North Bellarine artists on show

The Bellarine Peninsula Arts Association are gearing up for this year’s four-day North Bellarine Arts Trail, with the event set to be filled with creativity, culture and fun.

The Arts Trail will run over two weekends, with each weekend focusing on a different section of the Northern Bellarine region to accommodate the event’s large number of participating artists and venues.

On its first weekend, running November 11-12, the Arts Trail will host talent across Portarlington, St Leonards, Indented Head and Bellarine.

Then from November 18-19, the trail will showcase artists throughout Drysdale, Clifton Springs, Curlewis and Wallington.

Association president Renae Chapman said the North Bellarine Arts Trail “keeps on getting bigger and bigger”.

This year the North Bellarine Arts Trail will feature more than 120 local artists across more than 35 venues.

“We’ve got an amazing group of artists,” Chapman said.

“We’ve got not only people that paint, but we’ve got woodwork, we’ve got jewellery, we’ve got potters, we’ve got glass.

“It’s just an amazing group of people.”

Highlights of this year’s Arts Trail include travelling musicians, the Artisans of Australia’s new gallery and café space in Curlewis, and art demonstrations taking place across several venues, including St John’s Anglican Church in Portarlington where the Bayview Artists will be located.

After its success at last year’s event, the Arts Trail will once again feature a hop-on, hop-off bus tour service.

The bus tour is an ideal solution for those who don’t want to worry about navigating the Arts Trail venues by themselves or who don’t want to worry about parking.

“Instead of people just going around the Peninsula by themselves in their car, they can hop on a bus, and they’ve got a driver, and they will take them around the studios,” Chapman said.

The bus tour includes lunch at a designated café along the trail, and to ensure an inclusive and accessible event, buses with wheelchair facilities will be available.

Ms Chapman said the event’s volunteer drivers will be understanding of the different needs of those on the bus.

“You know what it’s like, some people want to stay longer, some people want shorter times,” Chapman said.

“[The bus drivers] will accommodate the requirements of the people on the bus.”

For the first time, a shuttle service for those travelling to the Arts Trail via the ferry will also be on offer.

For more information or to book one of the Arts Trail’s hop-on, hop-off bus tours, head to bellarinepeninsulaarts.com/northern-bellarine