A unique feature of the Prize is the winning artist residency. The SCAP Residency is part of a growing Sunshine Coast Residency Program that aims to provide creative development in all areas of the arts in the region's unique natural environment. During the residency, the winning artist will connect with local artists and the community through workshops and talks. These will be facilitated by the Caloundra Regional Art Galler.

The Place

The Old Dairy, Arley Farm, Maleny

The Old Dairy, Arley Farm is located just 4 km west of Maleny in the heart of the Blackall Range Hinterland on the Sunshine Coast. The property is a former dairy farm which spans a small valley with three dams and is bordered by 1.5 km of frontage to the Obi Obi Creek. The owners Peter and Fiona Stevens have undertaken extensive revegetation of the creek frontage which includes a delightful shady swimming hole with a shade shelter, table and BBQ. This area is an important riparian rainforest remnant with over 200 species of plants including strangler figs, palms and ferns, which is host to abundant birdlife, reptiles and the elusive platypus.

The studio and accommodation is a converted dairy complex with 240 degree views over surrounding farmland and valley. There are two large bedrooms and a fully equipped modern kitchen that adjoins a breakfast bar and dining area. A large living room leads to an outdoor entertaining area with BBQ and garden setting. A large studio (15m x 5m) is attached to the accommodation. It is open and airy with plenty of natural light.

Maleny

Maleny is a charming unspoilt township of 4700 people. It is located on the Southern edge of the Blackall Range in picture postcard dairy country, interspersed with rainforest, about 50 kilometres south-west of Caloundra and the Sunshine Coast.

Maleny is part of the Sunshine Coast which begins at Caloundra, just one hour's drive north of Brisbane and extends to Cooloola, the gateway to Fraser Island. It takes in tranquil hinterland including the Glass House Mountains, Blackall Range, Noosa Hinterland and the Mary Valley, as well as more than 100 kilometres of beaches stretching through the coastal towns of Caloundra, Kawana, Mooloolaba, Maroochydore, Coolum Beach, Noosa and Rainbow Beach.

Maleny is renowned as a creative arts centre. Artists and crafts people residing in the area are drawn to the relaxed lifestyle and natural beauty of the Blackall Range, one of the most interesting and dramatic mountain terrains in Queensland. An art trail will take you to the work rooms and galleries of painters, potters, glass blowers, jewellers, sculptors and furniture makers, all creating unique pieces in serene surrounds.

The range offers spectacular panoramic views of the coast and Glasshouse Mountains. Bushwalking is a popular pastime in the area. You can explore walking trails through the lush rainforests of the Mary Cairncross National Park and the new Great!Walk Sunshine Coast Hinterland starting from the lush tropical rainforest of Kondalilla National Park near Maleny you can discover the Sunshine Coast’s natural beauty and experience some of the range’s most scenic areas such as warm subtropical rainforest, tall open eucalypt forest and picturesque waterfalls.

With its pristine coastline and lush hinterland the Sunshine Coast offers the perfect location to relax, explore and create.