Need a little winter inspiration? Got a creative itch just waiting to be scratched? Then a meander through
a designated artists' trail viewed through the eyes of the
Heidelberg School, the nation's first significant art movement, might have you picking up palette and brush in a flash.
The
trail meanders through lovely landscapes and cultural icons for a lengthy 40 kilometres so, no, it's not a day trip. Best to pick a section that you can walk, cycle or drive at your own pace. It encompasses the municipalities of Banyule, Nillumbik and Mannington in the north-east and continues through to the picturesque storybook villages, waterways and forests of the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges.
The website's really helpful and allows you to plan your trip – or maybe even a trip a week with the aim of completing the trek by the end of winter. Here's a
map so you get a good visual of the area covered, and you can print off a handy
brochure, complete with quizzes to complete along the way.
Look out for (a total of) 57 explanatory signs and boards, many of which display reproductions and descriptions of some of the most famous paintings, and are located near where the particular artist lived or worked. You can find out more about the artists, including Tom Roberts, Penleigh Boyd and Arthur Streeton,
here.
The artists among you, or in fact anyone who appreciates beauty, might also like to head south and soak up some bay breezes on the
Coastal Arts Trail, which features works by some of the same artists.
