As a student of TAFE NSW, I had the privilege of being able to take up a week long residential program at the Arthur and Yvonne Boyd Education Centre at Riversdale.
 Our first destination is the Bundanon Homestead & Arthur Boyd’s Studio. Every wall in the Homestead displays artwork from generations of Boyds and the artistic endeavours of the Boyd family permeate the Homestead as well as the surrounding gardens which provide beautiful backdrops to the sculptures created by Arthur and his brother David.
Then it was onto Riversdale - the original property purchased by Arthur and Yvonne Boyd on the Shoalhaven River. The property comprises the original homestead, the Mordant Family Library, Arthur Boyd’s original studio (now an administration building) and the Arthur and Yvonne Boyd Education Centre.
Gifted to the Australian people in 1993 by Arthur and Yvonne Boyd the Bundanon property (which includes the Bundanon Homestead site and the Riversdale site) is located on 1,100 hectares of pristine bush land overlooking the Shoalhaven River, near Nowra in New South Wales.
The gift was borne out of Arthur Boyd's often stated belief that 'you can't own a landscape' and the deeply felt wish that others might also draw inspiration from Bundanon.
As you walk towards the Boyd Education Centre the magnificent view to the Shoalhaven River takes your breath away.
The Glenn Murcutt designed building is the next thing that catches your eye. It is designed to fit in with the landscape and you appreciate how well this has been done once you experience living in the space.
The residential program allows students to explore the artistic heritage of Arthur Boyd and his family and to see first-hand his response to the landscape. It is extremely inspiring.
 The beauty of the Riversdale property has to be seen in real life as photos don’t do it justice. The way the light changes on the water throughout the day is stunningly beautiful.
Some of the students were so struck with the beauty that they would be up at 4am to watch the landscape unfold as the light from the sunrise hit the water. On other days, mist would envelop the mountain and water, always shifting and changing. It was magical!
To be truthful it is so beautiful that most of the time I could only sit and stare with wonder. To try and capture the vista on canvas comes nowhere close to the vision before you and in the end you come to better understand the way that Arthur Boyd tackles painting the Shoalhaven landscape. Still this time spent sitting and absorbing the landscape allows me to refill the creative well which then becomes fuel and inspiration for later work.
The hall with magnificent views over the Shoalhaven River caters for a diverse range of activities. This is where we dined on delicious food cooked fresh for us every night, painted, sketched, or just sat looking at the view with awe.
 The ability to immerse yourself in the natural environment is priceless. We were able to walk around the property, down to the creek bed, up on the hillside overlooking the centre and out to the river or into the bush land. There is plenty to sketch - the large boulders, burrawongs and lovely eucalypts with intricate bark patterns and colours. You can also return to the Bundanon property to sketch on the shores of the river with views to Pulpit Rock.
The tranquillity slowly seeps into your bones and just as you start to feel in rhythm with the environment it’s time to leave. It’s a very melancholy moment!
Needless, to say it is a very special place and I for one am very grateful to Arthur and Yvonne Boyd for their generous gift to the nation.
by Stephanie Champion
Bundanon is open to the public every Sunday from 10.30am to 4pm, with the last entry to the homestead at 3.30pm
If you have a group of 16 or more then you can hire the Centre for your own artist group. Call Bundanon Trust for more information Mon - Fri 02 4422 2100 or Sun 02 4422 2900 or visit the Bundanon Website for more information.
Riversdale also holds a number of concerts and events throughout the year – it’s well worth a visit!
Arthur Boyd's legacy is a collection of masterpieces that define the history of Australian art in the last century. But the man himself - enigmatic, inarticulate, modest - has remained in the shadows until now. Based on over six years of meticulous research and hundreds of interviews, Darleen Bungey sweeps us into the intimate circle of one of Australia's most fascinating families. Arthur Boyd emerges as a passionate, dramatic figure whose self-effacing demeanour cloacked a strong personality that refused to allow his turbulent and sometimes tragic personal life to interfere with his creative genius.
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