This week STA got a warm welcome at Ngunungulla Southern Highlands Regional Gallery at Retford Park. The awe-inspiring new cultural facility in Bowral, Wingecarribee.

Megan Monte, Director and Milena Stojanovska Assistant Director gave us a tour of the entry spaces and details about the glorious opening exhibition High Jinks in the Hydrangeas by Tamara Dean are listed below

Ngununggula means ‘belonging’ in the traditional language of the Gundungurra First Nations people.

As visitors come through the main door they are greeted with the Dreamtime story of Gurangatch and Mirrgan told by Elder Aunty Velma Mulcahy.

The Entry Pavillion’s first installment is a collaboration between First Nations people in the Highlands with Quandamooka artist Megan Cope which maps and tells the story of Gundungurra land. The work will be on display across the impressive foyer windows for 12 months.

Ngununggula was sustainably repurposed from the Dairy and Veterinary Clinic at Retford Park, a property of the National Trust (NSW) by architects Tonkin Zulaikha Greer who have achieved a state-of-the-art gallery space that pays homage to the building’s heritage in delightful and sensitive ways.