Luxury accommodation plan at The Cedars in Hahndorf
The Hans Heysen Gallery at Hahndorf would include high-end overnight accommodation under a plan by the gallery’s organisers.
Adelaide Hills
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Eco-tourism could be bolstered in Hahndorf with The Heysen Foundation seeking to construct luxury accommodation at The Cedars.
The foundation has announced plans to develop high-end accommodation on 17.6ha of surplus land, situated below the new Hans Heysen Gallery.
An expression of interest campaign has started with eco-tourism operators invited to submit ideas by June 19.
The campaign is run through commercial real estate company CBRE.
Chief executive officer of The Cedars, Tori Dixon-Whittle, said providing high-end accommodation at the former home of famed artist Sir Hans Heysen had been a long-held dream by the foundation.
“In our vision for the future there will be accommodation on there, so that guests can come and visit the gallery, the historic component and then they can actually stay and immerse themselves on the very landscape that Hans Heysen used as inspiration,” she said.
“It will provide a complete experience and an immersive experience too, as Hans spent his years in that landscape – that’s what inspired him and is really what he dedicated his life to.
“So this will give people the opportunity to stay in that environment too and experience what it was that motivated him everyday to create stunning artworks.”
Ms Dixon-Whittle said a number of tourism providers had already expressed their interest but no decision would be made before the June 19 deadline.
“We’re looking for low environmental impact accommodation providers, people who are sensitive to the natural environment,” she said.
“In terms of ideas, we’ve left it wide open as there are remarkable people doing remarkable things out there.
“That’s why we’ve put it out as an expression of interest, so that people can say to us ‘these are our ideas of how we can really turn up the volume on this beautiful piece of land’.”
Construction of the long-awaited new gallery, to display the works of artists Hans Heysen and daughter Nora Heysen, will meanwhile begin later this year.
It will consist of a single-storey structure, made from rammed earth concrete materials, while expansive glazing to bring in scenic vistas.
It will also include strong timber-themed interior furnishings and energy-saving design features.
Hans Heysen, who died in 1968, was a German immigrant who moved to South Australia as a six-year-old, and became one of Australia’s greatest artists.
He left a legacy of not only his art but the original house, known as The Cedars, and the studio he had built in 1913.
Nora Heysen, meanwhile, was the first woman to win the prestigious Archibald Prize for portraiture and was Australia’s first woman war artist.
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