Harbourside walk and beautiful art: Greenwich Village Arts Trail is back this weekend

The popular Greenwich Village Arts Trail is on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November from 10am to 4pm, bringing the perfect opportunity for anyone and families to witness award-winning creations from 35 artists.

What is the Greenwich Village Arts Trail?

Under the fully blossomed jacaranda trees, visitors will get the chance to meet contemporary painters (oil, acrylic and watercolour), illustrators, sculptors, ceramicists, photographers, woodworkers and textile artists. The Greenwich artists are opening their studios to the public which will be marked with orange flags and selling their work.  Kids are welcome at all the studios and Greenwich Public School will also be displaying artworks from students as part of its 150th anniversary celebration. All of the Greenwich cafes will be open throughout the weekend or you can pop into IGA for some picnic supplies. 

This year, there are two new artists joining – Kate Rolshoven and Megan Cribb. Among the many talented artists, a few highlights to explore include Nicola Hart who is selling ceramics and paintings, Amanda Harrison with ceramic and bronze figurative sculptures, MaryAnne Parry’s wax encaustic and David Markell’s spectacular woodwork. 

You can visit the Greenwich Village Arts Trail website for more information on each artist.

How to get there

The trail is easy to reach by public transport, and there is a free shuttle to save your legs.

• Free shuttle bus: Lane Cove Council is running a free shuttle in a continuous loop. It goes from the top of Greenwich at Corner Shop Organics on Crowther Avenue down to Greenwich Point Wharf. Its route is the blue line on the map below.
• Train: Wollstonecraft Station on the T1 North Shore Line is the closest. A bush walking path links the station to the trail. St Leonards Station is also nearby.
• Ferry: The F8 Cockatoo Island ferry from Circular Quay stops at Greenwich Point Wharf, at the southern end of the trail.
• Bus: Route 265 (Lane Cove to North Sydney) runs through Greenwich. Check the Transport NSW trip planner for weekend times.
• Car: There is street parking around Greenwich. The main road in is Greenwich Road.

Printed maps and brochures are available from the local Greenwich shops and at each studio over the weekend.

Greenwich Village Arts Trail 2026 map

According to Amanda, the initiator and founder of the Greenwich Trail, the best place to start the walk would be at studio No. 1 Pete Finlay. There is also a new addition to the route this year, Corner Shop Organics, which is a great stop for a coffee and a bite to eat. The suggested trail is shown in the map below, marked by the dotted orange line and it could take the majority of the day including stops for refreshments. 

Here is the Google Map Link. 

Food on the trail

Six cafes are open along the route over the weekend. The letters match the A to F cafe markers on the map.

• A. Corner Shop Organics Cafe (new this year), 2/2 Crowther Avenue: 6.30am to 4pm
• B. Village Vibes: 7.45am to 4pm
• C. Hooked Seafood: 9am to 4pm
• D. TWO.H Cafe: 8am to 4pm
• E. Greenwich Baths Cafe: open in fine weather
• F. Wollstonecraft Station Cafe: 7am to 3pm

Hours are for Saturday and Sunday, from the official trail brochure.

The history behind the trail

In early 2005, two Greenwich artists Gulcin Seven and ex-Lord Mayor John May realised the extraordinary number of artists working in the suburb and decided to bring them together for a group exhibition.  Later that year, ten artists, Lyn Burns, Amanda Harrison, Pamela Irving, Magie Maule, John May, MaryAnne Parry, Susan Rothwell, Gulcin Seven, Kaan Seven and Louella Woodham gathered at the local sailing club to stage the inaugural Greenwich Art Show. Opening on 7 October 2005, the exhibition was a huge success as friends, relatives and local residents filled the top floor of the Sailing Club and the harbour provided a spectacular backdrop to the artists and their works.  After two shows in 2007 and 2010, the group grew to fourteen artists. However the challenges of the tight area in the hired room and physical difficulties of transporting equipment prompted a re-think about the space.  At the post-show debrief, Dana Dion proposed a new format: an open studio trail, inspired by events in Pittwater and Willoughby council areas. This way, artists had no restrictions regarding space, light and had freedom regarding their own presentation and administration. This idea was met with unanimous agreement. Dana Dion and Amanda Harrison took the lead in bringing this new concept to life which ended up creating the Greenwich Village Art Trail. Two principles shaped the event, the walk should be friendly, easily accessible without the need for a car and allow visitors to learn about the processes behind the creations that artists bring to life in their studios.   On October 8-9 2012, fourteen artists opened their doors across ten locations – Lyn Burns, Dana Dion, Amanda Harrison, Cathy Jager, Melissa McElhone, John May, Kerin Moorehead, MaryAnne Parry, Sally Rossi-Ford, Susan Rothwell, Gulcin Seven, Petrina Slaytor, Peter Staveley, and Louella Woodham. The Trail attracted over 250 visitors from the local area, making it a wonderful and successful community event. Today, the trail has attracted more than 900 art-lovers across Sydney. Held on the first weekend of November, it transforms Greenwich into a vibrant celebration of creativity with 35 artists opening their studios. Visitors wander across studios, talk with and learn about the artists’ creative processes and purchase fabulous artworks that elevate their home and lives. 

Amanda Harrison: the trail’s founder

Amanda has always been immersed in the creative arts, whether painting, sculpture, photography, film-making or writing. 

After studying sculpture in her final years of high school in Sydney, she completed a Bachelor of Arts in film and scriptwriting at University. After travelling extensively, she settled in London, where she reinvigorated her passion for sculpture at the Kensington & Chelsea College and learnt traditional sculpting techniques, including armature building, mould-making, casting and carving. After studying graphic design and running a small graphic design business in Sydney, Amanda started to explore ceramics, learning about hand-building and glazes at TAFE, art colleges and private workshops.  Today, Amanda combines her love of sculpture and clay and creates wonderful contemporary artworks in clay and bronze from her art studio in Greenwich Sydney. Check out their Instagram and Facebook here.