Must See in Sydney

[brendan stemp]

I was asked by a fellow turner from the US what woodturning related things (Galleries, Wood merchants etc)around Sydney (he's also going up to Cairns) he should see when he visits later this year. I wasn't much help to him apart from mentioning Trend Timbers and Bungendore (which I know is closer to Canberra) so I said that I would get back to him after I got some more thoughts from the learned bunch on this forum.

So, your help, thoughts, ideas would be appreciated.

[Wood Nut]

Hi Brendan,

Will follow up later as is still here (did a great demo yesterday) ATM. - must be due for his next cuppa by now.

However, there is a place (and the name escapes me) in the Hunter Valley - Nulkaba/vineyards- that has gallery pieces - opposite Potters Brewery. They used to have a shop in the Rocks (Sydney) as well but it has closed down - they have some stuff by Neil Scobie, Peter Gorran(?) etc.

There are also several places on the way up the coast.

Send me a pm as a reminder and I'll get back to you.

Cheers,
Paul

[Gary H]

G'day Brendan,

Why not check out the Sydney Woodturners Guild website - it lists various woodturning clubs in Sydney so
you could find which club has a meeting at the time the visitor is here. It would be a good chance to meet
fellow woodturners, view their work, and ask about timbers - all while enjoying a social day out.
The link is Sydney Woodturners Guild Inc. (http://www.sydneywoodturners.com.au/)

[hughie]

Brendan

Much depends on his schedule,time available and where he is staying in Sydney. There are not many galleries handling wood turned art in Sydney. The one I am most familiar with is the NSW Craft Gallery at 102 George st in the Rocks down town Sydney. They have several turner exhibiting work there and it's a fairly touristy spot with markets etc.

The other aspect is we could try and get him organized to meet a few forum members with a small get together etc.

Questions arise on what he actually wants ie pick up some blanks, view wood turned art, meet a few woodies for a yarn, wander around a few woody shops etc or all of the above.

[Christos]

G'day Brendan,

Why not check out the Sydney Woodturners Guild website - it lists various woodturning clubs in Sydney so
you could find which club has a meeting at the time the visitor is here. It would be a good chance to meet
fellow woodturners, view their work, and ask about timbers - all while enjoying a social day out.
The link is Sydney Woodturners Guild Inc. (http://www.sydneywoodturners.com.au/)


:iagree:

[jfk4032]

G'day all,

I'm the one who asked Brendan for some ideas. We'll be visiting in Australia in late September and have two weeks there for our 25th anniversary, so I can probably squeeze out at least an afternoon of woodwork frolicking around. I'll be interested in finding an outlet to purchase local wood species indigenous to Australia and/or visit some places that have unique woodworking items/exhibits. We'll have 3-4 days in the Sydney area, and over a week up in the Cairns area. So recommendations for either area would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Joel

[bassmansimon]

Hi Joel,

If you're planning a trip to the Blue Mountains (you can see the famous Three Sisters rock formation, go on a sky-car, the world's steepest train etc) - it's a very popular tourist destination for a day...

You should check out a town called Leura - great tourist spot with cafes etc, but the best bit about it is the Leura Fine Woodwork Gallery (http://www.finewoodwork.com.au/home.php). Their website is pretty basic, but it is a small gallery/store, and the woodwork there is amazing. Everything is for sale, and most is made by local artists. They don't sell raw natural timbers - only finished products. But the prices range from very affordable gifts to quite expensive fine furniture.

Simon.

[hughie]

G'day all,

I'm the one who asked Brendan for some ideas. We'll be visiting in Australia in late September and have two weeks there for our 25th anniversary, so I can probably squeeze out at least an afternoon of woodwork frolicking around. I'll be interested in finding an outlet to purchase local wood species indigenous to Australia and/or visit some places that have unique woodworking items/exhibits. We'll have 3-4 days in the Sydney area, and over a week up in the Cairns area. So recommendations for either area would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Joel


Joel, If your squeezing it into half a day that's gonna be a challenge as most places are a fair distance from Sydney CBD or airport for that matter. The gallery at Leura in the Blue Mountains along with a bit of touristy stuff as mentioned would be an all day trip. Trend timbers are a good spot for some fancy timber [wood]

Trend Timbers (http://www.trendtimbers.com.au/)

You swing by on the way to Leura Google (http://www.google.com.au/webhp?source=search_app#output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=sydney+to+mulgrave+nsw&oq=sydney+to+mulgrave+nsw&gs_l=hp.12...190.12118.0.14757.26.23.2.0.0.2.1606.8246.2-15j3j3j0j1j0j1.23.0...0.0.0..1c.1.15.psy-ab.X8rbK-zpBeQ&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.47244034,d.aGc&fp=40e041c67aff320d&biw=1269&bih=561)

and leura Google (http://www.google.com.au/webhp?source=search_app#sclient=psy-ab&q=sydney+to+leura+nsw&oq=sydney+to+leura+nsw&gs_l=hp.12...81624.85858.1.87351.6.6.0.0.0.0.250.1360.2-6.6.0...0.0.0..1c.1.15.psy-ab.ni_Y3Lma-FM&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.47244034,d.aGc&fp=40e041c67aff320d&biw=1269&bih=561)

If your up to driving on the wrong side of the road :U Then with a GPS it would be a good one day trip but well worth it. But it would be good to link up with some local turners if possible for a some advise on wood types unless your after burls only.

Heres a link to Aussie timbers, a bit daunting as we have so damn many :o
Species List: Australian Native & Rainforest Tree Identification Images and Descriptions NSW & QLD (http://www.allcreativedesigns.com.au/pages/speciescommon.html)

[nalmo]

From memory (and it's been some time since I was there), there are a few places around Cairns (Kuranda, Atherton Tablelands) that I remember seeing some woodwork & turnings.

[Mobyturns]

From memory (and it's been some time since I was there), there are a few places around Cairns (Kuranda, Atherton Tablelands) that I remember seeing some woodwork & turnings.

Trevors wood gallery at Tolga Woodworks is a must see for very HQ furniture & turning - Atherton Tablelands - Tolga Woodworks Gallery & Café - WELCOME (http://www.tolgawoodworks.com.au/)
There is a gallery in Kuranda, but the work there is not my cup of tea.
The Yungaburra Markets gets some HQ work and old tools. Yungaburra Markets (http://www.yungaburramarkets.com/)
Cliff might chip in as its his neck of the wood up there.

[Cliff Rogers]

There is a place up in the Daintree village, I haven't been there for some years now.

There are a couple of galleries in Yungaburra but they have had mixed fortune.

Wait-a-while gallery in Malanda.

The Innisfail woodworkers often set up for one week of the month in one of the spare shops in one of the arcades near Gloria Jeans but I think they moved 'cos I haven't seen them there for a while.

If you want to buy some timber in Cairns, go to Wren Timbers.
Use the phone book 'cos their web site had the old address on it & I know that somebody got caught out by that.

[Ozartisan]

Hi Joel
I am sure you will love your stay on Oz!
I can offer my place for a visit if you have the time.
We are about 3 hours drive north of Sydney in the beautiful Manning Valley.
Check out our website Artisans ...on the hill Tinonee: Home (http://www.artisansonthehill.com.au)
You can also get an idea of what we are all about from this TV story on us Sydney Weekender at Artisans Retreat - Mike gets creative! - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTzHI8ni7Ko)
Cheers
Peter

[Mobyturns]

There is a place up in the Daintree village, I haven't been there for some years now.
If you want to buy some timber in Cairns, go to Wren Timbers.


Yes Bruce runs a pretty good business there, purchased some very nice timber from them over the years.