In this episode, art lover Rachel Griffiths embarks on a journey to Tower Hill in country Victoria to find the exact spot where Eugene Von Guerard painted his legacy painting of 1855.
Rachel’s travels begin by train to Ballarat, Von Guerard’s first port of call as a recently arrived Austrian migrant. Like many of his era, the artist came for the gold, but unlike others, he stayed for the landscapes. His artwork of the goldfields captured an historic moment in time.
Next stop is farmer Nick Cole whose ancestor commissioned the Tower Hill painting in an attempt to document this volcanic landscape before it was destroyed by mining and deforestation.
Armed with a magnifying glass, Rachel finally arrives in Warrnambool, the home of the original painting, to see the highly detailed landscape in the flesh.
Before Rachel reaches X-marks the spot, she meets Brett Clark, songman and elder of the Gunditjmara clan, to better understand this part of country.
Rachel is awed by the magnificent scene of Tower Hill and she is grateful this painting existed so that this beautiful place could be restored to its original state.
Production credit: A Mint Pictures production in association with Magdalene Media. Principal production investment from Screen Australia and the ABC. In association with Screen NSW. Series Director Ariel White. Field Producer Kirrilly Brentall. Series Producer Dan Goldberg. Executive Producers Adam Kay, Rachel Griffiths & Ariel White. ABC Commissioning Editor Julia Hanna. Acting Head of Factual and Culture Richard Huddleston.
