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| Gunyah |
- Gunyah is a timber pole house, designed and built in the early 1980s by a group of friends as a weekend project and holiday house. This group still own, manage and maintain the property; and their friends and families continue to enjoy holidays at Gunyah.
- The term 'Gunyah' means resting place or place of shelter in the Gathang language of the Worimi people in the North Arm Cove area, and the term also features in a number of other Aboriginal languages in NSW.
- Gunyah artists-in-residence program acknowledges and pays respect to the Gathang people of the Worimi Nation: the traditional custodians of this land, waters and skies, and pays respect to their elders past, present and emerging; it is on their ancestral lands that the Gunyah artist-in-residence program is located.
Gunyah artists-in-residence (AIR) program overview:
- Gunyah AIR program has been running since 2011, with the aim of sharing this special place with artists to utilise the house in the low season, outside usual holiday periods.
- Gunyah AIR program provides low cost accommodation for short term self-directed residencies for solo, collaborative, family and group projects.
- The AIR program is open to applications from visual artists, writers, curators, musicians, performers and other creators.
- Gunyah AIR program is volunteer based, not for profit venture, aiming to share the unique and beautiful region of Port Stephens.
- The Gunyah AIR program is run by Kath Fries. She was a toddler when Gunyah was first built by her parents, Vivienne & John Fries, and their friends: this group continue to use, own and manage the property. Kath is a Sydney based artist and curator, who has participated in many artist-in-residence programs in Australia and internationally. She regularly stays at Gunyah for holidays and retreats.
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| Gunyah waterfront and jetty |
- Gunyah artists' residencies are partially subsidised by the Gunyah owners.
- Artists are welcome to bring their families and invite friends to stay with them.
- Gunyah hosts both solo residencies and collaboration or group residencies of 2, 3 or 4 artists. Maximum group size is four, so each artist has sufficient space to work during their residency.
- In 2026 there will be seven residencies, each lasting twelve days. See the 'Apply' page for dates and subsidised rates.
- There is no application fee to apply for a residency.
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| Gunyah sundeck |
The house:
- Gunyah is a unique four bedroom house in the village of North Arm Cove, in the NSW mid coast, Great Lakes region.
- Overlooking the waterways of Port Stephens, Gunyah offers an idyllic retreat to produce artwork or creative research.
- Gunyah's pole-house design, timber panelling and casual furnishings creates a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere. The sundeck at treetop level catches the sea breeze and overlooks the water. During cooler evenings you can settle into cosy lounges around the log fire place.
- Gunyah has four double bedrooms; two bathrooms; a recently renovated and fully equipped kitchen; spacious dining and living areas; gas barbeque; log fire place; ceiling fans; a mezzanine loft with two single beds for children or teenagers; Internet WiFi; washing machine; and a downstairs tiled room that can be used as a studio space.
- A path leads from the side of the house, down through the bushland garden, to the property's waterfront and jetty.
Accessibility:
- Unfortunately, Gunyah is not fully accessible. There are two flights of stairs with handrails, the driveway is steep, and the path to the jetty is uneven and weathered.
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| Gunyah deck and loft windows |
The studio:
- The downstairs studio space has large windows providing plenty of natural light.
- The studio space has a tiled floor – artists working with paint and other liquid/messy mediums are requested to use drop sheets.
- The studio space steps directly into the downstairs bedroom.
- Next to the studio space is the second bathroom, equipped with a laundry tub, which can be used for cleaning water-based paints.
- Artists working with oil-based paints or photo-chemicals etc are required to independently dispose of their waste materials appropriately.
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| Gunyah studio |
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| Gunyah bedroom two |
Other considerations:
- Gunyah is a 3 hour drive north of Sydney, 1 hour north of Newcastle.
- There is car parking at the front door for three vehicles.
- Please be aware that the property runs on tank water.
- Artists must supply their own bed linen, towels, food and art supplies.
- Artists may invite additional people to visit them at Gunyah during their residencies (maximum 6 adults overnight).
- Artists are responsible for insuring their property (work, materials, tools and vehicles etc) whilst on the premises.
- Artists are required to clean the house and studio at the end of their residency, leaving it as they would like to find it (cleaning equipment provided).
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| Gunyah lounge and fireplace |
Please note there is:
- No public transport - it is essential that artists have their own vehicle.
- No linen provided - artists must bring their own bed sheets and bath towels.
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| Gunyah studio windows |
Residency outcomes:
- An introduction post, edited from the application statements and images, will be posted on the 'News' page of the Gunyah AIR blog and social media.
- While at Gunyah, artists are encouraged to share snapshots of their residency by posting photos/videos to the Gunyah AIR Instagram @gunyahartists and tag #gunyahartists
- Artists are invited to donate a small work to the Gunyah Artists' Wall.
- After the conclusion of each residency, artists are required to submit a residency report and images, which will be posted on the 'News' page of the Gunyah AIR blog and social media.
- There is no requirement for an exhibition or other formal presentation from the residency, although acknowledgements are appreciated.
