A Local’s Guide to Art, Culture and Community in the Southern Highlands

The Southern Highlands has always been known for its gardens and cool climate, but in recent years it has quietly blossomed into a vibrant creative hub. For those who love art, design, good food and wine, it’s a region that rewards slow exploration and local knowledge.

Scattered across our villages are galleries, studios, cellar doors and small creative spaces, each with its own flavour. From established galleries showing a mix of local and national artists to intimate studios where you can meet makers in person, there are endless opportunities to discover original work. Markets and open-studio events add another layer, offering ceramics, textiles, photography, jewellery and more – all made by people who live and create here.

Di Dixon Art grew out of this community. In the later years of running Home & Hearth real estate I began using part of the existing retail space to show my paintings along with those of other local artists. One of my greatest joys was seeing a painting leave the studio and find its new home. I’ve seen people stand in front of a painting and fall silently, unmistakably in love.  When a painting leaves, I can’t help but feel a tiny tinge of sadness, saying goodbye to something that I have felt in my heart, pulled from my mind and poured out onto the canvas, then sending it on its way to fill another heart and space with joy and beauty, is always an emotional experience.

As a person’s life progresses, there are often big changes in their home environment.  Some may have left behind acreage, horses, big gardens or long views, and arrived in a more manageable home closer to town. So, a painting that echoes the feel of open paddocks, distant tree lines or the muted colours of early mornings can help bring those memories into a new space, becoming a bridge between chapters. 
I also love hearing how artworks start conversations. A piece in a hallway might catch a visitor’s eye and lead to stories about why someone moved here, what they love about the here in the Highlands or elsewhere. How their own idea of “home” has evolved. Over time, a painting absorbs layers of family life: dinners, celebrations, quiet nights in, children growing up, guests arriving. It stops being “a nice painting” and becomes part of the family’s visual history.

For me, that is the true joy I experience in my work. I don’t paint just to put something pretty on the wall.  Art ignites their memories, their sense of belonging. When a collector writes to tell me that they still pause and smile every time they walk past a piece, years after hanging it, that is everything.
The integration of the gallery space at the time, felt natural: people were already coming in to talk about homes, lifestyle and the Highlands; adding art to the mix simply completed the picture. Now, turning that idea into a dedicated art space and online gallery means I can share my work more widely, while staying firmly rooted in the place that continues to inspire it.

If you’re visiting the Highlands, I recommend designing a day around creativity. Start in Bowral with a coffee and a slow wander up the main street, mooching around galleries and independent shops. Visit a local art space or studio or independent cellar doors.  Drive out to one of the surrounding villages – perhaps Berrima for heritage charm or Burrawang for its misty, dramatic rural landscapes – and really look at the light, the colours, the shapes. Finish the day with a meal at any one of the fabulous restaurants or pubs, where you’ll likely find more local art on the walls.

Supporting local artists and artisans does more than fill your home with beautiful things. It keeps the unique character of the Highlands alive. Every painting, pot, print or textile you take home carries a little of its origin and place with it and helps ensure that our creative community continues to thrive, both locally and globally.