FRIDAY 24 OCTOBER: Maximise your leisure time in Jervis Bay, the calendar is bursting with creativity and community spirit this weekend: dive into the Festival of Music & Art (FOMA) in Vincentia with nine local acts and a fantastic art exhibition, or plan your weekend around a quoll talk and a First Nations bush walk. Plus, Sunday sessions with live music across the coast and support a local para surf champ!
Saturday 24 October, FOMA at Vincentia Village: Centre stage in the Vincentia village square will come alive at 2.30pm on Saturday for the Festival of Music & Art including no less than nine local musical acts entertaining us with everything from jazz and cabaret to hip hop, post-punk and roots & blues, plus a Welcome to Country by students from Vincentia High School.
Art is everywhere at this free event, with two of the shops around the village square hung with a fantastic range of original art. Artworks include those created over the past three months as part of a series of free art workshops offered by local artists to the community, organised by Dr Vanessa Barbay.
The village cafes will be open, and there will be a sausage sizzle and a few community stalls with information about the Vincentia golf precinct and local wildlife preservation.
FOMA is organised by the Vincentia Connections committee – part of Vincentia Matters and the team that runs the Hub as a community space – in conjunction with youth organisation, Firefly, which has brought the students into the event.
Anne Hastings, on the Vincentia Connections committee says, “We’ve seen the need for an avenue to promote local music and art. The Hub [shop 14] has been really positive for art exhibitions recently and we want to bring something to Vincentia that showcases musicians as well as artists. We’re really excited to have a connection with Vincentia High School through Firefly. Vanessa Barbay has done the vast majority of the organisation, working with the students and runnning the series of workshops and there’s an exhibition on the outcomes of that.”
Anne says the student MC and performers will be mentored by more experienced members of the community, and supported to show their skills and become more confident in performing and presenting in front of audiences. Show your support for this creative community event this weekend – the art will be on display on Sunday too.
Saturday 25 October, Quoll Talk: Limited places are still available for a free talk on quolls from 1.30pm-4.30pm in Parma. Registration is essential for this fascinating presentation by special guest Associate Professor Katerina Mikac from the University of Wollongong Team Quoll project. Katerina will talk about quolls in the Shoalhaven, their habitat, behaviour and share some of her recent research in the area. Also presenting is Ryan Wall, Fox Control Program Officer of Shoalhaven Landcare, on the importance of fox control in protecting quolls.
Saturday 25 October, Reading Country: If you’ve yet to take a walk on Country with local First Nations custodians, here is a perfect springtime opportunity at Bundanon Art Museum. Walk with Joel Deaves and Jordan Thomas for Burrawong Dhunna Gam Waglpa, a guided Burrawang track bush walk and introduction to reading Country. They will share knowledge, language and stories, along the track. Starting at the Boyd Education Forecourt around 9.15am, the walk has steep sections and a couple of creek crossings, so please dress accordingly. Book online for $15-$35 pp.
Saturday 25 October, Jervis Bay Arts Trail: It’s time for the once-a-month open studio trail around Jervis Bay & Basin to visit around 20 local artists who open up their doors to visitors on the Jervis Bay Arts Trail. See what’s on the easels of our resident creatives, marvel at their skill with their materials and their vision, and buy some new art directly from the maker. Find out who is open and how to find them on the Trail website.
Read our feature story today about landscape painter James Dicker who is opening his Tomerong studio on the Trail – James tells us about his inspiration, his process and what’s exciting him creatively around the Shoalhaven right now.
Saturday 25 October, Creative Moments Exhibition: Artisanal, hand-made and traditional crafts at their best are featured in “Celebrations”, the annual exhibition and sale by the Shoalhaven Potters, the Shoalhaven Woodcraft Society and the Nowra Spinners and Weavers. Members from these organisations represent many decades of patient perfecting of their skills, sculpting, carving, weaving and more. This is always a rich showcase of handmade items and it’s tempting to take home too many of these items – they are for sale. On at the Shoalhaven Regional Gallery in Nowra from 25 October to 15 November, with an official launch this Saturday 25 October at 12pm. Come along to see some demonstrations on Saturday 8 November. Entry is free.
Sunday 26 October, Blooms and Brunch: Book your place in a workshop to learn the gentle art of flower arranging at the Few & Far showroom in the Huskisson Industrial Estate, 10am-12pm, tickets are online for $49. Turn a dramatic vessel into a showstopper with the addition of some stems and branches.
Sunday 26 October, Surfing Champ Mega Raffle Fundraiser: Help send para surf champ Grace Kennedy to the 2025 ISA Para World Surfing Championships in California via a mega raffle to be drawn at Jervis Bay Brewing Co between 2pm and 5pm. There’s a stack of amazing prizes worth more than $3,000 including custom surfboards and ultimate Jervis Bay experiences. Buy tickets online for $10 each or buy a bundle for a discount, and make sure you join the festivities in the beer garden to give Grace a great send-off on her first overseas trip.
Sunday Sessions, Live Music on 26 October: Support the South Coast venues who support independent musicians! We have some excellent live music options this weekend, and our favourite Sunday Sessions start at Cupitt’s Estate in Ulladulla where All the Fuss are performing their infectious beats and feel-good vibes on the outdoor stage with the best backdrop, from 12.30pm.
Blessie Pica is playing from 3pm at Flamin Galah brew-pub in Huskission’s industrial estate, where she will ease you into Sunday with her smooth, soulful voice. The start time of 3pm perfectly coincides with happy hour at the Galah so sip, sway, and soak up the good vibes.
Liam Maihi brings his eclectic taste in music, a loop pedal, drum pad, his well-travelled guitar and powerful vocals to the Jervis Bay Brewing Co beer garden from 4pm. Liam effortlessly blends Country, Folk, R’n’B, Blues and Rock together seamlessly to create a full band sound live.
For sunset cocktails, try the vibe at Bannisters rooftop bar at the Pavilion in Mollymook where happy hour starts at 4pm and the music from 5pm will be one of the South Coast’s favourite duos, The Castaways.
Plan Ahead – get out your diary!
Saturday 1 November, Ziggy McNeill Live: The electrifying Ziggy McNeill hits the stage at Flamin Galah brew-pub at Huskisson industrial zone. Known for his high-energy acoustic sets, loop pedal wizardry, and genre-blending style, Ziggy delivers a performance that’s as captivating as it is unforgettable. The folks at the Galah say, “Whether you’re into flamenco flair, rock rhythms, or raw vocals, this is one gig you won’t want to miss.” Ziggy performs from 5.30pm.
Thursday 6 November, Free Ocean Film: Ocean with David Attenborough, a groundbreaking film made after seven decades of filming every aspect of the natural world, will be screening for free thanks to Husky Pictures. Reserve your free seat for the movie followed by a Q&A session, starting at 6pm. See stunning, immersive cinematography on the big screen showcasing the wonder of life under the seas and exposes the realities and challenges facing our ocean as never-before-seen.
Saturday 8 November, Craft Demonstrations: Head to the Shoalhaven Regional Gallery in Nowra to see some captivating demonstrations of traditional crafts, part of the “Celebration” exhibition of Creative Moments, the annual joint exhibition and sale of the Shoalhaven Potters, Shoalhaven Woodcraft Society and Nowra Spinners & Weavers. Gallery opens 10am-2pm on that day and entry is free.
Friday 14 November, Paint at the Park: Take some time for yourself and join the Art Cafe with Jen, a two-hour workshop that blends creativity with a cuppa and cake at Peckish on the Park in Nowra. Beginners and more experienced creatives are all welcome to make a unique artwork with pen and watercolour under the helpful guidance of Jenny McIntosh. Tickets are $45 or $50 with materials provided, and the class starts at 9.30am.
Saturday 15 November, Sunday 16 November and 22-23 November, Sculpture in the Valley is on over two weekends in November, enjoy a selection of indoor and outdoor sculptures. Buy a day pass for $15 (kids under 16 free) and you might even walk away with a new masterpiece for your home or garden.
Saturday 15 November, Bird Watching at Bundanon: Spend an hour on the walking tracks around the Bundanon Art Museum site with the feathery friends from BirdLife Shoalhaven. Look into the canopy and listen to the sounds of the forest as you identify some of the 400+ species of birds that call our south coast home. Bring binoculars if you have them and book online for $25/$22/$20.
Sunday 16 November, Clothes Swap: Head to Tomerong Hall at 10.30am for a community clothes swap. For $5 entry, share space on trestle tables and clean out your wardrobes. Please bring clean items in good condition. All leftover items will be donated to charity.
Thursday 20 November, Ecology Guest Speaker: The eradication of rodents from the iconic Lord Howe Island will be the subject of a keynote speech by Nicholas Carlile at the Shoalhaven Landcare AGM. Save the date for this fascinating talk at the Jervis Bay Maritime Museum at 4pm, details of how to register will be coming soon. Nicholas has dedicated the past 30 years to ecological research in NSW and currently lives with his family on a remote forest property at Bugong, just south of Kangaroo Valley, where he indulges his love of the bush through weed management, has a passion for wine making and vintage motorcycle restoration.
Saturday 22 November, Acrylic Painting Workshop: Join Wilma Southan to paint in acrylics in this workshop hosted by the Shoalhaven Art Society, $120/$80 members. Learn how to paint a vibrant still life with flowers, from 9.30am-4pm at Vincentia. Book online.
Saturday 22 November, Author Talk: Join Boobook on Owen and Darling House Café in Huskisson for a conversation with author Kate Mildenhall. Kate will speak about her gripping new novel The Hiding Place, a tale of friendship and the secrets we keep. For $15, you also get a discount on the book. Doors open 5.30pm for a 6pm start.
Saturday 29 November, We Mavericks in Concert: After rave reviews of their UK and European tour, regional NSW is next on the agenda for We Mavericks, the multi-instrumentalist, songwriting sensational duo Victoria Vigenser and Lindsay Martin and their band-mates, Rachel Johnston and Trent Arkleysmith. Tickets are now on sale for an all-ages show at the Tomerong community hall on Saturday night, 29 November, doors open 6.30pm, $30/$10. If you love folk, alt-country, great storytelling lyrics and insanely talented musicians, book now. We freely admit to being groupies of these guys, so look out for our exclusive interview with We Mavericks next week, including a sneak peek at their new album.
