AWA Retreat 2026
Walking the wilds, the winds and the rainbow.
20-23 August 2026 at Rainbow Beach, Queensland
AWA Retreat 2026 occurred in conjunction with the exhibition WALKING ART NOW at Gympie Regional Gallery (17 July-27 August 2026). AWA Retreat 2026 was based at Rainbow Beach and the Cooloola region in Queensland, a spectacular area renowned for its beaches, high dunes, wilderness and wildflowers.
AWA Retreat 2026 provided opportunities to:
Explore walking practices in the unique locations of the Cooloola region
Meet other walking artists and experiment with practices and processes
Share your ideas and participate in collaboration and experimentation.
Costs
Members are invited to participate in the whole three-day event.
$175 Before July 31 or $200 From August 1-10 or earlier if all tickets are sold
Non-members are invited to join us on Saturday 22 August.
$105 Before July 31 or $120 From August 1-10 or earlier if all tickets are sold
The Program
Member-only activities
The member-only component of the Program offered AWA Members the opportunity to connect with other members previously known only through our monthly gatherings on Zoom. Members met at dawn to watch the sun rise from a sand blow overlooking the ocean; they walked through the nearby Wollum with Sue Davis, Lisa Chandler and Joolie Gibbs, learning about the remarkable array of wildflowers to be found in the surrounding landscape. Members also enjoyed meals together at local clubs and relaxed on the beach, walking, writing, talking and laughing. The gallery of images below include many examples of the activities we enjoyed together.
Walkshop day, open to everyone
As the downloadable Information Pack shows, Saturday 22 August was packed with walkshops that celebrated walking as a contribution to art-making. 23 AWA members were joined by 16 non-members for 9 walkshops. Sadly, Amy Tsilemanis was unable to deliver her walkshop due to illness. We missed you, Amy.
The walkshops were:
Rename the place – Creative response, and mapping with Molly Wagner
Sensocartographic Journeys – Walking and mark marking on a long scroll with Melinda Hunt
Cyanotype Botanicals with Renata Buziak
Wildflowering in the field with photo focus with Sue Davis
Earth Songs – Drawing and assemblage with Rosie Lloyd Giblett
Slow walking in a circle – Drawing with concertina book with Joolie Gibbs
Sensewalk with Perdita Phillips
Walking sketchbook – Recording in miniature accordion book format with Sandra Pearce
Walking the quiddity – Billycan drawing walks and continuum with Nicole Voevodin Cash
For full descriptions of each walkshop, download the Information Pack using the link below. Photography in the gallery below also features walkshop activities.
To come along to our next retreat in April 2027, visit the Join Now page on our website and fill in the membership form.
Special thanks
AWA Retreat 2026 would not have been possible without the generous support and expertise of the Wildflowering Women, Sue Davis, Lisa Chandler and Joolie Gibbs.
Download a copy of the Information Pack
AWA Retreat 2026
All photography by Julie Pratt, with our deepest gratitude.
What do Retreat participants have to say?
Therese Gabriel Wilkins
The retreat provided the opportunity to meet, share, learn and create with other artists from all over Australia while walking in an idyllic setting, Rainbow Beach.
The workshop leaders merged our footsteps with art through varied, innovative lessons.
Learning and observing others artistic expressions has added so much to my understanding of what Walking Art in Australia is and the many different paths it can take.