david coombe history
SUMMARY: S.T. Gill was at the diggings of Forest Creek (Mount Alexander) and Bendigo in June and July 1852. Five of his scenes are dated between 16 June and "July". And he was reported there by Bryce Ross, a fellow South Australian prominent at the diggings.
Gill return to Melbourne to implement his lithographic project..
As to extant original works sketched on the goldfields, I suggest only "Portion Commissioners Camp F[orest] Creek" and, possibly later derived from that, "Commissioners Camp, [Barkers &?] Forest Creek, June 1852".
Article type: NARRATIVE, CATALOGUE & ANALYSIS
In this article ...
Gill made it to the diggings at Forest Creek (Mount Alexander) and Bendigo in June and July 1852. He dated five scenes:
These dated scenes place Gill sketching on the goldfields for at least a fortnight, from 16 June to 1 July 1852.
Gill visited two diggings: Forest Creek and Bendigo. Forest Creek was renowned for its population of South Australians. A rush from there to Bendigo began in May 1852. On 8 May Daniel Bunce for The Argus reported diggers saying, "Bendigo is all the go".1 Soon after he wrote:
MOUNT ALEXANDER.
Forest Creek, 5th June, 1852.
Everything at this part of the Diggings is at a dead stand still. Those parties who have remained have obtained gold scarcely sufficient to pay for their labour. Three ounces is the most I have seen taken from one hole in any of the flats in this vicinity for the past week. All these who have nothing but their "swag" to carry, "hump it," and start either for Bendigo or one of the new Diggings, whilst those who have stores and a general outfit are compelled to remain from the absence of the necessary means, of carrying the same to the scenes above named, and of which the most glowing accounts were perpetually reaching us. The store-keepers are also beginning to "drop down," as they find the prudent locality is "stale, flat, and unprofitable" ... To add to their other grievances, they have only til the seventh of the month to pay for fresh licences–a circumstance in the present state, of affairs by no means satisfactory to those who have been unlucky; for to my certain knowledge there are many who have not obtained a single ounce for the last fortnight. But the money must be paid if they remain; the Government regulations must not be overlooked.2
Gill's Diggers on way to Bendigo shows the subjects humping their swags and it's reasonable to conclude these pedestrians are on the road to the Bendigo diggings from the Forest Creek diggings (and not from Melbourne as some may have assumed).
Likewise Gill started at Forest Creek, moved on to the Bendigo diggings and stopped again at Forest Creek before heading back to Melbourne.
S.T. Gill - Subject - Diggers on way
Diggers on way to Bendigo was a frequent subject of Gill's showing diggers on the road. It represents diggers moving from one diggings (Forest Creek) to better prospects at another (Bendigo).
There is solid documentary evidence for Gill being on these two diggings at the time.
A letter from Bryce Ross at the Victorian diggings, probably written mid to late July 1852, arrived in Adelaide on the overland gold escort early in August 1852. It was published in the Adelaide Morning Chronicle:
SKETCHES at the DIGGINGS.–In one of Bryce Ross's letters from Forest Creek, we find the following statement:–"I have just seen a number of exceedingly spirited sketches, taken at Forest Creek and Bendigo Diggings during the last month, by a well known Adelaide artist, whose name I am not permitted to mention at present. I must say they afford an excellent idea of what life is here; the landscape sketches are true and most picturesque. This gentleman intends to publish them shortly, in Melbourne or elsewhere, according to probable circumstances as to obtaining facilities for the execution of the project."3
Everyone at the Mount Alexander diggings knew Bryce Ross who was a former South Australian. His regular "Mems from the Mount" for the Melbourne Herald newspaper were often reprinted in other colonies. This letter was probably written on 23 July 1852.4
Map: Bryce Ross's Herald office at Forest Creek
Ross's observations are consistent with the place and time of Gill's visit to sketch the diggings and his wish to lithograph. The spirited nature of the sketches and the quality of landscape drawing is characteristic of Gill. That the artist intended to publish in "Melbourne or elsewhere" shows these arrangements were not settled and he was still looking for lithographic "facilities" to execute his project. This explains Ross's reluctance to divulge the artist's identity. Melbourne was a possibility seeing Penman and Galbraith were now in Victoria. The "elsewhere" was probably Sydney, and as we shall see, it may have been Sydney's resources brought to Melbourne that would make the large project possible.
John Michael Skipper, who'd arrived with Gill from Adelaide on 16 February, headed to Forest Creek. Several sketches of his there are dated March and April 1852.6 He sailed back from Melbourne on 16 April.7 Had Gill gone up to the diggings with Skipper? Possibly.
The professional artist J.A. Gilfillan (1793-1864) arrived in Melbourne from Adelaide on 18 March.8 Previously from New Zealand, he'd resided in Adelaide for the previous three years, and was reported in mid-May as being at the goldfields.
Sketching at the Diggings.–Mr. Gilfillan, whose fame at home is now well established from his celebrated illustrations of New Zealand, has been residing amongst us taking sketches of our diggings in all its details, both 'above' and 'below' ground – on the 'road' and in the 'tent.'–Argus.5
As a fellow professional artist, Gilfillan was potentially a competitor. We still have Gilfillan's original sketches of his diggings journey and sojourn but little proceeded in the way of publication. In June he took a position in the Customs Department.9
We'll further see later why Angas was not Ross's unnamed artist. George French Angas Visits Melbourne | August 1852.
Where are Gill's original diggings works?
14 extant pencil sketches (SLNSW PXA 6912) are not field sketches at the diggings but are preparatory sketches in Melbourne for lithography. They were made in a small sketch book (c. 10 cm x 16 cm). You can link to these now, or continue the narrative after which they will soon appear in context. S.T. Gill - Diggings and Diggers 1852 - Preparatory Sketches.
We seem not to have Gill's diggings originals at all. A possible exception is Portion Commissioners Camp F[orest] Creek | SLV H4589 (below). This may be a partial view used by Gill to make the larger scene Commissioners Camp, [Barkers &?] Forest Creek, June 1852 | NLA PIC SolanderBoxA16 #R6540 for George French Angas. See also George French Angas - Victorian Diggings, 1852 | Image 3: Commissioners Camp, June 1852.
Although this lack of originals may seem surprising, the problem is not confined to this period and we also lack original sketches for Gill's earlier South Australian years.
Later in July, Gill returned to Melbourne and began preparing his largest ever print series and more:
Victoria Gold Diggings and Diggers 1852 (Narrative →).
To see the works, with accompanying notes, just scroll down or jump to the List of Works.
Letter dated 21 March 1852 from James Allen junior to his father James Allen, newspaper prioprietor. Written from Forest Creek Diggings, Mount Alexander. (Seen by this author.)
Cawthorne. William Anderson Cawthorne - diary, ca. 1849-1859. Digitised at SLNSW: <https://collection.sl.nsw.gov.au/record/9O4oBNAn>.
McCulloch, Alan. Artists of the Australian gold rush Lansdowne Melbourne 1977.
Scroll down to see the pictures along with detailed notes or click a link to jump to a specific work from the list.
Portion Commissioners Camp F Creek con... P Officers. | State Library Victoria H4589
Artist: Gill, S.T. | Date: 1852-06/1852-07 | Appleyard cat. n/a | 11.1(H) x 18(W) cm
Catalogue: S.T. Gill at the Victorian Diggings, 1852
The Gold Commissioners Camp at Forest Creek showing the many tents under the trees. In the foreground a policeman (in uniform with sword) stands in conversation with an non-uniformed man, behind whom are three men with guns (probably licence inspectors).
This appears to be a field sketch with artist notes. To decipher the inscriptions I downloaded a high resolution image and enhanced it. Inscriptions: Portion Commissioners Camp F[orest] Creek ... [con?] ... P. Officers ... Camp Creek [Diggers?] ... Tall Forest Trees ... 12 tents in order ... Post Office ... A [Co..?].
SLV attributes the sketch to Gill and this is likely. Although this is an entire artistic scene, being titled as a "portion" of the view, Gill may have also had in mind making a bigger picture of Commissioners Camp, Forest Creek, such as NLA R6540 and the later (1873~) watercolour.
This may be a partial view used by Gill to make the larger scene for George French Angas: George French Angas - Victorian Diggings, 1852 | Image 3: Commissioners Camp, June 1852.
Map | S. T. Gill - Victorian Diggings
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David Coombe. Original 4 January 2026. Updated 7 January 20026. | text copyright (except where indicated)
CITE THIS: David Coombe, 2026, S.T. Gill at the Victorian Diggings, 1852, accessed dd mmm yyyy, <http://coombe.id.au/S_T_Gill/S_T_Gill_1852_at_the_Victorian_Diggings.htm>