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, in Canberra, until 2 February, 2025.
Two of Canberra’s most prestigious cultural institutions, the National Portrait Gallery and the Australian Institute of Sport, have joined Cultural Attractions of Australia (CAOA), a collective of 19 major cultural attractions celebrating the country’s diverse cultural, historical and sporting influences.
A pillar of Tourism Australia’s Signature Experiences, CAOA unites cultural icons with curated experiences, connecting visitors to artists, and guides with unique stories and perspectives about Australia’s evolving cultural history. By reflecting the diverse faces that have shaped Australia, the National Portrait Gallery explores questions of past and future identity in an intimate experience that brings visitors face-to-face with the portraits.
More than 100 items comprise the Joan Ross: Those Trees Came Back to Me in My Dreams exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, in Canberra, until 2 February, 2025. In a practice that spans collage, printmaking, sculpture and video animation, Ross probes the ongoing consequences of colonisation in Australia with wit and wry critique.
This is a vibrant and dynamic exhibition by acclaimed contemporary artist Joan Ross. Transforming scenes from colonial artworks through a digital ‘’cut-and-paste’’ technique and her signature fluorescent yellow, Ross explores critical issues such as climate change, greed and consumerism.
The Australian Institute of Sport not only nurtures future elite athletes, but offers visitors an interactive glimpse into the world of high-performance sport, Australia’s numerous sporting achievements and their impact on Australian culture.
Across 10 nights, a luxury package takes guests to the stunning Hunter River in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
Discover the Kimberley region in Western Australia as you embark on a luxurious all-inclusive voyage to some of the most iconic natural landmarks with Ponant’s new fly, stay and cruise package. Across 10 nights, this package takes guests to stunning sites such as King George Falls, the phenomenal Horizontal Falls, the sacred First Nation Wandjina rock art site on Jar Island and to hidden gems inaccessible to land visitors.
Departing from Darwin/Gulumerrdgen or Broome/Rubibi, guests stay aboard one of two luxury ships, with capacities of up to 184 guests (Le Jacques-Cartier) and 264 guests (Le Soleal). The offer includes return flights from all major Australian and New Zealand cities, airport and hotel transfers, shore excursions, all meals at the two onboard restaurants, beverages and insightful onboard lectures and educative talks.
Until 2 February, 2025, the National Gallery of Victoria has an exhibition looking 50 years into the future, with Reimagining Birrarung: Design Concepts for 2070. It presents a series of provocations for the lands and waters of the Birrarung (Yarra River), focusing on ecological regeneration, public access and connectivity across the catchment.
The first major Australian outdoor exhibition of celebrated contemporary glass artist Dale Chihuly has arrived at the Adelaide Botanic Garden. The Australian-exclusive display, meandering along a two-kilometre garden trail, premieres a piece specially commissioned for the exhibition, alongside 14 of Chihuly’s most famous large-scale hand-blown glass artworks, suspended within lush garden beds, rising from waterways, and entwined within trees.
These highlights are brief. Australia is home to some of the most spectacular holiday destinations in the world.
