Galleries to Spend a Rainy Afternoon Wandering Around
Twelve galleries across Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne that earn a proper look, not just a walk-by.
An artist roster built over decades, not swapped with trends. A founding story that still shapes what's on the walls. A public collection deep enough to fill a day on its own. That's what lands a gallery on this list — not mood, not square footage, a program you can trust enough to just turn up and know it will be interesting. Some of these are single rooms you could browse in an hour; others are multi-building institutions that need a full day and a lunch break.
In Sydney, Kate Owen Gallery holds more than 2,000 works by over 200 Aboriginal artists across three floors in Rozelle, while Saint Cloche changes its Paddington show every fortnight — sound bath healing session included, some weeks. Melbourne's ARC ONE has had three of its artists represent Australia at the Venice Biennale, and the Heide Museum of Modern Art was a bohemian share house before it became a public gallery in the '80s. In Brisbane, Jan Murphy — representing Ben Quilty years before most the rest of the country caught on — sits a short walk from Edwina Corlette's eighteen-year-old artist roster on the same Brunswick Street strip, close enough to make an afternoon of both. Presented by Honda ZR-V, consider this your rainy day guide for supporting local galleries and artists in your city.
Read other guides in our A to Z with Honda ZR-V series:
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Things to DoFireworks Gallery
52a Doggett Street, Newstead
Here, Indigenous artworks and non-Indigenous artworks are presented side-by-side to connect and build a community through contemporary art.
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Things to DoJan Murphy Gallery
486 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley
Jan Murphy has represented Australian artists from her Fortitude Valley gallery since 1995, helping support careers like Ben Quilty’s.
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Things to DoQueensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA)
Stanley Place, South Brisbane
QAGOMA’s twin riverside buildings hold the Asia Pacific Triennial, a Cinémathèque, and free entry to most exhibitions.
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Things to DoEdwina Corlette Gallery
555 Brunswick Street, New Farm
This New Farm gallery has run the same long-term artist roster since 2008, spanning desert art collectives to city-based painters.
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Things to DoSophie Gannon Gallery
2 Albert Street, Richmond
This Richmond gallery treats art and design as one, pairing painters like Cressida Campbell with furniture and product designers.
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Things to DoNational Gallery of Victoria (NGV)
180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne
Free entry and more than 76,000 works make NGV’s St Kilda Road and Fed Square buildings an easy trip to justify any day of the week.
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Things to DoHeide Museum of Modern Art
7 Templestowe Road, Bulleen
Once the home of modernist art patrons John and Sunday Reed, Heide pairs art with a heritage garden and restaurant.
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Things to DoFlinders Lane Gallery
137 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
This gallery has represented Australian artists at every career stage since the ’80s, from first-time exhibitors to major collections.
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Things to DoCraft Victoria
Watson Place, Melbourne
Tucked underground, Craft combines exhibitions with a shop, workshops and an agency placing makers with architects.
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Things to DoARC ONE Gallery
45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
This gallery represents artists across painting, sculpture, photography and video, several of them Venice Biennale veterans.
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Things to DoSaint Cloche Gallery
37 MacDonald Street, Paddington
Kitty Clark curates a fortnightly rotation of painting, sculpture and textiles at this chic Paddington space.
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Things to DoKate Owen Gallery
680 Darling Street, Rozelle
Three floors in Rozelle hold more than 2,000 works by over 200 Aboriginal artists, from emerging painters to desert masters.
This guide was produced in partnership with Honda ZR-V. To learn more about the ultimate car for urban discovery, click here.