Arrive in Sydney and make your way to the Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park hotel for a 9:30am departure. Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including a private transfer to the hotel or pre-tour accommodation.

First, visit Artereal, a commercial gallery in Rozelle. This gallery showcases the work of rare, expansive and illuminating artists at the cutting-edge of contemporary art practice.

Enjoy lunch in a local café and then carry on to Delmar Gallery at Trinity Grammar School in Ashfield. Since 1969 this gallery has showcased Australian contemporary art and hosted cultural events for the local community. Join curator Catherine Benz for a tour of the current exhibition and understand how the institution has nurtured creative excellence in Sydney’s inner west.

 From Ashfield travel through the foothills of the Blue Mountains before checking in to the hotel in Katoomba in the late afternoon. In the evening enjoy a welcome dinner with Fiona and fellow travellers.

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This morning, begin with a talk by Fiona before taking a private guided tour of the Braemar Gallery nestled in the historic village of Springwood. This community gallery presents a calendar of changing exhibitions that showcase the talent and diversity of local artists.

Enjoy time at leisure to explore the pretty garden town of Leura with quaint antique shops, gentle bush walks to the Leura Cascades and historic estates that sit on the fringes of the Blue Mountains National Park.

In the afternoon visit the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre in Katoomba, with impressive views across the iconic Jamison Valley, for a curator-led tour of the current exhibition. Then continue to the studio of artist Locust Jones, whose extensive drawings and paintings capture the freneticism with which society consumes everyday news and current affairs.

Return to the hotel for some time at leisure before dinner at a prominent regional restaurant.

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Descend westward and admire the sweeping views across the Blue Mountain ranges to Hartley Valley. Visit the home and studio of artist Anne Graham and Anthony Bond OAM, who until recently was curatorial director at the Art Gallery of NSW. Enjoy the couple’s country hospitality with lunch at the studio before continuing to the Bathurst Regional Art Gallery.

Here, take a curator-led tour to discover the wealth of treasures in the permanent collection, featuring works by artists such as Jean Bellette, Donald Friend, James Gleeson, John Olsen, Lloyd Rees and Fred Williams.

Drive through picturesque rural landscapes to the country town and regional food haven of Orange before checking in to the hotel. Enjoy dinner at one of Orange’s acclaimed regional restaurants with fresh country produce and locally grown cool-climate wines.

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After a talk by Fiona, walk to the nearby Orange Regional Gallery for a curator-guided tour of the newly opened exhibition space designed to be filled with natural light. The gallery is one of the most prestigious in regional NSW with a significant collection of Australian art dating from the 1920s to today. Artists in the collection include Ian Fairweather, Grace Crossington Smith as well as Elisabeth Cummings and Emily Kame Kngwarreye. Enjoy time at leisure for lunch at the gallery café.

Afterwards visit the Corner Store Gallery, a space that showcases artists and designers from all over Australia to an audience in New South Wales’ Central West. Meet gallery director Madeline Young, a practising artist herself and whose abstract compositions are inspired by the unique beauty of the Australian bush.

Soak up the fresh autumn country air with the remainder of the afternoon at one of Orange’s prize-winning cellar doors. Enjoy a wine tasting of local chardonnay and cool-climate shiraz before returning to the hotel. In the evening enjoy dinner at a local restaurant.

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Today further explore how Australian artists have been influenced by the natural beauty and agricultural practices of rural New South Wales. Begin by exploring the boutiques and cafés of the nearby historic town of Millthorpe.

Continue to Sofala, a town born out of the gold rush, to visit local artist Amanda Penrose Hart’s studio. Represented by Sydney’s King Street Gallery on William, Amanda is predominantly a landscape painter.

In the afternoon visit the historic village of Hill End. Since the late 1940s a host of artists including Brett Whiteley, John Olsen, Donald Friend and Russell Drysdale have been inspired by the charm and serene beauty of the surrounding landscapes. An Artist in Residence program run by the Bathurst Regional Gallery still keeps this artistic energy alive today. Visit the studio of one of these artists before returning to Orange in the late afternoon.

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After breakfast, travel to the country town of Portland and visit the studio of a talented local artist.

Cross back over the Blue Mountains before lunch at the Penrith Regional Art Gallery with gallery director Sheona White. Formerly the home of artists Gerald and Margo Lewers, the gallery was opened to the public in 1981 and its collection and surrounding gardens have since carved out a significant place in the history of modernism in Australian art.

Return to the Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park hotel in Sydney’s CBD by 6:00pm where tour arrangements conclude. Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including post-tour accommodation and a private airport transfer.

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