Local artist follows Ludwig Leichhardt's journey

WITH a sketchbook in hand, Bill Gannon followed the footsteps German explorer Ludwig Leichhardt once walked.

ARTIST AT WORK: Bill Gannon focuses on his painting of fieldwork on the Roper River, Northern Territory, in 2012. Picture: Contributed

WITH a sketchbook in hand, Bill Gannon followed the footsteps German explorer Ludwig Leichhardt once walked.

Along with a small band of artists, surveyors, historians, traditional owners, pastoralists and scientists, Bill retraced the 1844-45 journey in 2012-13, examining Ludwig Leichhardt and the north-eastern Australian country he traversed.

Putting ink to paper, Bill etched out the journey.

And he will be showcasing his story through sketches at the Emerald Art Gallery tomorrow.

"To me, I always take one approach in my travels - a whole lot of history, adventure and artistic endeavour," Bill said.

"This idea came about when we followed Flinders the explorer, about four years ago.

"The history, adventure and artistic aspects got to me and as a town planner, I worked a lot in the (Central Highlands) region and I got to know a lot about the importance of Ludwig Leichhardt.

"And I thought I wouldn't mind retracing his trek.

"Once I read his diaries in Sydney, that was it - I had to do it."

"Leichhardt was first in today's Central Highlands from December 1844 to February 1845.

"He and his team had cockatoo stew and suet pudding for their Christmas Day meal at Browns Lagoon, south of today's Rolleston."

To retrace these important steps, Bill said initial fieldwork began in mid-2011, when he and surveyor Rod Schlenker made a journey from Comet to the Gulf of Carpentaria.

They became familiar with the route, found campsites and gained access permission.

"It's amazing how many people had an interest," he said.

"There haven't been many do that trek."

And it is a trek, Bill

knows all too well now.

"It meant we could study a lot about this great, strange, crazy explorer, who was first and foremost a scientist," Bill said.

"He was so different, his diaries I read are full of biology, geology, astronomy.

"A very educated fellow, who came to Australia as a young man and takes off on this journey.

"He expected it to take seven months but it took 15 months.

"Most people thought he had died and there was a funeral service for him."

Bill said Leichhardt came back to Sydney and read his obituary! "It was a wild and brave journey," he laughed.

Like Leichhardt, the group trekked from south-east Queensland north to the Mitchell River at the base of Cape York.

And from there, the artists travelled across to the Northern Territory and to the top of the Top End of the Coburg Peninsula.

The artistic journey was captured in a series of 15 art pieces by Bill.

"We did a lot of camping, and because (Leichhardt's) notebooks were so good, we did a lot of sketches along the way," Bill said of the artwork.

"I went back to the studio where I would do 15 large oils - one for each month we were away - they tell the story of his journey.

"The journey isn't just about one person or seven or 10 of them.

The themes they have are universal - hope, collaboration, struggle, loss and grief.

"Those big things are important to an artist.

"It links a historian, an artist and a poet - all that means more value."

Local artists Kathy Hawkins, Heather Wehl and Sharon Kirk will also have pieces in the exhibition.

"The Rolleston Painting Group joined Bill for the Comet River and Peak Ranges sections of the 4500km trek," Sharon said.

"We referred to the diaries of the explorers, as we followed their path.

"We had the benefit of local historians and environmental scientists.

"Some sketched, some used watercolour or charcoal.

"Then we prepared works in our studios."

To mark the 170th anniversary of Ludwig Leichhardt's expedition, the Comet community will also host a celebration on March 15.

Bill Gannon will be a guest speaker and some of his works will be on display on the day.

The family fun day out will feature stories from local historians, re-enactments and entertainment - including local Jo Bridgeman as the bush poet.

Exhibition facts

 Opens tomorrow at the Emerald Town Hall at 10am.

 Beforehand there will be a walk and talk with Bill Gannon and lunch will be served at noon.

 Entry is $5 for gallery non-members.

 The exhibit will finish on March 28.