Historical information

Geroge Rowe (1796-1864) was a successful printmaker in Cheltenham, UK, but due to poor business dealings fell on hard financials times and tried to make his fortune at the Bendigo gold diggings when he arrived in 1853 (followed by his three sons). He was not successful as prospector, nor as a shopkeeper at Long Gully, Bendigo, but found success in Australia by creating water colours of the Bendigo and Castlemaine gold diggings.His works were exhibited at Bendigo in 1857, and in 1858 he created a well known panoramic View of the City of Melbourne from the Observatory. He returned to Britain in 1858 or 1859 and settled in Exeter where he prepared a series of views of Australia and Tasmania for which he won a gold medal at the London 1862 International Exhibition

Physical description

Small watercolour painting by George Rowe in a golden wooden frame. Under a red sunset the typical Australian bush and several tents. The main part of the painting shows the Falcon Inn pub in Peg Leg Rd. Eaglehawk, four men are standing at the entrance and two aborigines are walking on the dirt road away from the pub. It is believed to have been painted around 1857.