About us
A heritage building kept alive by practice
Barracks Art Studios Thirroul Incorporated is a not-for-profit artist-run collective. Our home is the 1913–1915 railway crew barracks at 1 Church Street, Thirroul — heritage-listed, and continuously used by artists since 1998.
Working Studios. Living Heritage. Contemporary Art.
The Thirroul Railway Crew Barracks was built between 1913 and 1915 to provide sleeping quarters for the drivers, firemen and guards of steam trains passing through the Thirroul depot. Its construction was a practical response to the timetabled pauses of the long steam route between Sydney and the south coast.
As the railways modernised, the building was repurposed as a pay office and tradesmen's workspace. From 1998 it became home to artists, quietly continuing its role as a place of working hands. In December 2012 the current body — Barracks Art Studios Thirroul Incorporated — was formed.
The building is heritage-listed, sits adjacent to the Thirroul railway line, and remains a much-loved local landmark. Inside, six contemporary artists keep their own lockup studios. Most of the year the spaces are private — dedicated to the concentration and mess of making. Two weekends a year, the doors open.
- Built
- 1913 – 1915
- Original use
- Steam-train crew barracks
- Artists since
- 1998
- Incorporated
- December 2012
- Heritage listed
- Yes
- Resident artists
- Six
Timeline
More than a century in one building
1913 – 1915
Built as railway crew barracks
Constructed to provide sleeping quarters for the drivers, firemen and guards of steam trains passing through the Thirroul depot.
Mid-20th century
Pay office and tradesmen's workspace
As steam gave way to electrification, the building transitioned to serve as a pay office and workshop for railway tradesmen.
1998
Artists move in
The first artists take up residence in the barracks, establishing Barracks Artists Incorporated and beginning more than two decades of continuous creative use.
December 2012
Re-incorporated
The current association — Barracks Art Studios Thirroul Incorporated — is formed as a not-for-profit body, giving the collective its present structure.
2018
On Track at Wollongong Art Gallery
The members' first group exhibition, held at Level 4 of Wollongong Art Gallery, celebrated the building's heritage and the artists' practice.
2024
Thirroul Arts & Cultural Achievement
President Judy Bourke receives the Thirroul 2024 Arts and Cultural Achievement award for her ongoing contribution to the region's arts community.
The Committee
Artists running the studios
The association is managed by its artists. Five members form the management committee; one serves as Associate Member Coordinator.
| Role | Artist |
|---|---|
| President | Judy Bourke |
| Secretary | David Hull |
| Vice President | Graham Sinclair |
| Treasurer | Skye (TS) Zaracostas |
| Associate Member Coordinator | Frank Nowlan |