Warrandyte is now technically an outer suburb of Melbourne, located 30 km from the city centre and 112 m above sea-level. However, being situated on the Yarra River and surrounded by the remnant natural bushland of Warrandyte State Park, it retains an element of the rural village and a number of craftspeople and artists have taken up residence in the area which has something of a reputation for its conservationist values.
this saturday, i had the very good fortune of being brought to a pottery expo at warrandyte by my uncle (my mom’s cousin to be precise). my uncle is a practicing artist based in melbourne and has had experience working and teaching with NAFA in singapore. knowing that i have a common interest in this field, there was no better place to bring me than to an artist’s village.
the pottery expo was an informal family oriented affair located at a clearing next to the banks of the yarra river. having had some experience in pottery, i had at least some inkling as to how the wares were made and the level of skill involve to achieve the final product. it was impressive. i really liked the causal outdoor layout of the “expo” because it puts people at ease and does not make you feel like a bull in a china shop although ceramics were exhibited everywhere. there was also a vocal artist serenading the crowd and activities for children.
the civic district of warrandyte is concentrated along yarra street. most houses and shops built by the early settlers are still in use. there are no imposing malls or modern franchises to be seen, somewhat like olinda village and sassasfras village of the dandenong ranges. warrandyte is also somewhat more accessible than the dangenong ranges for a quick change of pace and scenery from the city. running more frequently on weekends, public buses get you directly to warrandyte from the city within an hour.
while most of our time was spent browsing pottery at the expo, we also had time to drop by a very small museum, an opps shop, an antique shop and stroll a short distance of the yarra.
