January 2024: Anne Withers and Art in Peppy Beach

for a small community, Peppy Beach proudly punches well above its weight when it comes to artist talent. Whether it be the local art exhibitions hosted at the Community Centre, or the amazing murals painted on the beach ablution (toilet) blocks, local artists have had a profound and lasting impact on the Peppy community.

It would be no surprise to any Peppy local that Anne Withers was and is central to both of the aforementioned community initiatives.   You might know Anne from her amazing art and crafts displayed at the Peppermint Grove Beach Holiday Park, or her friendly presence at the monthly Community Coffee Mornings. In this blog we sit down with Anne to find out some more about her background and her views on the art scene in the region. 

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How long have you been living and/or visiting Peppy?

We bought our first block in Peppy in 1978 and built in the early 1980s

What caused you to first become interested in art and when?

I've always been interested in art but more seriously when I started an art group in 1999 then the current art group began about 15 years ago of which I am the current president.

What type of art do you enjoy the most and why?

I love painting underwater scenes creating colourful coral reefs and sea creatures but also enjoy painting realistic seascapes and landscapes.

How important do you think art is to a small community such as Peppy Beach?

Our art group is open to anyone who would like to express their artistic talents and the community look forward to coming along to our art exhibitions as they not only get to see and purchase great art we provide lovely food and free wine catered for by our talented artists. 

Our next one will be a pop up art exhibition at 185 Peppermint Grove terrace Peppermint Grove Beach on the 26th January.

What has been your favourite project to work on during your time in Peppy?

My favourite project recently has been designing and painting an underwater scene mural on the ablution block at Peppy.

What would you say to any budding artist in or around Peppy Beach?

To any budding artist come along and join our art group we meet every Thursday 4pm till 7pm at the Peppermint Grove Beach community centre it is a great place to be creative amongst other like minded people.

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You can find out more about Anne's art at her Instagram page or just head along to join the art group as per Anne's answer above.  

We hope to see more artists showing their pieces in the future and Anne's art group seems to be the perfect place for young and emerging artists to get advice and mentorship from experienced and talented artists. 

September 2023: The Peppy Beach Lookout

During the colder winter months, we spotted some blue sky and decide to take full advantage by exploring the (relatively) famous Peppy Lookout. 

The Lookout was officially opened in October 2015 by Capel Deputy Shire President Brian Hearne and Councillor Jennifer Scott. The contrast in density between Peppy in 2015 and 2023 is quite incredible, as can be seen by the article posted at the time.  The Lookout was constructed on Mount Stirling which is also known as Hardy's Hill and was originally named by Aboriginal people as Maali Kaart. Design and construction of the lookout cost about $45,000 and was funded by the Shire.

There are two access points to the lookout, with the main access on Peppermint Grove Tce between No. 18 and No. 22 and the 'back' access via the top of Maali View.  It is rumored that the location of the lookout was selected because it is the highest point in the Geographe Bay (which is between Cape Naturaliste and Bunbury).  

The 119-step walk itself up the lookout stairs is relatively easy and certainly worth the payoff of panoramic views over Peppy and the entire Bay. We posted a sped-up time-lapse video to our dedicated Peppy Beach Retreats Instagram. 

With the increase of tourism to Peppy, it would be great to see some more information and plaques at the top of the lookout which might explain, for example, the history of the area or the whale watching seasons.