Artist Sylvia Hewitt has spent most of her life near the coast, but in her sixth decade, has swapped sun and sea for inland living with four seasons and less traffic.
Defying the stampede of southerners moving north, Sylvia and her husband David Hewitt have shifted from Townsville in northern Queensland to Bendigo in central Victoria.
“I love autumn and spring but in Townsville you get only two seasons – hot and hotter!” Sylvia says.
Bendigo’s array of seasonal plants and colours is the source of boundless inspiration for the painter, print-maker and art teacher.
She’s relishing working alongside other artists in a collective studio space in a local antiques gallery.
“We have lots of laughs,” she says.
“In Bendigo, I can knit as well,” says Sylvia, “whereas even looking at a piece of wool in Townsville would make me sweat!”
The area’s rich gold-mining history provides plenty of interest and prospecting for David, a geologist.
Sylvia says Bendigo has everything they need, without the traffic jams that have accompanied Townsville’s growth. And Melbourne – where one of their daughters lives — is just a one-and-a-half-hour train trip away.
“Here, I’ve found my stairway to heaven,” Sylvia says.
