VON GUERARD'S "BALLARAT IN THE EARLY TIMES (AS IT APPEARED IN THE SUMMER OF 1853-54)" DEPICTING BALLARAT AS IT WAS IN THE YEAR BEFORE EUREKA, IS A PRIZED ITEM IN THE FINE ART GALLERY. (PICTURE COURTESY BALLARAT TOURISM)


He was born in Vienna in 1812, the son of a court painter to Francis 1 of Austria. He lived in Italy during his early days, exhibited regularly at Leipzig and Berlin and left Dusseldorf in 1848. We are fortunate that he kept a diary of his early days and we can relate to his experiences.

Von Guerard joined the 500 ton 205 passenger ship 'Windermere' on the 18th August 1852 at Gravesend. On the 19th he reported that there were 137 passengers, twenty-six crew, there was an inspection of passengers and crew by sanitary authorities and that the meals were late, and bad. The following day they were towed downstream by a steam tug, passing over one hundred sailing vessels. After stopping at Plymouth the long voyage began. On the 26th September he complained that the lower deck became flooded, and that the heat and smells below were so intolerable that he went on deck and watched the wonderful waves.

There was a little humor as they crossed the equator. On October 13th he states, 'Today we crossed the line, and we had the usual amusement. Dr. Hooper and his brother stretched a hair across the lens of the telescope, and calling to the passengers that the line could now be seen, caught several by this simple trick, causing much laughter among the more knowing ones.' On October 21st he described the Southern Cross which had become visible for the first time as 'a very disappointing constellation.'

On December 18th they saw land for the first time in four months, the Victorian coast around Portland Bay and people were arriving in such numbers that as they approached 'the Heads' their were nine big vessels like their own. Owing to a drop in wind they did not berth until the 28th, at Geelong due to all the shipping traffic. Destiny was in the form of two Frenchmen he met on the 31st who suggested that he go to Eureka, near Ballarat. Von Guerard found it amusing that when he went to a church near his camp, a young man he did not know approached him and requested him to stand as godfather to his baby, as he, the father knew no one in Geelong. On January 11th Von Guerard and his friends headed for Eureka after hiring two bullock wagons at ten pounds per ton cartage.

Remembering that today we drive to Geelong in an hour, Von Guerard's trip took a week. The intolerable flies and a scorpion as a bedfellow were new experiences. He described Ballarat as consisting of a camp of tents, and some buildings constructed of boards. 'One building, made of the trunks of trees, constitutes the prison, and is often the temporary abode of bushrangers and also of diggers who can't - or won't pay their licences.

He described mining as 'arduous at first, and caused much backache and blistering of hands. The evenings are a delight after a day's work, being both novel and picturesque. From every direction weary diggers are to be seen returning to their canvas homesteads, hundreds of fires are kindled and illuminate the scene, and at each tea is made and mutton roasted. The evening meal finished, the air is filled with the sound of firearms being fired, in order to be reloaded anew before the night.'

Von Guerard and his friends pegged out their claims at Eureka Hill, and then some more towards the gravel pits, two of their company remained at each claim and they dug in four hourly shifts, to continue day and night. After reaching a depth of twenty five feet at both sites they came upon rock. They then tried their luck on the northern part of Ballarat Flat. He went for a walk towards Brown Hill and found a large tent being used as a R.C. chapel. They dissolved their company at the end of January, and each man received only four pounds. After failing at Ballarat Flat he then tried Canadian Gully, and the new rush to Little Bendigo again without luck.

On the 18th April he speaks of the arrival of the circus, a large tent that was to figure later, in his painting. He next tried mining at Prince Regent's gully. A little small change of luck when 560 buckets of pay dirt produced 10lbs of gold. In early August he joined the new rush to the neighbourhood of the Black Swamp. (Yuille's Swamp now Lake Wendouree). Feeling like a little exercise he and his friend Gilbert walked to Bald Hills and came across a squatters house with a pretty garden. Despite repeated attempts mining proved fruitless and in February, just over twelve months after arrival Von Guerard returned to Geelong, on foot.

Von Guerard is known locally for his painting 'Old Ballarat, as it was in the summer of 1853 to 54', which was the result of almost three months uninterrupted work, thirty years after he had seen it as such. The painting was completed from a twelve inch drawing he had done at the time. He hoped that a number of old Ballarat men still alive may recognise their stores or tents. The painting was commissioned by the name which is synonomous with Ballarat's history, James Oddie, founder and president of the Ballarat Fine Arts & Public Gallery.

The painting highlights Ballarat before the days of solid buildings. Starting from the left hand side, next to the first tree is a tent with a small cross on top which was the first 'St. Alipius', next to it is the road to Eureka and Brown Hill diggings (remembering that the origins of the Eureka lead were at Little Bendigo). The large tent in the flat is the circus and the various smaller and larger ones are stores and tents for amusements on the main road to Buninyong. Showing above and between them is the Gravelpit lead, sloping down the hill to the flat, being still actively worked in its lower part, beyond this line on the hillside is a large tent which he believed was the protestant church. To the right of the flat, with the old surface diggings, at the foot of Golden Point, in the valley that leads to Prince Regent's gully, runs the road to Buninyong. The view is taken from the vicinity of the present Craigs Hotel, Lydiard Street.

At St.Francis' Church, Melbourne on the 15th July 1854 Von Guerard married Louise Arnz, of Dusseldorf. He travelled extensively throughout Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and New South Wales.

What a transformation had occurred to Ballarat upon Von Guerard's return in 1868. The tent city of his memories had given way to a city of distinguished buildings - both business and domestic, churches, wide promenade streets and a swamp of reeds which had become a lake complete with yachts. Von Guerard ascended the tower at the fire station in Sturt Street and recorded the view in a sketch that was then produced in a lithograph. The Ballarat 'Star' of the 7th January 1870 reported, "Those that send it (the wood engraving) to their friends in England will be able to point out to them the celebrated Eureka Lead, Golden Point, Black Hill, Warrenheip, Buninyong Mount, the Main Road, Sturt Street, several well known buildings and many subjects of interest. It may enhance the value of what has been done to say that one of the best Artists of the colony was employed to make the drawing, that some of the best Engravers in London were engaged on it, and that the cost of the picture has amounted to upwards of 260 pounds.' The woodblock from which the wood engraving was printed was assembled in 1869 and consists of forty individual blocks dovetailed together and interlocked with brass screws. The work was commissioned by the Ballarat Star and was known as 'Ballarat in 1870'.

The making of the block took three months, the drawing on the wood another month and the engraving yet another. It required the combined craftsmanship of twenty people.

In 1870 Von Guerard was appointed to the position of master of painting at the National School of Art, Melbourne and curator of the National Gallery of Victoria. His early students included such later notables as Frederick McCubbin, Tom roberts and Rupert Bunny. His resignation was caused by ill health in 1881.

An educated man, fluent in English, Italian, French and German he and his wife returned to Europe in 1882. His life became tinged with sadness, his wife died in London in January 1891 and then as a result of the crash of the Australian banks in 1893 his investments were lost and this talented man apparently lived in poverty, dying in Chelsea on April 17th 1901. He was survived by Victoria, his only child who was married to Reginald Blunt.

Von Guerard was a painter who painted exactly what he saw. He depicted the visual details with great accuracy which therefore gives historical credibility to his works. The original block from which his lithograph of Ballarat in 1870 was taken is in the possession of the Ballarat Historical Society, and it was this block which was used some years ago to produce a once only, numbered limited edition print, which enables enthusiasts of the present to accurately appreciate the work of Von Guerard, which was completed a hundred and twenty five years ago. The original drawing in pen and ink and inkwash over pencil was presented to the Art Gallery in 1904 by Thomas Wannliss.