The art of the road trip
Australian painter Craig Handley travels the NSW South Coast with Avis in search of escape and inspiration.
Berry “Just two hours’ drive from Sydney, Berry brims with country charm and it’s the ideal starting point to explore the southern NSW coastline. I paint down this way a lot as I love the sense of isolation. It’s easy to find quiet spots and wherever you head, the scenery is spectacular. Beach Road is a straight, tree-lined drive that stretches from Berry out to the coast, with Saddleback Mountain to the north. The landscape is so verdant and the green changes dramatically throughout the day, transformed by the light. Late on a cloudy afternoon, I stop by the side of the road. Instead of golden hour, the countryside is bathed in grey. It’s a different type of beautiful; the kind of surprise that compels me to paint.” Burrill Lake and Dolphin Point “Winding south through the beach town of Ulladulla, I love that the countryside opens out to reveal a dramatic vista: the calm of Burrill Lake inland contrasted with the wild and spectacular coast. I’m excited by the many possibilities to paint and set up at Dolphin Point, a few minutes’ drive from the lake. Here, the water from an estuary meets the ocean and creates an interesting visual dynamic I want to try and capture. There are people fishing off the rocks, picnicking and swimming. This part of the coast is the ideal of an Australian holiday – salty air, beaches and caravan parks – and feels very nostalgic.” Narooma Beach and Kianga Point “Narooma means ‘clear blue waters’ in the local indigenous language and as I walk along the beach in the early morning, the ocean looks silver in the sun. The southern headland catches my eye – a huge, windswept outcrop covered in vegetation – and the bracing walk along the sand to get there is worth it. In the afternoon, I drive along the Seaspray tourist drive near Dalmeny Beach, Kianga Point visible in the distance. In my paintings I try to capture the feel of a place, to express mood through colour. A photographer or a hiker may notice the same things as me, though how we each respond is unique. Nature changes quickly and everyone sees things differently. That’s the adventure.”