A Vanished World, in colour.

With, of course, a degree artistic licence…

Artist’s impression of first Brisbane Post Office, 1839

I find the date ascribed to this scene to be about ten years too early. Soldiers’ wives aside, I don’t think there were any ladies visiting the post office three years before free settlement. In fact, everything was taken care of by the military, who used steamers and brigs to get to the Capital (Sydney) and back.  Few lines of road had been created for carts to travel. Still, it gives a good rendition of the colour of the soil on the unpaved roads, the looming storm clouds of a sub-tropical summer, and the importance of the bullock team for transporting goods.

Edwin augustus porcher

A watercolourist named Edwin Augustus Porcher made a series of paintings between 1843-1845 during a voyage to Australia and adjoining islands in H.M.S. Fly. Here is some of his work:

“Port Molle, on the NE Coast, where a wreck was discovered, 1843”
“Sandbank on the Great Barrier Reef”
“Temporary Settlement at Cape Upstart on the North East Coast”
“Wigwams at Gould Island.”

These are quite lovely – images of the coast and sea, made by an Englishman on a long sea journey through the region. Apart from a couple of sets of images that include the indigenous people of North Queensland and the Torres Strait Islands, he sticks to landscapes. This avoids too much re-interpretation of these people and their customs through white eyes.

graham gore

“Burial Reach, Flinders River,” oil on canvas, 1841

Conrad martens

“Part of Brisbane, Kangaroo Point, 1853”

J.H. GOLDFINCH

“Brisbane Town, 1843”

Henry John Douglas-Scott-Montagu, baron Montagu of Beaulieu

“Glasshouse Mountains from north boat passage, 29 July 1853”
“Brisbane St. Helena, Moreton Bay, 20th July, 1853”
“View from Newstead, the residence of Capt. Wickham, RN, looking down the Brisbane River”

Some of the views depicted here can still be seen – the reef, the Glasshouse Maintains, the distinctive shape of the Brisbane River and those blue ranges in the distance. The foreground has changed, and tragically, the traditional owners have been moved on. Sometimes, if you look at a certain angle, you can still see the lines of the old town, as it was before we started the remorseless march of progress.

All artworks are in the collection of the National Gallery of Australia.

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