A new home for Aboriginal art, culture and creativity has opened in the heart of Bunbury.
Published 30 September 2026
The Wardandi Wanil Art Centre – the first Aboriginal art centre open on Wardandi Noongar Country – welcomes visitors from Wednesday 30 September 2026, with its inaugural exhibition Wanil – Healing Gathering Growing on display. Artists, Elders, community and partners celebrated the centre’s opening at an event last week.
The opening marks a landmark moment for the South West. More than a new arts facility, Wardandi Wanil Art Centre is a place for Aboriginal artists and community to gather, create, share stories, connect with culture and develop opportunities through art.
Co-designed with artists and Elders, the centre provides a culturally safe and professionally equipped space where Aboriginal artists can create, exhibit and sell their work, while sharing knowledge and learning from one another. It is a place where generations can come together – where stories, cultural knowledge and creative practices can be shared, celebrated and carried forward.
While the gallery opens to the public for the first time this month, the centre’s studio has been quietly alive with artists since May, with workshops, artist registrations and creative programs already underway.
The centre is growing and continuing its journey towards becoming a fully Aboriginal-led organisation – a lasting home for Aboriginal artists, creativity and culture in the South West.
The Wardandi Wanil Art Centre will be open to the public from Wednesday 30 September, every Wednesday and Friday from 10am to 4pm, with free entry.
From Dellas Bennell, GKB Art & Culture
Through my role at GKB and as a Wardandi Artist, I’m proud to have seen this initiative grow from an idea into reality through respectful engagement, artist consultation and Elders’ guidance.
Wardandi Wanil is a place we can call our own — a place where artists can grow, young people can find their creative voice, Elders are honoured, and our stories live on for generations.
From the Wardandi Wanil Art Centre Artist Reference Group
We are excited to be part of the Aboriginal art centre family – and to see the first Aboriginal art centre open on Wardandi Noongar Country. For our artists and our community, this is a place of belonging – a place to gather, create, share stories and pass on culture. It is a place where we can come together, support one another and create opportunities for the artists and young people who will come after us.
From Acting Mayor Cheryl Kozisek
Bunbury has waited a long time for this. To see it open – artists in the studio, work on the walls, community walking through the door – is something this city can genuinely celebrate.
What means the most to me is that artists have been working in this building since May – before any of the official events. That’s the right order. This centre belongs to the artists and community, and the City’s role is to support it as it grows toward being fully Aboriginal-led.
From Alcoa Australia President and Alcoa Foundation Board Member Elsabe Muller
Wardandi Wanil Art Centre is a powerful example of what can be achieved through partnership, community vision and First Nations leadership. We are proud to support a place where culture can thrive, artists can grow, and everyone is welcome to connect with the stories and traditions of Wardandi Noongar Country.
The centre opens with its inaugural exhibition, Wanil – Healing Gathering Growing, curated by Willman and Ballardong Noongar curator and artist Candice Nannup.
Bringing together local Aboriginal artworks, the exhibition celebrates the creativity, stories and living culture of artists connected to Wardandi Country and community. Its theme takes inspiration from the Wanil, the peppermint tree from which the centre takes its name. Unique to the South West, Wanil holds deep significance for Noongar people and has long been valued for its healing and cultural uses. The exhibition invites visitors to experience the stories and perspectives of artists connected to Wardandi Country, with artworks available for purchase to directly support the artists and the centre.
The Wardandi Wanil Art Centre has been developed in partnership with the City of Bunbury, and Gnaala Karla Booja Aboriginal Corporation, the corporation representing the Traditional Owners of this Country with support from the Alcoa Foundation.
The centre builds on a long, living history of Noongar art in the South West, with connections to the Noongar Arts Program and the broader community of artists and Elders who have created and shared culture here for many years.
Wardandi Wanil Art Centre
20 Prinsep Street, Bunbury WA 6230
Open to the public from: Wednesday 30 September 2026
Open: Wednesdays and Fridays, 10am to 4pm
Free entry
Inaugural exhibition: Wanil – Healing Gathering Growing
For further comment, or to arrange an interview, please contact the City of Bunbury Media Team at media@bunbury.wa.gov.au or 9792 7000.