100 Things To Do You’ve Never Heard Of #086 Home Among the Gum Trees

The “portrait painter to the gumtrees”, Sir Hans Heysen is famous for his remarkable works of Australian Eucalypts painted throughout SA, and the Flinders Ranges in particular. He was the first Australian painter to make the trees themselves the subject, exploring their unique colours and shapes as opposed to being the necessary background to a painting of people or landscapes. Still owned by the Heysen family, his house and studio are now a delightful museum and garden in the Adelaide Hills.

“FOR THOSE WHO LOVE ART AND AUSTRALIA’S ART HISTORY, THIS IS A MUST SEE.” – Sandra Sully 

Sir Hans was probably one of the earliest conservationists as he bought neighbouring properties to ensure the trees weren’t destroyed. The increased garden he also used as his studio. The estate was named The Cedars by the family and over the course of a one-hour tour you’ll see the studio and family home of the wonderful and relatively unknown painter.

WHERE // Heysen Rd, Hahndorf, 30km east of Adelaide. (08) 8388 7277 to book tours, closed Mondays.

DID YOU KNOW? // Sir Han Heysen won the Wynne Prize (the Archibald for landscape artists) a total of nine times.