- 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 Indigenous 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, providing low cost accommodation for short term self-directed residencies for solo, collaborative, family and group projects.
- The program is open to applications from visual artists, writers, curators, composers, musicians, performers, designers, arts administrators, new media artists 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 and their friends and she continues to visit Gunyah for holidays and retreats. Kath is a Sydney based artist and curator, who has participated in many artist residency programs in Australia and internationally.
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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.
- Applications for 2025 have now closed.
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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 Great Lakes region. Overlooking the waterways of Port Stephens, Gunyah offers an idyllic retreat to produce artwork or pursue 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 newly renovated and fully equipped kitchen; spacious dining and living areas; gas barbeque; log fire place; ceiling fans; a mezzanine loft and with three single beds; 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.
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| Gunyah deck and loft windows |
- 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.
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| Gunyah studio |
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| Gunyah bedroom two |
- 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.
- The house and property are not fully accessible, there are two flights of stairs with handrails; the driveway is steep and often slippery; and the path to the jetty is uneven and weathered.
- Collaborations and groups are limited to a maximum of four artists.
- 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 |
- 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 |
Results of your Residency:
- There is no exhibition or presentation outcome requirement, however an introduction post edited from the application statements and images will included on the Gunyah artist-in-residence blog www.gunyah.blogspot.com
- Artists are encouraged to post photos during their residency on the Gunyah Instagram account @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 Gunyah artist-in-residence blog www.gunyah.blogspot.com
