There's so much to see and to ponder at Heide Museum of Modern Art. Three main gallery spaces (Heidi I, Heidi II and Heidi III), sculptures scattering the landscape and the wild yet picturesque gardens, which are a work of art in themselves, make it difficult to leave Heide once you arrive. Bringing a picnic, book (or lover) is highly recommended because you'll want to lie around in the grassy gardens for hours. Luckily, the importance of this place has been recognised and it has its fair share of heritage listings- the Osage orange grove and Victorian farmhouse (Heide I) made the cut. 

In 1934 John Reed (a solicitor) and his wife, Sunday (the occasional muse), moved into the quaint farmhouse that is now Heide I and built around them an environment that nurtured creativity. Their property, which they nicknamed Heide as a nod to the nearby town of Heidelberg, was a sanctuary to their many creative friends. They were original bohemians long before it was fashionable and continuously welcomed through their doors writers, poets, musicians and artists, including Sidney Nolan who lived at Heide during the 1940s and was involved in a passionate love affair with Sunday Reed.

As I wandered the galleries and grounds of Heide there were constant reminders of the past, from the old cottage where Sidney and Sunday's scandalous romance unfolded (and ended viciously), to the vegetable garden that Sunday started in the 1930s and is still flourishing after more than 70 years.

But one of the most impressive things at Heide is Heide II, which John and Sunday Reed commissioned architect, David McGlashan, to design in 1963 as a "gallery to be lived in." Although it streams with sunlight, it is hard to imagine anyone living inside those cold stone walls but the Reeds did just that, spending the rest of their days in this gallery style building- a tribute to their lifelong commitment to art.