The mounted and framed early view of Townsville with Castle Hill towering above the colourful North Queensland town is an illustration from the Picturesque Atlas of Australasia , published in Sydney in the l880s, with 800 engravings by leading Australian artists. Not high enough to be declared a mount, Castle Hill nevertheless continues to attract the attention of artists, climbers and photographers, providing panoramic views of the city, Magnetic Island .
By Art Correspondent Ponsonby Willis
During WWll , artist Kenneth Jack, on his way home to Melbourne, passed through Townsville near the end of l945 , returning from ground staff duty in the RAAF in New Guinea , Morotai and Borneo .
During a short overnight stop in Townsville, he later wrote in his l994 book QUEENSLAND Paintings and Drawing , he had walked the steep streets of the older part of the town, making small pencil drawings .The waterfront had been most interesting .
Castle Hill impressed him immensely : " On seeing Castle Hill , around which the town is built, I am sure the great French artist Paul Cezanne if he had visited Townsville would have been reminded of his favourite painting subject-the larger Mont St. Victoire."
Jack went on to say he made subsequent visits to Townsville over the years, and what he saw reinforced his belief that it is a most scenic city and a very rewarding place for an artist. He lamented the fact that some of Townsville's marvellous old buildings had disappeared in recent years , especially along the waterfront . The book, published by Boolarong Press, Brisbane , contains three views of Townsville, Castle Hill featuring in one, in a superb collection capturing the buildings, landscapes and development of the state
