Surveyors camp

This oil sketch on paper of a landscape including Fort Point, Port Darwin, illustrates the main camp of the Northern Territory Survey Expedition (1868-1870). This work is naive in comparison to other works painted by the same artist from this group. Hoare has composed this scene from an offshore vantage point, perhaps from a boat. The main focus of the work is a large, tree covered plateau, which is very close to the shoreline. This area is crowned with what is most likely an english flag attached to a tall pole. To the left, sheltered by the land mass is a camp of approximately a dozen white tents, pitched in front of a few, more permanent timber structures. To the far right, on a narrow beach at the bottom of the plateau and possibly included to represent scale, are tiny figures and horses. They appear to be preparing to load or unload a vessel by the jetty. To the left, the artist has included a figure driving a horse and cart on the beach

William Webster Hoare migrated to South Australia with his brother, PE Hoare, coming via Brisbane. He had trained as a pharmacist and obtained a position with the 1868 -1870 Goyder Surveying Expedition to the Northern Territory, as assistant to the surgeon, Dr Peel. He filled his spare time in the camp sketching, and his notebook contains many small sketches of natural history that he later worked up into full-size watercolour illustrations. Goyder, recognising his talent and the contribution he could make, supported these endeavours, providing him with materials and time to work with the expedition's naturalist, Friedrich Schultze. After Hoare's return to Adelaide in 1870, he worked as a dispensing chemist at the Adelaide Hospital until 1892.

He subsequently returned to England and died at Ramsgate in 1927. Hoare won a prize for an oil painting at the South Australian Society of Arts' 1865 exhibition. The State Library holds the papers of William Webster Hoare. These comprise artworks, photographs, scrapbooks, diary and a map kept on the Northern Territory Survey Expedition 1868-1869. There is another oil painting in the collection of the National Library of Australia.

George Woodroffe Goyder was appointed Surveyor-General in 1861. He undertook several surveys in northern South Australia (1857-1866) and was instrumental in determining the line of demarcation between agricultural and pastoral land known as Goyder's Line. In 1868 after several failed attempts by others, Goyder undertook the selection and survey for the main town, several smaller town sites and the country acres that land holders were anxiously awaiting. With his team of 120 men the job was completed in six months. The main encampment was at Fort Point, depicted here by Hoare.

Permission to use this item for any purpose, including publishing, is not required from the State Library under these conditions of use.

Buy a high resolution copy.