The Makers Trail
A nationwide survey of Australia's best studio spaces, workshop doors, and maker-owned retail. Ceramicists, woodworkers, glassblowers, and textile artists who open their practice to the public.
Gallery Central
12a Aberdeen St, Perth WA 6000, Australia
Mon–Fri 11am–4:30pm
Gallery Central occupies Aberdeen Street in Western Australia as a steadfast presence in the local visual art community. The gallery champions contemporary practice across multiple disciplines, creating a thoughtful exhibition program that reflects both regional and broader artistic conversations. Visitors find a knowledgeable team genuinely invested in connecting people with meaningful work. The weekday-focused schedule suggests a studio that prioritizes depth over volume, offering a calm environment for serious looking. Gallery Central serves as a reliable anchor for collectors, artists, and curious visitors alike—a space where visual culture is treated with respect and where professional standards meet genuine enthusiasm for supporting creative practice.
Olive Pink Botanic Garden
27 Tuncks Road
Mon–Sun 8am–6pm
Olive Pink spent years living among the spinifex and mulga she planted here, alongside Warlpiri man Johnny Jambijimba Yannarilyi, on land she petitioned to lease in 1956. The result: 16 hectares, 600-plus arid-zone species, and a registered Arrernte sacred site, Tharrarletneme, with views across the MacDonnell Ranges. The garden outlasted its founder by half a century. It shows.
Bent Books
16 Criterion St
Mon–Sat 10am–4pm · Sun 10am–3pm
A secondhand bookshop on Boundary Street in West End, inner-city Brisbane, and part of that community for 29 years. The stock runs mostly to used titles kept in good condition, categorised and arranged by section. Books arrive by purchase from the public, assessed from photos before any sale. Opening hours run Monday to Saturday from around 10 to 4, and Sunday until 3.
John Earle Studio Gallery
126 Glebe Rd, Merewether NSW 2291, Australia
John Earle Studio Gallery operates from a house on Glebe Road in Merewether, where the artist works and shows. The paintings visible on the site — coastal headlands, beach scenes — suggest a practice grounded in the NSW landscape. Appointments by phone; walk-ins aren't the point. This is a working studio that happens to let people in.
Samford District Historical Museum
21 Station Street, Samford
On the first Sunday of each month, a blacksmith lights the forge at this open-air village museum half an hour from Brisbane. Wander through a slab-walled 1872 schoolhouse, the original Grovely Railway Station housing a wartime exhibit, and a working telephone collection where handsets across the room still connect. Volunteers run copper workshops and staff the research room. Entry is $6.
Red Cross Subiaco
140 Rokeby Rd
Red Cross Subiaco is an op shop (charity thrift store) in Subiaco, Western Australia, offering secondhand clothing, homewares, books, and bric-a-brac at bargain prices. Part of the Red Cross network. Particularly known for designer labels, quality fashion. A treasure hunt for bargain seekers, where every purchase supports charitable community programs. In Subiaco, a well-established inner-city suburb with boutique shopping and dining.
Grounded By Designs
16 Gipps St, Carrington NSW 2294, Australia
Tue 9:30am–12:30pm · Thu–Sat 9:30am–12:30pm · Sun 10am–12pm
Handbuilding and eco-conscious practice in clay, from a studio on Gipps Street, Carrington. The work spans functional tableware and sculptural forms — things made to be held as much as looked at. Early opening hours suggest a working maker's rhythm rather than a retail one.
East Coast Heritage Museum
22 Franklin Street, Swansea Tasmania 7190, Australia
Mon–Fri 10am–4pm
Located on the main street corner of Franklin and Noyes Streets, this heritage museum celebrates East Coast community history through diverse collections including the Morris General Store exhibition, military uniforms, and artifacts from local figures like Louisa Anne Meredith. Entry is by donation and the museum operates as part of the Glamorgan Spring Bay Council.
