The village of Nundle is known for attracting creatives and it now has a new art gallery, which is becoming a new home for Indigenous and local artists. Gaba-Baa Gallery opened just before Christmas and is currently the only dedicated art gallery in town.
Multi-award winning Gamilaroi artist, curator and educator, Debbie Taylor-Worley, opened the gallery in December after growing up with strong ties to Country in north-west NSW. After reconnecting with her heritage, she graduated with a Bachelor of Contemporary Australian Indigenous Art and Honours from Griffith University and was conferred as a Doctor of Visual Art by Griffith University. Her work spans painting, ceramics and works on paper, and she has illustrated several children’s books and run workshops and community projects during her career.
In 2020, Debbie received the Windmill Trust Scholarship, a prestigious $10,000 award for regional NSW artists and she made a research trip back on Gamilaraay Country, reconnecting with ancestors and landscape as part of her artistic practice.
Debbie opened Gaba-Baa, meaning ‘good place’ in Gamilaraay.
“I wanted it to be a somewhere people want to come in to, see lovely things, be happy, and feel that good vibe,” she said.
The gallery operates on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with additional days when there are more visitors in town and by appointment midweek.
“It’s still very new, but people are coming in, and the (neighbouring) woollen mill are very generous in sending people here,” she said.
At its core, Gaba-Baa is about story, culture and connection.
“When people come in, there’s a story to every artwork that’s in here, whether it be the guardians or whether it be the local flowers or the soil,” Debbie said.
Her roots run deep in Nundle with her great-great-great grandmother born on the banks of Peel River in the mid-1800s.
“It’s really important to have this space because we don’t have enough representation,” Debbie said.
“I really want to encourage local Indigenous artists to have a shot.”
Debbie has put a call out for artists interested in exhibiting in 2026, particularly local and Gamilaraay artists from further afield. While the gallery space is small, it allows for intimate exhibitions.
“So many really good artists never get a chance to show their work on their own or have a space for themselves,” she said.
Much of the work currently on display is Debbie’s own, but she also shows pieces by her daughter and includes books by local authors, reflecting the varied creative community in Nundle.
“This is a really creative town, which is one of the reasons that drew me back to Nundle,” she said.
Debbie said the village is home to musicians, painters, ceramicists and other creatives, which cemented her decision to move.
With a studio space under construction at her nearby property, Debbie plans to expand into workshops.
“I’ll be running weaving, pottery and printmaking workshops including gelli printing which is really good fun and very addictive,” she said.
You can find Gaba-Baa Gallery on Oakenville St next to the Nundle Post Office with a range of artworks including Debbie’s hand-woven range of earrings, Lubly Lobes.
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