Victoria Peak and Gully: Past and Present

This John Thomson photo perplexed us. The summit appears to be Victoria Peak. Yet where in Central District, in 1868, could one find such a wide gully – surrounded by pockets of woodland? Finally, from harbour ferries, we identified the peak’s precise contours. This showed that, without any question, Thomson’s summit is Victoria Peak and that the view looks west-southwest. Topographical charts of the times also helped. They show a very large watercourse draining much of Victoria Peak, right around to Mount Gough, and then descending immediately to the east of Murray Barracks, today’s Hong Kong Park. The stream later was formed into a concrete nullah. Its above ground section can still be seen just below Kennedy Road; its underground section lies beneath Hong Kong Park. The 2015 image, thus, was taken from the middle of Hong Kong Park – where Thomson’s gully once flowed.