Inspiring landscapes which have captivated the likes of Donald Friend, Russell Drysdale, and many others…

“For almost fifty years the nineteenth century gold-rush town of Hill End has attracted an extraordinary group of distinguished artists who have worked and often lived in the town and its tough, historic countryside, producing some of the most enduring Australian landscape imagery of recent times…”
- Gavin Wilson, ‘The Artists of Hill End’

Since the late 1940′s Hill End has been an artistic haven. With Donald Friend and Russell Drysdale amongst the first to portray the area. Over the years various other artists, such as Margaret Olley, John Olsen, and Brett Whiteley were also attracted to the visual charm of the village. Currently there are two cottages in Hill End that are used as artists residences for a visiting artists program, Haefliger’s Cottage & Murray’s Cottage.

See; Hill End Artiist In Residence Program for further information regarding this program, as well as a brief history of the art scene in Hill End.

Today there is a growing number of artists that have either made this little village their home, or have a studio here. The arts are thriving in Hill End, with the greatest examples being the establishment of the Hill End Arts Council and the Jean Bellette Gallery, which receive recognition from regional arts bodies including the Bathurst Regional Art Gallery.

The Hill End Art Gallery (Jean Bellette Gallery) is a joint initiative between the NSW Department of Environment & Climate Change and the Bathurst Regional Art Gallery (BRAG).

Through the development of an ongoing exhibition programme it is envisaged that the Hill End Art Gallery will serve to highlight Hill End’s continuing importance as a site of significant Australian cultural development. The exhibition programme will consist of work by artists based in the Hill End area, as well as artists who have participated in the Hill End Artists in Residence Programme, and specially curated exhibitions focusing on the presentation and interpretation of Hill End’s artistic heritage.

The Jean Bellette Gallery is located at the Hill End Visitor’s Information Centre / Historic Museum, located on High Street, which is the first left when entering the village on the Bathurst Road

Hill End Art Gallery:
Visitor’s Information Centre
Hill End
NSW, 2850 02-6337 8206