ArtsNational

Showmen and Shopgirls: Behind Those Famous London Department Stores
2026-08-20 14:00 - 15:00 (Australia/Sydney)
Mr Gamage, Mr Selfridge & co created palaces for the coming generation. We look at the colourful human stories behind those famous facades, from the powerful men at the top to the humble shop assistants sleeping like sardines in the attics. Behind the facades of some of London’s best-known ‘houses’, life’s dramas are playing out. There are arson attacks, sackings, strikes, marriage proposals – even murders. From Harrods’ amateur dramatics society to the Channel Islands department store that served the Nazis, this is social history at its most colourful and engaging. We’ll end with the modern heroes bringing these archaic buildings back to life, including Afghani immigrant Mr Khan of Peckham.
Dates and Locations
Thursday 20 August 2026 Molonglo Plains (ACT / NSW)
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A Photographic Odyssey: Shackleton's 'Endurance' Expedition Captured On Camera
2026-08-19 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-08-18 18:30 - 19:30, 2026-08-17 06:30 - 20:00, 2026-08-13 18:30 - 19:30
On Ernest Shackleton’s third Antarctic expedition in 1914, his ship, the Endurance, was trapped, eventually crushed in pack ice. After five months on the ice, the ship’s company rowed to remote Elephant Island. Shackleton then sailed with five companions over 800 miles to South Georgia, returning over three months later to rescue his stranded crew. Australian Frank Hurley was the expedition’s official photographer. His images capture with great artistry the amazing landscapes within which this remarkable human drama unfolded. This lecture illustrates Hurley’s great talent behind the lens, in the first flush of human contact when the Antarctic remained essentially ‘terra incognita’.
Dates and Locations
Thursday 13 August 2026 Shoalhaven (NSW)
Monday 17 August 2026 Narrabri (NSW)
Tuesday 18 August 2026 Scone (NSW)
Wednesday​ 19 August 2026 Tamworth (NSW)
Monday 31 August 2026 Coffs Coast (NSW)
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The World of Homer
2026-08-19 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-08-12 19:30 - 20:30, 2026-08-08 09:30 - 10:30, 2026-08-03 18:00 - 19:00
This talk examines the history and cultural legacy of the two earliest works in the western literary canon: the Iliad and the Odyssey. After an outline of each plotline,
the talk will focus on how and why these poems have cast such a spell on artists and writers ever since, from ancient Greek tragedy and vase painting, through
renaissance artists such as Botticelli and Bernini, and up to modern authors such as James Joyce and Madeleine Miller. Understanding the world of Homer is an essential element for understanding the history of western art.
Dates and Locations
Monday 3 August 2026 Hobart (TAS)
Saturday 8 August 2026 Gold Coast (QLD)
Wednesday 12 August 2026 Brisbane (QLD)
Wednesday 19 August 2026 Toowoomba (QLD)
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London’s Lost Department Stores - Special Interest Morning
2026-08-19 10:00 - 12:30
Social historian Tessa Boase explores the fabulous world of London’s lost department stores.
Two one-hour talks around a delicious morning tea.
London’s department stores were far more than shops. By the late 19th century, they were destinations. Where else would you find a ‘reading room for husbands’ (Selfridges)? A crèche with giant toadstools (D.H Evans)? A service to clean and repair your entire winter wardrobe (Bradleys)? This wonderfully nostalgic and captivating day will take you on a sensory, highly immersive journey backwards in time. We’ll be making stops at:
i. The West End, guided by Edwardian shopping lady Olivia (author of ‘A Prejudiced Guide to the Shops’), seeking out the latest ‘temples of desire’.
ii. The flirty Thirties and its fabulous Deco department stores, from roof gardens to curved glass walls, Coronation fever to marketing stunts.
Dates and Locations
Wednesday 19 August 2026 Molonglo Plains (ACT / NSW)
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Fashion, Feathers and Feminism: Women’s Fight for Change
2026-08-18 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-08-17 18:00 - 19:30, 2026-08-13 19:30 - 20:30, 2026-08-09 14:00 - 15:00
When social historian Tessa Boase told the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds she wanted to write their early story, they refused to let her visit their archives. To a former investigative journalist, this was a challenge she could not resist. This lecture shines a light on the intriguing story of women’s love affair with plumage – and of the brave eco feminists who fought back on behalf of the birds. Moving from a polite Victorian tea party to an egret hunt in a Florida swamp; from a suffragette ‘monster rally’ to a milliner’s dusty workshop, you will be taken back in time to a world where every woman, of every class wore a hat. Shocking and surprising, entertaining and moving, this pacy lecture remains Tessa’s most popular.
Dates and Locations
Sunday 9 August 2026 Cairns (QLD)
Thursday 13 August 2026 Melbourne (VIC)
Monday 17 August 2026 Murray River (NSW /VIC)
Tuesday 18 August 2026 Canberra (ACT)
Saturday 29 August 2026 Perth (WA)
Monday 31 August 2026 Margaret River (WA)
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Two Hellenistic Cities: Alexandria and Pergamon
2026-08-17 18:00 - 19:30
James takes us on a fascinating journey of Greek art and architecture in the Hellenistic age. In this period, two cities emerged as centres of extraordinary culture and learning. In Egypt, Alexander the Great conceived a vision of a new city to take his name: Alexandria. Meanwhile, in north-west Asia Minor, the Attalid kingdom developed a new capital city, Pergamon, as a cultural centre to rival Alexandria. This talk explains how these two cities changed the intellectual and artistic landscape and examines their legacy.
Dates and Locations
Monday 17 August 2026 Caloundra (QLD)
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Persepolis: Art, Architecture and Ideology of the Persian Empire
2026-08-16, 2026-08-07, 2026-07-31
The Persian empire exploded into life during the middle of the 6th century BC and was the largest empire in the world for the next two centuries. In around 515, its third Great King, Darius I, commissioned the building of a new city, Persepolis, with his palace at its centre. We know a great deal about this palace, and one of its central features, the Apadana Staircase, can be seen in replica in the British Museum. What can this palace and its art tell us about the ideology of this extraordinary, influential empire?
Dates and Locations
Thursday 30 July 2026 Yarra (VIC)
Friday 31 July 2026 Mornington Peninsula (VIC)
Friday 7 August​ 2026 Brisbane River (QLD)
​Sunday 16 August 2026 Sunshine Coast (QLD)
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The Housekeeper's Tale: The Women Who Really Ran the English Country House - Special Interest Event
2026-08-16 10:30 - 14:00
Working as a housekeeper was one of the most prestigious jobs a 19th and early 20th century woman could want – and also one of the toughest. A far cry from the Downton Abbey fiction, the real-life housekeeper was up against capricious mistresses, low pay, no job security, and gruelling physical labour. Delving into secret diaries, unpublished letters and the neglected service archives of our stately homes, Tessa Boase tells the extraordinary stories behind some of Britain’s most prominent households.
1. A GOOD HOUSEKEEPER IS NOT EASILY GOT AT
Focusing on the Victorian Era, we discover more about this unique position by examining a bundle of letters discovered in the archives of Hatfield House, charting the meticulous hunt for a housekeeper to serve Queen Victoria’s prime minister, Lord Salisbury, in 1890. We then move to the story of Mrs. Sarah Wells – mother to the writer H.G. Wells – who kept a revelatory diary for the 14 years she toiled below stairs at Uppark.
2. DANGEROUS AND DISORDERLY – THE 20TH CENTURY
This period of change for British domestic servants is embodied by the triumphant figure of housekeeper Hannah Mackenzie, whose career spanned extremes of fortune and circumstance. We finish our morning by looking at the life of a contemporary housekeeper, Nicky Garner, of Holkham Hall in Norfolk. How has the role changed, and how has the English country house adapted to the modern world?
Dates and Locations
Sunday 16 August 2026 Murray River (NSW/VIC)
Thursday 27 August 2026 Adelaide (SA)
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Troy – City in Art and Myth
2026-08-15 16:00 - 17:00
The Trojan war is the central myth of the Greek tradition, and the tale has influenced art and literature down the ages. When was the ancient city of Troy first identified by archaeologists and what do we know about it? Was there really a Trojan War fought over a kidnapped Greek queen? How has the city of Troy been depicted in art and literature ever since? Why does the city and its story continue to cast such a spell in every generation, even so far as inspiring acclaimed theatrical performances by Syrian refugee women in our own times?
Dates and Locations
Saturday 15 August 2026 Noosa (QLD)
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Icons of Greek Art and Architecture
2026-08-13 10:00 - 14:30
This interest day gives participants the chance to engage deeply with the journey of Greek Art and Architecture throughout its extended historical period of the 7th to the 2nd centuries BC
i. Dwellings for the Gods: the Art and Architecture of Ancient Greek Temples
This lecture examines the development of the ancient Greek temple from the 7th century BC, with a focus on how it became the focal point for developments in Greek art and architecture over a number of centuries. How did the design emerge as it did? What is the significance of Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian columns? What can we learn from the sculpted art on them? How were these buildings actually used? We will look at the temple of Zeus at Olympia as a worked example, and finish by examining the legacy of Greek temple design in neo-classical and modern architecture.
ii. The Parthenon: A Jewel for the Ages
The lecture focuses on the most iconic – and arguably unique – Greek temple of them all, the Parthenon. No expense was spared as leading artists, sculptors, and architects worked on its construction, at a time when Athens was undergoing an extraordinary cultural revolution: this was the age of Socrates, Euripides, Aristophanes, Herodotus, and Sophocles. The buildings on the Acropolis were constructed in a few short decades as a symbol and celebration of Athens’ democracy. The building programme, promoted by the leading democratic politician Pericles, was in fact highly controversial – and sharply divided Athenian democratic opinion in its own day. Why was this temple the greatest the ancient world ever knew?
iii. Two Hellenistic Cities: Alexandria and Pergamon
This lecture will look at the fascinating journey of Greek art and architecture in the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, when the Hellenistic age emerged after the Classical age. In this period, two cities emerged as centres of extraordinary culture and learning. In Egypt, Alexander conceived a vision of a new city to take his name: Alexandria. It soon became the intellectual hub of the ancient world, which saw extraordinary discoveries in science and mathematics, philosophy, and
medicine. Its library was the greatest of the ancient world; moreover, its lighthouse was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Meanwhile, in
north-west Asia Minor, the Attalid kingdom developed a new capital city, Pergamon, as a cultural centre to rival Alexandria. It too had a remarkable
library; today the archaeological site is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, while the famed Pergamon Altar has been reconstructed in the Pergamon
Museum, Berlin. This talk explains how these two cities changed the intellectual and artistic landscape and examines their legacy.
Dates and Locations
Thursday 13 August 2025 Brisbane (QLD)
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The Story Of The Sutton Hoo Ship Burial
2026-08-12 18:00 - 19:30
In the early seventh century a great ship was dragged ashore from the River Deben in Suffolk. This became the resting place of a powerful Anglo-Saxon warlord, buried with a mound of treasures from all over the known world. Fine weaponry, gold coins and exquisitely crafted jewellery revealed levels of sophistication which were a revelation. The aim of the lecture is to examine the finds in turn, partly to appreciate them in their own right and partly to explore what insights they offer and what questions they pose about their world.
Dates and Locations
Wednesday 12 August 2026 Orange (NSW)

London's Lost Department Stores
2026-08-12 18:00 - 19:00
London’s sumptuous Victorian and Edwardian department stores changed the capital – and changed its women. Shoppers of every rank were lavishly wooed, seduced and often undone by the temptations laid out before them in these new ‘cathedrals of desire’. Starting on Oxford Street’s ‘golden mile’, we’ll set off on a cultural tour of the capital’s big stores – from snooty Marshall & Snelgrove, to Pontings, ‘House of Value’; from Kennards’ wart-removal service, to the live flamingos atop Derry & Toms; from Bodgers of Ilford, to Bon Marché of Brixton. How did it feel to enter a great store in 1850 – and in 1950? What was it like to serve? From shoppers to shop girls, publicity stunts to wow factor window dressing, a fascinating slice of social history, with wonderful period images.
Dates and Locations
Wednesday 12 August Geelong (VIC)
Monday 24 August 2026 Fleurieu (SA)
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The Housekeeper's Tale: The Women Who Really Ran the English Country House
2026-08-12, 2026-08-05
Working as a housekeeper was one of the most prestigious jobs a 19th and early 20th century woman could want, and also one of the toughest. A far cry from the Downton Abbey fiction, the real-life housekeeper was up against capricious mistresses, low pay, no job security and gruelling physical labour. Until now, her story has never been told. Delving into secret diaries, unpublished letters and the neglected service archives of our stately homes, Tessa Boase tells a series of poignant and dramatic stories about some of Britain’s most prominent households which are all, today, open to the public.
Dates and Locations
Wednesday 5 August 2026 Chatswood (NSW)
Wednesday 12 August 2026 Geelong (VIC)
Saturday 29 August 2026 Perth (WA)
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The Cult of Gloriana: Art, Music And Politics at the Court of the Virgin Queen
2026-08-10 17:30 - 19:00, 2026-08-10 08:00 - 17:00
Elizabeth I was the most remarkable woman of a remarkable age. Her reign was one of the great creative periods of English history – literature, music, art, architecture and overseas exploration all reached unprecedented heights. With reference to architecture and gardens, this lecture will focus chiefly on the portraits, miniatures and music of Elizabeth’s court. The aim is to demonstrate great levels of artistic achievement and to interpret ideas and assumptions to recreate something of the energy, spirit, and confidence of this Golden Age.
Dates and Locations
Monday 10 August 2026 Mudgee (NSW)
Thursday 27 August 2026 Paddington (NSW)
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Masonry, Manuscripts and Music: An Inspirational Journey Through Medieval England
2026-08-07 14:00 - 15:00
The architecture, manuscript illumination and music of medieval England are among the greatest achievements of any period of English cultural history. The aim of this lecture is to open a window onto this remarkable world to capture something of the essence of its Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals, its equally rich span of manuscript illumination, both sacred and profane, and its religious and secular music. Essentially inspirational and aspirational, these are forms of artistic endeavour which can touch the sublime.
Dates and Locations
Friday 7 August 2026 Blue Mountains (NSW)
Thursday 20 August 2026 Armidale (NSW)
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A Social History of the High Street. Special Interest Event
2026-08-06 10:00 - 15:00
This varied and fascinating day brings to life the untold stories behind objects, institutions and ‘invisible’ people of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. London’s sumptuous department stores or ‘cathedrals of desire’ saw consumerism reach ever more frenzied levels until the natural world began to suffer.
Dates and Locations
Thursday 6 August 2026 Chatswood (NSW)
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Sport Of The Gods: Olympia and the Ancient Olympics
2026-08-04 18:00 - 19:00
Every four years, the advent of the newest iteration of the Olympic games brings scrutiny and reflection on their ancient forebears. The ancient Olympics lasted for over 1000 years and were both very similar and very different to the modern games. They were held as religious games in honour of the great god Zeus at his sanctuary at Olympia in the Greek Peloponnese. The art and architecture of this sanctuary was emblematic of the ancient Olympic spirit – and represents some of the finest sculpted art to survive from ancient Greece. In this talk, we look at the artistic and literary evidence for the ancient games, learning about triumphs and heartaches, and stories of athletes, both weird and wonderful!
Dates and Locations
Tuesday 4 August 2026 Launceston (TAS)
Saturday 22 August 2026 Rockhampton (QLD)
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