Crater of Mount Schank

Plate 4: Part of the text accompanying the illustration reads 'Mount Schank is one of several extinct volcanoes situated at the South Eastern extremity of the Province of South Australia. In May 1844, I visted this remarkable district in company with His Excellency Governor Grey, and an exploring party. The crater of Mount Schank is a hollow truncated cone, of dark cellular lava; it is about 600 or 700 feet in altitude, and rises almost abruptly from a rich plain, scattered with luxuriant gum and wattle trees; the view from the rim, or outer edge of the crater is peculiarly striking; the neighbouring peaks of Mount Gambier ... rise in the distance on the one side ... whilst on the other, the Mouth of the Glenelg, the high land of Cape Nelson, and indentations of Bridge-water and Discovery Bay, with the Southern Ocean beyond, appear as on a map, over the opposite edge of the crater ... The accompanying sketch was taken in the early morning, and as I started betimes from our camp, I was the first to climb the mountain, stand alone on the edge of that vast crater, and to feel the thrill of pleasure which the grand and sudden panorama awakened. - This is one of the rewards of a traveller's toil'.

This item is one of 60 coloured lithographs found in the 1847 edition of 'South Australia Illustrated' by colonial artist George French Angas, together with a descriptive passage for each. The lithograph was created by J.W. Giles from Angas' original painting. The date assigned is assumed to be approximately when the lithographs were created; the original paintings were done in earlier years.

George French Angas (1822-1886), naturalist and painter, was born on 25 April 1822 at Newcastle upon Tyne, England, fourth child and eldest son of George Fife Angas and his wife Rosetta, née French. He sailed for Australia in 1843 on the Augustus, reached Adelaide in January 1844, and remained in South Australia until July when he left for New Zealand. He returned to South Australia in January 1845 and remained for six months. During these visits to South Australia Angas went with William Giles to the area in the vicinity of the mouth of the River Murray, and with Governor (Sir) George Grey to the south-east of the province, Kangaroo Island and Port Lincoln. These journeys Angas recorded in water-colour drawings which were shown in Adelaide in June 1845 in the Legislative Council chamber.