Mount Gambier

Plate 17: Mount Gambier, with one of its volcanic lakes (after sunset). Part of the text accompanying the illustration reads 'About nine miles from Mount Schanck ... are the extinct Craters of Mount Gambier, containing several volcanic lakes, enclosed within abrupt walls of lava. The hollows or craters are three in number, that, at the western extremity being the most extensive ... At the end next the lake, cliffs of white coral limestone occur, descending to the water ... in the month of May 1844 ... I visited this singular crater ... between the principal crater and the central one is a terrific wall of lava ... the third and eastenmost, is entirely occupied by a lake of unknown depth, that looks fearfully dark and gloomy when viewed from the heights above; the accompanying sketch is taken looking across the last mentioned lake, towards the principal crater ...'.

South Australian Governor, Sir George Grey and artist George French Angas together with the expedition party continued inland from the coast and climbed Mount Schank and Mount Gambier, extinct volcanoes which dominate the South East region of South Australia. They also discovered and named Mount Burr. They had left some of the expedition at Rivoli Bay to survey the area. Angas's illustration of Mount Gambier shows what is now known as the Blue Lake, because of the way in which it changes to a bright blue between November and April, before reverting to a duller colour for the remaining months of the year. Angas wrote in his description of the lake that it was 'of unknown depth, that looks fearfully dark and gloomy when viewed from the heights above ...'

George Grey was appointed Governor of South Australia in October 1840. He had previously explored in Western Australia, and served as Resident Magistrate at King George Sound. In 1844 he took time out from his government duties to explore the south-east portion of the colony, which was only known from the brief reports of men overlanding stock from Victoria. In 1845 Grey was appointed Governor of New Zealand and subsequently of South Africa. George French Angas was the son of George Fife Angas and a trained artist. He arrived in South Australia in January 1844 and joined Grey on his expedition and his paintings, published several years later in South Australia illustrated and form a valuable record of the South Australian landscape before it was much changed by white settlement.

This 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.